David Sanborn is an American alto saxophonist. Though Sanborn has worked in many genres, his solo recordings typically blend jazz with instrumental pop and R&B. He released his first solo album Taking Off in 1975, but has been playing the saxophone since before he was in high school. One of the most commercially successful American saxophonists to earn prominence since the 1980s, Sanborn is described as "the most influential saxophonist on pop, R&B, and crossover players of the past 20 years." He is often identified with radio-friendly smooth jazz, but he has expressed a disinclination for the genre and his association with it.
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Biography from IMDb.
- July 30, 1945
- May 12, 2024 (aged 78)
- Tampa, Florida, USA
- Actor and composer
- 8 on MovieCove · 13 credits in all
What are David Sanborn's films like?
Across a limited sample of 4 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Bonds and Morality.
Themes
What they feel like to watch
Ironic 0 · Wry 0 · Earnest 3
Light 3 · Serious 1 · Dark 0
Grounded 2 · Stylized 2 · Heightened 0
A split, not a type: Gentle 1 · Charged 1 · Intense 2
Steady 2 · Shifting 2 · Whiplash 0
A split, not a type: Straight-faced 1 · Some laughs 1 · Funny 2
Slow burn 1 · Even-paced 0 · Relentless 3
Casual 3 · Engaged 1 · Full focus 0
Easy watch 3 · Affecting 1 · Heavy 0
Resolved 4 · Open-ended 0 · Ambiguous 0
Moods and endings
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 David Sanborn's films?
As of October 24, 2026, 1 of their 8 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service.
Subscription and free streaming for David Sanborn'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
13 credits, 8 with a MovieCove page; 19 appearances as themselves are hidden until asked for.
The Investigator(2013)
Midcredits score: 50th percentile of all films
Monterey Pop - The Outtake Performances (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2002)
Lethal Weapon 4(1998)
Midcredits score: 64th percentile of all films
Forget Paris(1995)
Midcredits score: 62nd percentile of all films
Lethal Weapon 3(1992)
Midcredits score: 68th percentile of all filmsMichael Kamen: Concerto for Saxophone (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1991)
Lethal Weapon 2(1989)
Midcredits score: 90th percentile of all films
Scrooged(1988)
Midcredits score: 74th percentile of all films
Finnegan Begin Again (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1985)
Magnum, P.I.(1980)
Midcredits score: 75th percentile of all shows
One-Trick Pony(1980)
Midcredits score: 44th percentile of all filmsJames Taylor in Concert: Live at Blossom Music Center (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1979)
Two Tons of Turquoise to Taos Tonight (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1975)
Career shape
Star power in the 16th percentile of 239,109 people with a billed film role, over a full career of 13 titles from 1975 to 2013.
Film career
- 1995Screen debut· Forget Paris
Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it. The ring is the typical Midcredits score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on MovieCove, shown from 5 scored.
How do David Sanborn's films land?
Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 64th percentile, the median of all 7; across a limited sample of 4 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 75th percentile for acclaim.
- 75th and up2
- 50th to 74th5
- 25th to 49th1
Shape of the crowd
6 of their 8 titles are Crowd Pleasers.
- Divisive1
- Crowd Pleaser6
- Mixed1
Reviewers score the acting 72/100 in their films, across 3 reviewed titles; fans 78, detractors 47. The element that speaks to their work as an actor.
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.
Is David Sanborn's work okay for kids?
Across a limited sample of up to 3 MovieCove titles with content scores.
Severity 0–100 from the Content Guide. Categories with under 10 votes on a title are not counted.
Who does David Sanborn work with?
People who share at least 2 of David Sanborn's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Richard Donner shares the most, 3.
Directors
- Richard DonnerShared titles: Lethal Weapon 4 (1998), Lethal Weapon 3 (1992), Lethal Weapon 2 (1989)See all 3 shared titles with Richard Donner
Writers
- Jeffrey BoamShared titles: Lethal Weapon 3 (1992), Lethal Weapon 2 (1989)See all 2 shared titles with Jeffrey Boam
- Shane BlackShared titles: Lethal Weapon 3 (1992), Lethal Weapon 2 (1989)See all 2 shared titles with Shane Black
Actors
- Danny GloverShared titles: Lethal Weapon 4 (1998), Lethal Weapon 3 (1992), Lethal Weapon 2 (1989)See all 3 shared titles with Danny Glover
- Darlene LoveShared titles: Lethal Weapon 4 (1998), Lethal Weapon 3 (1992), Lethal Weapon 2 (1989)See all 3 shared titles with Darlene Love
- Joe PesciShared titles: Lethal Weapon 4 (1998), Lethal Weapon 3 (1992), Lethal Weapon 2 (1989)See all 3 shared titles with Joe Pesci
- Mel GibsonShared titles: Lethal Weapon 4 (1998), Lethal Weapon 3 (1992), Lethal Weapon 2 (1989)See all 3 shared titles with Mel Gibson
Composers
- Eric ClaptonShared titles: Lethal Weapon 4 (1998), Lethal Weapon 3 (1992), Lethal Weapon 2 (1989)See all 3 shared titles with Eric Clapton
- Michael KamenShared titles: Lethal Weapon 4 (1998), Lethal Weapon 3 (1992), Lethal Weapon 2 (1989)See all 3 shared titles with Michael Kamen
Producers
- Joel SilverShared titles: Lethal Weapon 4 (1998), Lethal Weapon 3 (1992), Lethal Weapon 2 (1989)See all 3 shared titles with Joel Silver
- Jennie Lew TugendShared titles: Lethal Weapon 3 (1992), Lethal Weapon 2 (1989)See all 2 shared titles with Jennie Lew Tugend
- Steve PerryShared titles: Lethal Weapon 3 (1992), Lethal Weapon 2 (1989)See all 2 shared titles with Steve Perry
