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Sam Kinison

Sam Kinison

Actor, writer and composer · Died April 10, 1992, aged 38 · Yakima, Washington, U.S.

Samuel Burl "Sam" Kinison (December 8, 1953 – April 10, 1992) was an American stand-up comedian and actor. He was known for his intense, harsh and politically incorrect humor. A former Pentecostal preacher, he performed stand-up routines that were most often characterized by an intense style, similar to charismatic preachers, and punctuated by his trademark scream.

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Biography from TMDB.

Born
December 8, 1953
Died
April 10, 1992 (aged 38)
From
Yakima, Washington, U.S.
Works as
Actor, writer and composer
Titles
6 on MovieCove · 12 credits in all
Links
IMDb (opens in a new tab)TMDB (opens in a new tab)Official site (opens in a new tab)Wikidata (opens in a new tab)

Known for

TMDB popularity, last 63 days to Oct 26Down 14% in 30 days

What are Sam Kinison's films like?

Across their 5 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Society and Self.

Themes

share of theme weight
Society
34%
Self
22%
Survival
20%
Bonds
11%
Ideas
11%
Power
3%
Fame3 titles, browse their movies with this themeGrief2 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 5 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Light: How heavy the subject matter and outlook get. Browse their light movies.
Tone · Weight
lightdark

Light 3 · Serious 2 · Dark 0

Grounded: How far its world departs from everyday reality. Browse their grounded movies.
Tone · Style
naturalisticheightened

Grounded 3 · Stylized 2 · Heightened 0

Charged: How hard the emotional peaks hit while you watch. Browse their charged movies.
Feel · Intensity
gentleintense

A split, not a type: Gentle 3 · Charged 1 · Intense 1

Shifting: How much it swings between very different feelings. Browse their shifting movies.
Feel · Swings
steadyswings

A split, not a type: Steady 3 · Shifting 1 · Whiplash 1

Funny: How much of the runtime is played for laughs. Browse their funny movies.
Feel · Humor
noneconstant

Straight-faced 0 · Some laughs 1 · Funny 4

Even-paced: How fast it moves from scene to scene. Browse their even-paced movies.
Demand · Pace
slowrelentless

Slow burn 2 · Even-paced 3 · Relentless 0

Casual: How much focus it asks of you — look away and lose the thread? Browse their casual movies.
Demand · Attention
casualfull focus

Casual 5 · Engaged 0 · Full focus 0

Resolved: How much is left for you to interpret. Browse their resolved movies.
Demand · Resolution
resolvedambiguous

Resolved 5 · Open-ended 0 · Ambiguous 0

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Melancholic
3
Contemplative
2
Absurd
2
Manic
1
Joyful
2
Other
2

How their films linger

Bittersweet3 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFun2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end

  • Happy1
  • Bittersweet2
  • Tragic1
  • Ambiguous1

AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.

Where can I watch Sam Kinison's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 5 of their 6 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Tubi (5).

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for Sam Kinison's titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.

Filmography

12 credits, 6 with a MovieCove page; 23 appearances as themselves are hidden until asked for.

  • Sam Kinison: Why Did We Laugh?(1999)

    Writer · as Self (archive footage)

    Midcredits score: 65th percentile of all films

  • Sacred Cow Halloween Special (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1993)

    Actor

  • Charlie Hoover (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1991)

    Show 7 episodes · Actor

  • The Sam Kinison Family Entertainment Hour(1991)

    Composer · Writer · as Himself

    Midcredits score: 56th percentile of all films

  • Sam Kinison: Banned (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1990)

    Composer · Producer · Writer · as Himself

  • Tales from the Crypt(1989)

    Show 1 episode · as Marty Slash's Conscience (voice)

    Midcredits score: 90th percentile of all shows

  • Sam Kinison: Breaking the Rules (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1987)

    Writer · as Self

  • Married... with Children(1987)

    Show 1 episode · as Angel

    Midcredits score: 87th percentile of all shows

  • Neil Young & Crazy Horse - In a Rusted Out Garage (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1986)

    as The Neighbor

  • Rodney Dangerfield: It's Not Easy Bein' Me (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1986)

    Writer · as Self

  • Back to School(1986)

    as Professor Terguson

    Midcredits score: 69th percentile of all films

  • Savage Dawn(1985)

    as Barber

    Midcredits score: 14th percentile of all films

Career shape

Star power in the 46th percentile of 239,109 people with a billed film role, over a full career of 12 titles from 1985 to 1999.

Most popular right now

The Sam Kinison Family Entertainment Hour (1991)

Film career

  • 1985Screen debut· Savage Dawn

By role

only this rolewith another role
Acting7 of 12: 7 only acting, 0 with another roleWriting5 of 12: 3 only writing, 2 with another roleProducing1 of 12: 0 only producing, 1 with another roleMusic2 of 12: 0 only music, 2 with another role

By decade

1980s7 · 5 acting · 2 crew1990s5 · 2 acting · 3 crew

Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it.

How do Sam Kinison's films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 61st percentile, the median of all 4; across their 5 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 60th percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

60thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 5

Approval · how many liked their films

68thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 5

Reach · how many have seen their films

36thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 5

Midcredits score across 6 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up2
  • 50th to 74th3
  • Below 25th1

Shape of the crowd

3 of their 6 titles are Crowd Pleasers.

  • Crowd Pleaser3
  • Mixed3

Most divisive · actor, writer

Sam Kinison: Why Did We Laugh? (1999)

66th percentile spread · 16% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · actor

Back to School (1986)

Midcredits 69th · 60% liked

Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on MovieCove; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their MovieCove titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.

Who does Sam Kinison work with?

People who share at least 2 of Sam Kinison's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Jay Leno shares the most, 3.

Actors

Producers