Person Biography:
David Steinberg was born in 1942 in Winnipeg, Canada. Growing up, he left home to attend the University of Chicago, where he discovered his passion for comedy. He saw a performance by the Second City Chicago Troupe, which changed the course of his life. Steinberg started a comedy act called Kadish and Steinberg with another student, and after being discovered by Second City, he joined the troupe for four years.
Steinberg's career continued to thrive, with leading roles in Broadway productions such as "Little Murders" and "Carry Me Back to Morningside Heights". He transitioned to stand-up comedy, opening at the Bitter End in 1969 and receiving a rave review from the New York Times. He became a popular guest and guest host on "The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson", with 140 appearances, second only to Bob Hope.
Steinberg's irreverent and anti-establishment comedy style made him a favorite among the young and disillusioned. He released four solo comedy albums and had his own summer comedy variety series, "The David Steinberg Show", on CBS. He also created and starred in another series, also called "The David Steinberg Show", in Canada in 1976.
Steinberg made his directorial debut with the feature film "Paternity" in 1981 and his TV directorial debut with an episode of "Newhart" in 1982. He went on to direct numerous TV shows, including "Designing Women", "The Golden Girls", "Seinfeld", "Mad About You", "Weeds", and "Curb Your Enthusiasm", winning two Emmy Awards for his writing on Oscar telecasts. He has also directed over 300 television commercials, winning two Clio Awards and the prestigious Silver Lion Award at the Cannes International Film Festival.
As a film director, Steinberg has worked on "Paternity" with Burt Reynolds, "Going Berserk" with John Candy, and "The Wrong Guy" with Dave Foley. In 2007, Simon and Schuster published his memoir, "The Book of David", about his life in comedy.
