Sam Kinison was an American comedian and actor who took the truth and customs of society and not only showed it to us, but shoved it down our throats. He is remembered for his legendary cries that characterize a Pentecostal preacher.
The former preacher found the perfect medium for his frustration, disappointments and anger in comedy probably through his distinct cry. His time on earth was very short, but he left a mark too deep to cover and a memory too deeply rooted to erase. Death did not extinguish its light, it only marked the beginning of the dawn. He was a major influence on many comedy movies such as Joe Regan early in their career.
Ever wonder how he translates his Pentecostal preaching style into comedy? Wait, we’ll let you know in a short time. Just as he was interesting to watch and listen to, his biography is also interesting reading. Here you will learn all about Sam Kinison and his exploits, his wife and daughter and the story of his death.
Who was Sam Kinison?
He entered Mother Earth on December 8, 1953. Born in Yakima, Washington, he was raised in East Peoria, Illinois. He was named Samuel Burl Kinison by his parents, Marie Florence (née Morrow) and Samuel Earl Kinison, a Pentecostal preacher. He had two older brothers, Richard and Bill, and a younger brother named Kevin.
Sam attended High Peoria Community High School. After his parents divorced when he was 11, his mother remarried another preacher and moved to Tulsa, Oklahoma, where Sam lived for a time. His brother Bill was the only one to live with their father as the rest of the family moved in with their mother against Sam’s protests. The root of his frustrations and anger could be traced to this single event.
Kinison would later follow in his father’s footsteps to become a preacher. He attended Pinecrest Bible Training Center in Salisbury Center, New York, and preached from age 17 to 24. Although he was a preacher for almost ten years of his life, it was noticed that he did not do very well and received very little income. like his father. However, he was not the only one who took the preaching path, as his brothers also became Pentecostal preachers.
Sam Kinison’s frustration was further heightened with his divorce from his first wife. After that, Sam quit preaching and sought a career in comedy, transferring his preaching tactics, particularly his distinct shouting, to his comedic routines. The shout became his trademark and he was praised for revealing the truth and customs of the society, doing whatever was necessary to get his message across. His audacity in comedy helped him get noticed.
Achievements
From performing in small clubs in Houston, Texas, he joined Texas Outlaw Comics, a comedy workshop group where Bill Hicks also included, citing Sam as a major influence on his comedy style. Soon after, he moved to the United States entertainment headquarters in Los Angeles in 1980. There he struggled to establish himself in the industry until his brother, Bill , moved to Los Angeles to help manage his soon-to-be booming career. He tackled the genre of black comedy, satire, and observation, as well as topics such as human sexuality, current affairs, American politics, and religion.
In the summer of 1984, he performed on HBO with Rodney Dangerfield’s Ninth Special Young Comedian Special. This unique performance became his big break. Its author, Stephen Holden of The New York Times, described its signature cry as the married man’s primordial cry. The following year he appeared on Late Night with David Letterman
Kinison not only found fame on the Dangerfield comics platform, but also in his 1986 film Back to School as an actor. He played Dr. Terguson, a short-tempered professor of contemporary American history. Besides his comedic and acting prowess, his vocal chord was another selling point on his part. His ability to manipulate him on stage led many to wish he was in a metal band, as he would have been a great rock singer.
Also, his record of a novelty version of The Troggs’ Wild Thing in 1988 appeared on his Have You Seen Me Lately? album. The video became a hit on MTV and featured a cameo from Dangerfield and Jon Bon Jovi, as well as prominent rock musicians such as Steven Tyler and Joe Perry from Aerosmith and Tommy Lee from Mötley Crüe. The same year, he also appeared in the music video for Bon Jovi’s single Bad Medicine. His second album, Leader of the Banned was released in 1990. His legendary scream has also been incorporated by many artists into their works such as Anthrax who used it at the start of their 1987 song, I Am The Man
Although he had sporadic roles in film and television only appearing in two films, Back to School and Savage Dawn, he still turned in impressive performances in the few plays he presented. Fans would still remember him for his portrayals in Married with Children as Al Bundy’s Guardian Angel and Tales from the Crypt. He appeared on a host of other TV shows such as Tonight Show, Fox Network’s short-lived Howard Stern Show Charlie Hoover in 1991.
wife, daughter
Most of Kinison’s comics were adopted from his first two failed marriages. He was married to Patricia Adkins from 1975 to 1980 and Terry Marze from 1981 to 1989. As his marriage to Marze was on the verge of destruction, Sam began a relationship with dancer Malika Marie Souiri. The pair were married at Candlelight Chapel in Las Vegas on April 4, 1992, just before he died six days later.
Sam Kinison had no children from his marriages, but an article in the Toronto Sun in February 2011 stated that he had a child with the wife of his best friend and lead actor, Carl LaBove. The alleged father of said girl, LaBove, had been paying child support for this girl for almost 13 years.
LaBove filed legal papers claiming the child was Sam’s. The claim was substantiated after DNA testing of her brother and manager, Bill, showed a 99.8% probability that Kinison was the father. She was 21 at the time of the Toronto Sun story.
Cause of death
Sam Kinison was about to perform at a sold-out show in Laughlin, Nevada on April 10, 1992, when the collision took his life. His car was hit head-on by a van driven by 17-year-old Troy Pierson, who was driving under the influence (DUI).
Following the collision, Kinison was found lying between the seats of his car and according to his brother, he did not die instantly. A post-mortem examination revealed that he had suffered numerous traumatic injuries, including a dislocated neck, a torn aorta and torn blood vessels in the abdominal cavity, which led to his death minutes after the collision. Sam Kinison is buried with family members at Memorial Park Cemetery in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
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