Sinbad was
born on November 18, 1956. As a child, he was the consummate jovial jokester, performing
constantly for his three brothers and two sisters. The big bodied man you see today was
also a big bodied child who dreamed of becoming a Harlem Globetrotter. In pursuit of that
dream, he graduated from high school and entered the University of Denver on a basketball
scholarship. The dream nearly became a reality until he suffered a career ending knee
injury. He reflects fondly on his days as a basketball protege. “I had flaming red
hair and they called me Red Chamberlain, had ‘Baby Wilt’ written on the side of
my car. I was on my way to becoming All-American. I thought college ball was going to be
the ticket.”
In 1983, Sinbad set-off on
a self-sponsored “Poverty Tour” of comedy clubs across the United States. He
traveled on Greyhound, worked for meals and changed in hotel restrooms. It was a tough
experience and he remembers asking a higher power whether or not he was on the right path.
“I prayed, please Lord, this is hard work so if I’m not funny let me know right
away.” Sinbad’s comedy career gained momentum in the mid-eighties when he made
seven appearances on the popular variety show “Star Search”. His success on Star
Search led to a co-starring role as Fred Sanford’s son on “The New Red Foxx
Show” (1986). The rest is TV and movie history. He eventually caught the eye of the
legendary Bill Cosby, who cast him on the super successful sit-com “A Different
World” (1987 to 1991).
Sinbad’s tasteful talents propelled his career through
the 1990s. In 1991, he starred in the “Share the Dream Tour” of historically
black colleges. In 1993, he developed and starred in his own variety show “Sinbad
& Friends All the Way Live... Almost” which aired on ABC. He also hosted the
perennially popular “It’s Showtime at the Apollo”.
For actors with the skills to master the small screen there
is usually a natural progression to the big screen. Sinbad made his big screen debut as a
stand-up comedian in “That’s Adequate” (1989). His performance was adequate
enough to land minor roles in “Necessary Roughness” (1991),
“Coneheads” and “Meteor Man” (both in 1993). His first starring role
was in “Houseguest” (1995) in which he portrays a down-on-his-luck small
business man running from debtors. His other major films were “First Kid” (1996)
in which he portrays a secret service agent who befriends the son of the President, and
“Jingle All The Way” (1996) in which he portrays Arnold Schwarzenagger’s
arch rival in their quest to purchase the most popular action figure of the holiday
shopping season.
The versatile and venerable ‘bad is a comic icon
towering both physically and ethically above the landscape of contemporary culture. His
timeless brand of homegrown humor has set a standard that few comedians can match. His
fame and success have allowed him to express his good hearted, party nature off-screen
through his now famous “Soul Music Festival” , held annually at exotic venues
around the globe. His notoriety draws the top R&B and Funk musicians from the 1970s
and 80s, along with their die-hard fans, to this mega event. Sinbad’s vibrancy and
solid reputation for clean, respectable fun ensures that he will be a major player in the
field of entertainment for years to come.
Sinbad was
born on November 18, 1956. As a child, he was the consummate jovial jokester, performing
constantly for his three brothers and two sisters. The big bodied man you see today was
also a big bodied child who dreamed of becoming a Harlem Globetrotter. In pursuit of that
dream, he graduated from high school and entered the University of Denver on a basketball
scholarship. The dream nearly became a reality until he suffered a career ending knee
injury. He reflects fondly on his days as a basketball protege. “I had flaming red
hair and they called me Red Chamberlain, had ‘Baby Wilt’ written on the side of
my car. I was on my way to becoming All-American. I thought college ball was going to be
the ticket.” 
