Biography & Career Of Robin Givens

2 years ago

Biography & Career Of Robin Givens

Robin Simone Givens is an American model and actress. She is also a pre-medical graduate of Sarah Lawrence College. Givens landed her breakthrough role of Darlene Merriman in the ABC sitcom Head of the Class in 1986, and remained on the series for its 5-year duration.

Early Life

Robin Simone Givens was born on November 27th of 1964 in New York City. Her mother divorced from her father when she was two, and she was subsequently raised in a Catholic Household in Mount Vernon and New Rochelle in New York State. During her teen years, Robin started venturing into the world of entertainment for the first time. She also began to book modeling gigs in magazines like "Seventeen" and "Mademoiselle." Early film roles came with movies like "The Wiz," and "Fort Apache: The Bronx."

Robin graduated early from a private school at the age of 15. She then enrolled at Sarah Lawrence College and majored in pre-med. She was one of the youngest people to ever attend the school. During her college years, Robin continued to act in various daytime dramas while focusing on her studies. She eventually graduated from university at the age of 19 in 1984. Even after graduating, Givens attempted to continue her education, taking courses at Harvard Graduate School of Arts and Sciences. However, she eventually dropped out to focus solely on her acting career.

Career

After winning a guest spot on The Cosby Show," Bill Cosby started mentoring her. The older actor convinced Givens to drop out of school, promising to pay her tuition if she didn't become successful in two years. After a notable role in "Diff'rent Strokes" and an appearance in the TV film "Beverly Hills Madam," Givens made her breakthrough in 1986. This was the year she won a central role in the series "Head of the Class." For the next five years, she played the rich girl of the class, Darlene Merriman.

During this period, she also appeared in many other projects, such as "The Women of Brewster Place" and the Eddie Murphy film "Boomerang." After the end of "Head of the Class," Givens went through a slightly slow period. In 1994, she posed nude for Playboy, which sparked widespread media attention. At this point, she was considered one of the sexiest film stars in the world.

In 1996, her career was revitalized after she appeared in the TV movie "The Face" and booked a starring role in the sitcom "Sparks." Another notable appearance during this period was in "The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air." in 2000, she appeared in a Toni Braxton music video. That year, she also hosted "Forgive or Forget," a talk show. When this talk show was canceled, many of her subsequent efforts to make it in the entertainment world mostly fell through.

In 2007, she released her autobiography. This book reflects on various aspects of her life, including her experiences with domestic violence. In 2008, she appeared in the film "The Family that Preys" before booking a recurring role in the CW comedy-drama "The Game." Further TV roles came with "Tyler Perry's House of Payne" and "Burn Notice," signaling a resurgence in her career. Following this success, she ventured into the world of Broadway with appearances in productions like "The Vagina Monologues," "Chicago," and a number of other plays. In 2011, she appeared in three episodes of "Chuck."

Personal Life

At the age of 16, Robin met Eddie Murphy and later dated him for a year during the early 80s. She also dated Michael Jordan during the late 80s, although this relationship was quite brief.

In 1987, she started a relationship with Mike Tyson. The pair were married despite earlier incidents of domestic abuse, and the marriage began to disintegrate after she miscarried in 1988. She later described the marriage as "torture" and "pure hell." Tyson stated that he was "severely traumatized" by the experience. There was a rumor that she had received a $10 million divorce settlement from Tyson, but Givens would later claim she "didn't receive one dime" after their break up.

In 1988, she filed for divorce and was granted a restraining order after she claimed she had suffered spousal abuse. She was criticized by the media for divorcing Tyson, especially in the athletic world. She then dated Brad Pitt, Howard Stern, and a number of tennis players.