Top Offensive comedians profiled: Sam Kinison

Samuel Burl "Sam" Kinison was born on December 8, 1953 in Yakima, Washington, USA. He was a stand-up comedian and actor known for his intense, harsh and politically incorrect wit. A former Pentecostal preacher-turned-comedian, Kinison performed stand-up acts that were most often characterized by a fierce style, similar to enthusiastic preachers. He developed a signature style in which his rants would end in a fevered scream (he would punctuate jokes with his trademark "Oh! Ooooohhhhh!!"). 



Kinison began his career in Houston, Texas, where he performed in small clubs. He became a member of Texas Outlaw Comics, a comedic group at the Comedy Workshop. He became famous not until his appearance on HBO's Rodney Dangerfield's Ninth Annual Young Comedians Special in the summer of 1984. His appearance on the special became his breakthrough performance. Kinison portrayed on his former role as a Bible-preaching evangelist, taking satirical and sacrilegious shots at the Bible, Christianity and famous Christian evangelist scandals of his day. His popularity rose to unimaginable heights with HBO cable specials, frequent appearances on Saturday Night Live and In Living Color, and even a starring role on Charlie Hoover, a short-lived Fox sitcom. A shot of his personalized license plate reveals the words "EX REV" on several videos of his stand-up routines.

On his way to a sold-out show in Nevada with her wife Malika, their car was hit head on by a teenage drunk driver killing Sam last April 10, 1992.