
Robin Givens
Real Name : Robin Simone Givens
Born:
27/11/1964
(57 yo)
Birth place: New York City, New York (USA)
Citizenship : USA
Occupation : Actress
Summary
Robin Simone Givens is an American stage, television, and film actress.
Givens began her acting career after graduating from Sarah Lawrence College in 1984. In 1986, she won the role of Darlene Merriman in the ABC sitcom Head of the Class. She remained with the series for its entire five-year run. After the series ended in 1991, she continued her career with film roles and guest starring roles on television.
In 1996, Givens co-starred on the sitcom Sparks which aired for two season on UPN. In January 2000, she took over hosting duties on the syndicated talk show Forgive or Forget. The show was canceled four months later. Givens has since had recurring roles on The Game, Tyler Perry's House of Payne, and Chuck. In 2007, Givens released her autobiography Grace Will Lead Me Home.
Givens has been married and divorced twice. Her first marriage to boxer Mike Tyson in 1988 drew considerable media attention as did their divorce the following year. Her second marriage to tennis instructor Svetozar Marinkovi? in 1997 also lasted a year. In 1993, Givens adopted a son. In 2000, she gave birth to a second son who was fathered by her ex-boyfriend, tennis player Murphy Jensen.
Biography
Givens was born in New York City, New York the daughter of Ruth Roper (née Newby) and Reuben Givens. Givens' mother and father divorced when she was two. She and her sister Stephanie were raised by their mother in Mt. Vernon and New Rochelle, New York. Givens graduated from New Rochelle Academy (a N–12 private school which closed in June 1987), and enrolled at Sarah Lawrence College at age 15. She graduated in 1984. She then attended Harvard Medical School for two years before leaving to pursue her acting career.
Career
1980s–1990s
Givens first began acting in 1985 with an appearance on The Cosby Show, followed by roles in Diff'rent Strokes, and the 1986 television film Beverly Hills Madam opposite Faye Dunaway. That same year, she landed her breakthrough role as rich girl Darlene Merriman on the ABC sitcom Head of the Class. The series lasted five seasons, ending in 1991. In 1989, while starring in Head of the Class, she appeared in The Women of Brewster Place with Oprah Winfrey. She later appeared in 1992's Boomerang. In 1994, she posed nude for Playboy magazine and was ranked #88 on Empire Magazine 100 Sexiest Stars in Film History list in May 1995. In 1996, Givens portrayed Claudia in the television movie The Face (also known as A Face to Die For) with Yasmine Bleeth. Later that year, she co-starred in the UPN sitcom Sparks. The series ended its run in 1998. She also played as Donice in The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air.
2000s–2010s
In January 2000, Givens appeared in a cameo in the music video "He Wasn't Man Enough" by Toni Braxton, as the wife of a cheating husband. She returned to the entertainment industry later that year as the host of the talk show Forgive or Forget, replacing television personality Mother Love halfway through the show's second. Ratings initially increased after Givens took over hosting duties, but soon fell. The series was canceled after this season.
In 2006, Givens attempted a return to television on MyNetworkTV's telenovela Saints and Sinners, but the show garnered low ratings and was soon canceled. Givens continued acting in made-for-television films while also making appearances on Trinity Broadcasting Network's Praise the Lord program (July 12, 2007), and Larry King Live. In June 2007, she released her autobiography Grace Will Lead Me Home.
In 2008, Givens returned to feature films in Tyler Perry's Southern drama The Family That Preys. Givens also had a recurring role portraying a fictionalized version of herself on the CW comedy-drama The Game. She has also had a recurring role on the TBS show Tyler Perry's House of Payne, and she has a guest role on USA Network's Burn Notice.
In addition to television and film roles, Givens has also performed onstage. In 2001, she appeared in an Off Broadway production of The Vagina Monologues. From February to April 16, 2006, she played the role of Roxie Hart in the Broadway play Chicago. In 2007, she toured the country playing a part in the I'm Ready Productions play Men, Money & Golddiggers. Givens starred in the 2009 stage play A Mother's Prayer, which also starred Johnny Gill, Shirley Murdock and Jermaine Crawford. In 2007, she published a memoir entitled Grace Will Lead Me Home. In it, she reflects on the life of her praying grandmother, Grace, her experiences of domestic violence, her strong will to survive, feeling abandoned by her father, and her faith in God. In 2011, she guest-starred in three episodes of NBC's spy-comedy Chuck, "Chuck Versus the Masquerade", "Chuck Versus the A-Team" and "Chuck Versus the Muuurder", as Jane Bentley.
Personal life
After meeting in March 1987, Givens married boxer Mike Tyson on February 7, 1988. Tyson was then estimated to have US$50 million, and he and Givens did not make a prenuptial agreement. During their marriage, Givens and her mother bought a $4.5 million mansion in the affluent suburb of Bernardsville, New Jersey.
After an alleged miscarriage in May 1988, the marriage began to fall apart. She alleged spousal abuse while Tyson alleged alienation and interest in his money, not in him. The marriage ended on Valentine's Day, just a year later. Newspapers reported that Givens received a divorce settlement of over $10 million from her marriage to Tyson. She later denied the report stating "I didn’t receive one dime". She received negative press following her split from Tyson, particularly within the African American community. One article in particular described her as "the most hated woman in America".
In 1993, Givens adopted her first son, Buddy. In 1997, she married her tennis instructor, Svetozar Marinkovi?. Givens filed for divorce months later. In 2000 she had a second son, William, with ex-boyfriend, Murphy Jensen.
Legal issues
Lawsuit
In January 2004, Givens critically injured an 89-year-old pedestrian, Maria Antonia Alcover, while driving an SUV through a Miami, Florida intersection. Givens was ticketed for failing to use due care with a pedestrian in a crosswalk, but the charges were later dismissed. In June 2004, Alcover filed a civil lawsuit against Givens and her sister (the owner of the SUV Givens was driving) for an unknown amount.
Tax problems
A May 7, 2009 article in Forbes magazine reported that the Internal Revenue Service was suing Givens for unpaid federal income taxes totaling $292,000 which includes interest and penalties. The government has asked a federal court in Florida for a judgment against her on thirty-nine assessments covering a span of eight years.
Websites & Social Networks
www.facebook.com/pages/Robin-Givens/231266515986
twitter.com/Robin_Givens
Carrer (Filmography, Discography, Awards...)
Filmography:
- 1978 The Wiz
- 1991 A Rage in Harlem
- 1992 Boomerang
- 1994 Foreign Student
- 1994 Blankman
- 1995 Dangerous Intentions
- 1998 Secrets
- 2000 Everything's Jake
- 2001 The Elite
- 2002 Book of Love
- 2002 Antibody
- 2003 Head of State
- 2003 Good Night To Die
- 2003 Love Chronicles
- 2005 Flip The Script
- 2006 Restraining Order
- 2008 Queen of Media
- 2008 The Family That Preys
- 2008 Little Hercules In 3-D
- 2009 A Mother's Prayer
- 2010 Enemies Among Us
- 2012 Unspoken Words
- 2012 Double Sided
Television:
- 1985 The Cosby Show
- 1986 Diff'rent Strokes
- 1986 Beverly Hills Madam
- 1986 Philip Marlowe, Private Eye
- 1986–91 Head of the Class (114 episodes)
- 1989 The Penthouse
- 1989 The Women of Brewster Place
- 1992 Angel Street
- 1995 Me and the Boys
- 1995 The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air
- 1995 Courthouse (11 episodes)
- 1996 In the House
- 1996 A Face to Die For
- 1996–98 Sparks (40 episodes)
- 1997 Moesha
- 1999 The Love Boat: The Next Wave
- 1999 Michael Jordan: An American Hero
- 1999 Cosby
- 2000 The Expendables
- 2000 Chicken Soup for the Soul
- 2000 DAG
- 2001 Spinning Out of Control
- 2003 Hollywood Wives: The New Generation
- 2003–04 One on One
- 2005 Captive Hearts
- 2008 Burn Notice
- 2008 The Game
- 2008 Everybody Hates Chris
- 2010 My Parents, My Sister & Me
- 2010 Drop Dead Diva
- 2010 Nikita
- 2011 Chuck
- 2011 Reed Between the Lines
- 2012 Suburgatory
- 2012 Retired at 35
- 2013 90210
- 2013-present Twisted
Awards and nominations
- 1991 ShoWest Convention, USA - Won - Female Star of Tomorrow
- 2004 Black Reel Awards - Nominated - Television: Best Supporting Actress for Hollywood Wives: The New Generation