David Steinberg, born into a Jewish family August 9, 1942, in Winnipeg, Manitoba, is a Canadian comedian, actor, director, writer and author. He was one of the best-known stand-up comics in the U.S. during the late 1960s and appeared on Johnny Carson's Tonight Show 140 times. Steinberg also directed episodes of many the most successful television comedies of the last fifteen years, including Seinfeld, Curb Your Enthusiasm, Mad About You, and Friends.

Years before "The Larry Sanders Show" came this Canadian-made sitcom taking place behind the scenes of the fictional "David Steinberg Show," starring real-life comic David Steinberg. Like the later Garry Shandling series, the show alternates between backstage antics and big-name guest stars on stage. The series is best remembered for co-starring many later comic powerhouses such as John Candy, Martin Short and Dave Thomas, years before they did "SCTV." Written by Anonymous

Comedian David Steinberg, born in 1942, grew up in Winnipeg, Canada, the son of a highly strict Rumanian rabbi. The family moved to Chicago when he was a teen. Initially interested in religion as a vocation, he by chance caught a performance of observational comedian and satirist Lenny Bruce, which not only changed his outlook on life but his career ambitions. In the early 60s, Steinberg honed his comedic skills as a member of Chicago's Second City Comedy Troupe. He didn't fit in well with the improv mode and eventually went solo where his standard routines revolved around his own childhood and youthful rebellion to religion. A brief occupation with acting led to Broadway roles in "Little Murders" and "Carry Me Back to Morningside Heights" in the late 60s, the latter directed by Sidney Poitier. On TV, Steinberg appeared extensively on the variety show/talk show circuits. He wrote and performed for "Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour, The" (1967) where his irreverent "sermons" begged for censorship and supposedly contributed to the show's cancellation. Steinberg's sometimes racy, usually anti-establishment stance of the late 60s/early 70s made him a favorite among the young and disillusioned. Steinberg released four solo comedy albums and CBS gave him his own summer comedy variety series with "David Steinberg Show, The" (1972). Fading from view after a time, he made his directorial debut with the feature Paternity (1981) and, the following year, his TV directorial debut with an episode of "Newhart" (1982). In the 90s, he became the executive producer of the popular CBS-TV "Designing Women" (1986) and, in 1994, returned to performing stand-up live. Extensive TV credits as executive producer and director include episodes of "Seinfeld" (1990) and "Mad About You" (1992). Steinberg has won two Emmy Awards for his writing on Oscar telecasts in the early 90s. Acting roles in such movies as Lost Man, The (1969) with Sidney Poitier, End, The (1978/I) with Burt Reynolds (I), and Something Short of Paradise (1979) have been for the most part negligible.