Einstein was born in Los Angeles in 1942 to a Jewish family. His parents were the comic Harry Einstein, best known for playing the character Parkyakarkus on radio and in the movies, and the actress-singer Thelma Leeds. His younger brother is Comedian and Writer Albert Brooks (born Albert Lawrence Einstein), and his older brother, Cliff Einstein, is a retired advertising executive in Los Angeles.
Einstein created the goofy stuntman Super Dave Osborne character, who first made an appearance on The John Byner Comedy Hour, a 1972 TV series. He later became a regular on the 1980 TV series Bizarre, and was a frequent guest on Late Night with David Letterman. In 1987, Einstein got his own variety show named Super Dave, which ran from 1987 to 1991 on the Global Television Network in Canada (where the show was produced at the network's Toronto studio) and Showtime in the U.S. In 1992, an animated series Super Dave: Daredevil for Hire aired on Fox. Einstein later extended the "Super Dave" franchise by starring in the 2000 movie, The Extreme Adventures of Super Dave.
As of 2018, Einstein is the only Comedian who has appeared twice on Jerry Seinfeld's web series Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee.
