Sinbad Movies
A hardworking funnyman whose clean, family friendly persona and animated antics have endeared him into the hearts of dedicated fans worldwide, Sinbad has worked tirelessly to rise to the top of the standup circuit, finding success in both television and film in addition to his popular stage act.Born David Adkins on November 18, 1956, in Benton Harbor, MI, the energetic youngster spent much of his youth entertaining his three brothers and two sisters and refining his unique sense of humor. A passion for basketball and the Harlem Globetrotters won the red-haired youth (affectionately christened "Red" Chamberlain by his teammates) a basketball scholarship to the University of Denver, but a knee injury later sidelined his professional sports aspirations. Turning back to his humorous instincts, Sinbad hit the road for his "Poverty Tour," working the comedy circuits while taking the Greyhound from city to city and living hand-to-mouth. Adapting the moniker of a legend that embodied the spirit of strength, adventure, and optimism symbolized all that the hardworking comedian aspired to be. Putting his faith in God and his ability to make others laugh paid off, and following seven appearances on Star Search the now-established Sinbad was given his television break by comedy legend Redd Foxx. Playing Foxx's son on The New Redd Foxx show in the mid-'80s found the aspiring actor expanding his talents, and though the show didn't last long, it did bring said talents to the attention of yet another comedy legend, Bill Cosby. Following a few other television appearances, Sinbad joined the cast of Cosby Show spin-off A Different World in 1987. Concurrently serving as host for It's Showtime at the Apollo continued his career momentum on the right track, and before long he had developed his own television show, Sinbad and Friends All the Way Live...Almost.
On the world of the silver screen, Sinbad made an appropriate debut as a standup comedian in 1989 with That's Adequate. Following with notably funny bone-tickling minor roles in Necessary Roughness (1991) and Coneheads (1993), he took the lead for 1995's Houseguest and has since turned up memorably alongside Arnold Schwarzenegger in Jingle All the Way and with James Coburn and Burt Reynolds in the made-for-television film The Cherokee Kid (both 1996), all the while making frequent appearances in standup cable specials and continuing to tour tirelessly. The 2000's would find him appearing on shows like Resurrection Blvd. and Slacker Cats, as well as in films like Stompin' and Leila. In 2010 he competed on the celebrity reality show The Apprentice, and created another stand up special, titled Where U Been?, that same year.
In addition to his constant efforts to bring laughter to the masses, Sinbad has dedicated his free time and personal efforts to such causes as the Children's Defense Fund and the Omega Boys Club. Sinbad also made his bid to increase AIDS awareness with his involvement in the Time Out: The Truth About HIV, AIDS and You video in 1992. His intense dedication to family is evident in his hiring of his brothers and sisters to assist him in his numerous endeavors. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
- 1990
It's official -- the formerly self-centered Hillman College graduate Whitley Gilbert (Jasmine Guy) is definitely in love with her fellow collegiate Dwayne Wayne (Kadeem Hardison) as A Different World begins its fourth season. Unfortunately, during the summer, Dwayne has met and fallen for someone else: a Japanese-American girl named Kinu. So disconsolate that she forgets to pay her room rent on time, Whitley temporarily moves in with another of her Hillman College confrères, the worldly Jaleesa (Dawnn Lewis) -- in an apartment right across the hall from Dwayne's! Hoping to make Dwayne jealous, Whitley finally agrees to go out with Dwayne's dweebish roommate Ron (Darryl M. Bell), but the scheme doesn't work. Incidentally, Ron is far more interested in the artistically inclined coed Freddie (Cree Summer), who isn't quite as waif-like as in previous seasons, and is beginning to emerge as something of a social activist thanks to the influence of her Black History professor. Meanwhile, the romance between Jaleesa and local community-center leader Walter (Sinbad) has gone south, with Jaleesa now hitching her star to hard-driving calculus teacher Colonel Clayton Taylor (Glynn Turnan), whose son Terrence (Cory Tyler) is currently driving everyone crazy as a new Hillman freshman. As the season progresses, Whitley lands a marketing job and later becomes assistant to an art gallery curator; Dwayne and Kina split, with Dwayne finally realizing he is as much in love with Whitley as she is with him; Ron is invited to join his dad's car business, but he opts instead to become a drummer in a band ; and Whitley's former roommate Kim is temporarily working at a mortuary. Season four ends with the possibility of Ron failing to graduate from Hillman, Walter accepting a job in Philadelphia; and Whitley laboring under the misapprehension that Dwayne wants to break off their relationship. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Jasmine Guy, Dawnn Lewis, (more)
- 1989
As the third season of A Different World rolls around, Hillman College's venerable Gilbert Hall is now a coed dorm. Lettie Bostic has quit her job as dorm director, succeeded by local community-center leader Walter Oakes (Sinbad), with whom divorced, 28-year-old college senior Jaleesa (Dawnn Lewis) had fallen in love (Jaleesa is also now assistant resident advisor at the dorm). Spoiled, self-centered student Whitley Gilbert (Jasmine Guy) is surprised at how much her friend and fellow student Dwayne Wayne (Kadeem Hardison) has matured over the summer, but she still isn't ready to go beyond the platonic stage of their relationship. As for Whitley's tough-minded roommate Kim (Charnele Brown), she has made the first steps toward mending the fences between herself and her overprotective policeman father (played by none other than Mr. Shaft himself, Richard Roundtree). Making his first appearance this season is Julian (Dominic Hoffman), a South African exchange student who begins stirring up political consciousness at staid old Hillman -- and also begins to stir up something quite different within Whitley Gilbert. Although Whitley's romance with Julian is over virtually before it begins, he has succeeded in instilling a sense of responsibility and social awareness in the rich and pampered coed, who isn't quite as "me-oriented" at the end of the season as she was at the beginning. Season three ends with the graduation of Whitley and Jaleesa -- not to mention the two-part escapade "Getaway," in which all the leading characters become innocently involved with dangerous drug leaders who are searching for their ill-gotten loot! ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Jasmine Guy, Dawnn Lewis, (more)
- 1989
- R
Fans of movie industry satire will want to see That's Adequate, an all-star production which spoofs the popular series of documentary films honoring MGM's musical comedies, That's Entertainment. Narrated by Tony Randall, this mock-history chronicles the film output of the second-rate "Adequate Film Studios" during its six precarious decades of existence. At times the humor gets very broad, including a fair amount of vulgarity. We see clips from such Adequate Studios monstrosities as "Singing in the Synagogue," and "Sluts of the South." Some of the stars enlivening these parodies are Bruce Willis, Robert Downey, Jr., James Coco, Anne Meara, Professor Irwin Corey, Jerry Stiller and Robert Vaughn. ~ Clarke Fountain, Rovi
- Starring:
- Tony Randall, James Coco, (more)
- 1988
Season two of A Different World finds the overall quality of the series improving immensely, which many insiders attributed to the fact that the multi-talented Debbie Allen had taken over as producer-director. Originally intended as a vehicle for former Cosby Show co-star Lisa Bonet in her familiar role as college student Denise Huxtable, the series would be forced to undergo a major format change when Bonet dropped out of the series due to her real-life pregnancy. Also gone from the cast is Marisa Tomei, who had played Denise's naïve white college roommate Maggie Lawton. With Bonet and Tomei gone, the emphasis shifts to Denise's former dorm-mates at Hillman College's Gilbert Hall: streetwise 27-year-old divorcée Jaleesa (Dawnn Lewis) and spoiled, haughty Whitley (Jasmine Guy). Likewise carried over from the first season are Gilbert Hall's worldly dorm director Lettie (Mary Alice), self-styled campus Romeo Dwayne Wayne (Kadeem Hardison), Dwayne's irresponsible roomie Ron (Darryl M. Bell), and local community-center leader Walter Oakes (Sinbad). New to the series are Whitley's new roommate, the iron-willed, slightly promiscuous pre-med student Kim Reese (Charnele Brown); fashion-challenged but cute and artistically gifted student Freddie Brooks (Cree Summer); and tough-as-nails calculus professor Col. Clayton "Dr. War" Taylor (played by Glynn Turnan, the husband of Aretha Franklin, who this year takes over from Phoebe Snow as the singer of the series' catchy theme tune). Major season two plot developments include the growing attraction between Whitley and Dwayne, although both continue dating others; the budding romance between Walter and Jaleesa; and the many benighted business schemes cooked up by Ron and Dwayne. Also, the characters begin spending more and more of their spare time at a local eatery called The Pit, presided over by philosophical chef Vernon Gaynes (Lou Myers). ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Jasmine Guy, Sinbad, (more)
- 1988
Denise (Lisa Bonet) is appalled by the snobbery inherent in the annual Miss Hillman pageant. As a means of protesting the festivities, she talks Dwayne (Kadeem Hardison) into entering himself as a contestant--resulting in yet another battle royal between Denise and the insufferable Whitley (Jasmine Guy), with poor Dwayne stuck in the middle. Somehow or other, everyone concerned learns a valuable lesson about what is really important in life . . . but not before the Pageant nearly collapses in chaos. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- 1988
Fed up with Dwayne's lame "pickup" lines, graduate student Peggy (Claudette Wells) decides to humilate him in front of everyone by pretending to fall for his charms. Getting wind of Peggy's scheme, Denise (Lisa Bonet) tries to warn Dwayne , but he refuses to listen. For a while, it looks like Dwayne is being set up for a spectacularly painful fall--but Denise teams up with student advisor Walter (Sinbad) for a most unorthodox last-minute rescue. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- 1987
Intent upon replacing the family station wagon, Cliff (Bill Cosby) goes to great lengths to hide his profession and his affluence so that the car dealership won't take advantage of him. Meanwhile, Rudy (Keshia Knight Pulliam) comes to grief when trying to follow the advice of older sister Vanessa (Tempestt Bledsoe) on finishing an "illustrated" school report. Featured in the cast are comedians Gilbert Gottfried and Sinbad, the latter soon to become a regular as Walter Oakes on the Cosby Show spinoff A Different World. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- 1987
To impress her father Cliff (Bill Cosby, crossing over from his own TV series), Denise (Lisa Bonet) goes out for the Hillman College track team. Alas, our heroine can't keep up the pace, and considers giving up the team. . .until the star runner, a good-looking guy named Virgil (Guy Killum), makes a startling confession. Meanwhile, Maggie (Marisa Tomei) is convinced that she'll mess up her Economics term paper unless she is able to track down a specific--and very elusive--textbook. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- 1987
Conspiring with Jaleesa (Dawnn Lewis) and Maggie (Marisa Tomei), Denise (Lisa Bonet) decides to participate in the tradtional Hillman homecoming prank of stealing the head from the costume of the rival mascot (a bear). But she has second thoughts upon finding out that her grandfather Russell (Earle Hyman), a distinguished Hillman alumnus, is planning to pay her a visit. The situation takes a bizarre turn when Russell expresses great interest in the celebrated prank--and insists upon absconding with the bear head himself. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- 1987
Facing the possibility of flunking out of calculus, Denise (Lisa Bonet) agrees to be tutored by Dwayne (Kadeem Harrison). Though one might expect that Dwayne would use this opportunity to "make the moves" on Denise, he takes his responsibility seriously. Even so, Dwayne finds himself in an embarrassing situation when he is locked inside the all-female dorm after curfew and is forced to make his getaway through Whitley's room--and horror of horrors, he's caught in the act by gimlet-eyed dorm director Stevie Rallen (Loretta Devine), who threatens to tell the Dean that Dwayne and Whitley (Jasmine Guy) have been up to no good. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- 1986
This romantic made-for-TV movie chronicles episodes from the varied lives of visitors to the popular Mexican seaside resort. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi
- Starring:
- Jack Scalia, Linda Hamilton, (more)
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