Robin Givens

Robin Simone Givens (born November 27, 1964) is an American model, stage, film, and television actress. Givens is also a pre-medical graduate of Sarah Lawrence College.[1]

Robin Givens
Born	Robin Simone Givens (1964-11-27) November 27, 1964 New York City, New York, U.S.
Nationality	American
Alma mater	New Rochelle Academy Sarah Lawrence College
Occupation	Actress, model
Years active	1978–present
Spouse(s)	Mike Tyson ​ ( m. 1988; div. 1989) Svetozar Marinković ​ ( m. 1997; div. 1998)
Partner(s)	Murphy Jensen (1999–2002)
Children	2

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. Her violent marriage to boxer Mike Tyson in 1988,[2][3] drew considerable media attention, as did their acrimonious divorce. She later went on to become a spokesperson for the National Domestic Violence Hotline for several years.[4]

Givens continued her career with film and television roles such a The Women of Brewster Place (1989) and Boomerang (1992). In 1996, Givens co-starred on the sitcom Sparks, which aired for two seasons on UPN. In January 2000, she took over hosting duties on the syndicated talk show Forgive or Forget. In 2007, Givens released her autobiography, Grace Will Lead Me Home. She has since had recurring roles on The Game, Tyler Perry's House of Payne, Chuck, Riverdale[5] and its spin-off Katy Keene.

Early life

Givens was born in New York City, to Ruth Roper (née Newby) and Reuben Givens,[6] who divorced when she was two. Her mother raised Givens and her sister Stephanie in Mount Vernon and New Rochelle, New York.[7] Givens was raised Catholic.[8] She occasionally modeled and acted as a teen.[9] As a model, she appeared in magazines such as Seventeen and Mademoiselle. She also had cameos in the films The Wiz (1978) and Fort Apache: The Bronx (1981).[7]

Givens graduated from New Rochelle Academy (a private school which closed in June 1987). At the age of 15, she enrolled at Sarah Lawrence College as a pre-medical major, becoming one of the youngest to attend the school.[7][9] While in school she acted in daytime dramas.[7] She graduated at the age of 19 in 1984.[10] Givens claimed to have dropped out of Harvard Medical School to focus on her acting career, but the registrar's office stated she never applied.[1]

Career

1980s–1990s

In 1985, Givens auditioned for a guest spot on The Cosby Show. She won the spot and Bill Cosby became her mentor.[9] He convinced her to drop out of school and promised that if she wasn't successful in two years, he'd get her back into medical school and pay her tuition.[7] Soon after Givens appeared in Diff'rent Strokes and the 1986 television film Beverly Hills Madam, opposite Faye Dunaway.[7] That same year, she landed her breakthrough role as rich girl Darlene Merriman on the ABC sitcom Head of the Class.[7] 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 Boomerang (1992).

In 1994, Givens posed nude for Playboy magazine.[11] During that period Givens felt she had lost her voice, so one of the reasons why she posed for the magazine was so that she could write her own article.[12] Givens was ranked No. 88 on Empire magazine's "100 Sexiest Stars in Film History" list in May 1995.[13] 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, which ended its run in 1998.[14][15] She also played Denise in The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air.[16]

2000s–2010s

In January 2000, Givens appeared in a cameo in Toni Braxton's music video "He Wasn't Man Enough", as the wife of a cheating husband.[17] 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 season. Ratings initially increased after Givens took over hosting duties,[18] but soon fell. The series was canceled after this season.[19]

In 2006, Givens attempted a return to television on MyNetworkTV's telenovela Saints and Sinners,[20] 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.[21] Givens returned to feature films in Tyler Perry's Southern drama The Family That Preys (2008). She also had a recurring role portraying a fictionalized version of herself on the CW comedy-drama The Game. Additionally, she has had a recurring role on the TBS show Tyler Perry's House of Payne, and a guest role on USA Network's Burn Notice. In addition to television and film roles, Givens has performed onstage. In 2001, she appeared in an off-Broadway production of The Vagina Monologues.[22] From February to April 16, 2006, she played the role of Roxie Hart in the Broadway play Chicago.[23] 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, Givens 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.[24] 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. In 2015, she starred alongside Clifton Powell, Mishon Ratliff, and Malachi Malik in the segment "Mama's Boy" of TV One's anthology romance horror film Fear Files.[25]

Givens was the spokesperson for the National Domestic Violence Hotline for several years.[4][12]

Personal life

At 16 years old, Givens met comedian Eddie Murphy at the Comedy Strip in New York. They dated for a year in the early 1980s.[7][9] In 1986, she met basketball player Michael Jordan at a North Carolina golf tournament and they briefly dated until January 1987.[9][7]

Givens began dating boxer Mike Tyson in 1987.[7] According to Givens, Tyson was physically abusive before they wed on February 7, 1988.[2][26] Tyson denies the physical abuse[27] and claims that he himself was "severely traumatized by that relationship."[28]

Tyson was then estimated to have $50 million; he and Givens did not have a prenuptial agreement. During their marriage, Givens and her mother bought a $4.6 million mansion in the affluent suburb of Bernardsville, New Jersey.[29][30] Givens and Tyson appeared in a Diet Pepsi commercial together and on the cover of Life magazine.[31][32]

After her miscarriage in May 1988, their marriage began to fall apart.[33] In a joint interview with Tyson on 20/20 in September 1988, Givens told Barbara Walters that life with him was "torture, pure hell, worse than anything I could possibly imagine," and she went on to describe his volatile temper.[34] In October 1988, Givens filed for divorce, citing spousal abuse and was granted a temporary restraining order.[31] Her attorney Marvin Mitchelson said, "She loves Michael Tyson, but there is continued violence, and she fears for her safety."[35] Tyson sought an annulment, accusing her of stealing millions of dollars and manipulating the public.[36] Givens responded by filing a $125 million libel suit for defamation.[37] Their divorce was finalized on Valentine's Day in 1989.[26] Givens denied that she received a reported divorce settlement of over $10 million from Tyson, stating that she "didn't receive one dime."[38][39]

Givens received negative press following her split from Tyson, particularly within the African American community.[3] One article, in particular, described her as "the most hated woman in America"[40] and another as a "gold digger who married Tyson solely for his millions".[41]

Tyson allegedly admitted in the book Fire and Fear: The Inside Story of Mike Tyson (1989) that he punched Givens, adding "that was the best punch I've ever thrown in my entire life."[42] Tyson denies he ever made such a comment: "I never said that about women. I said that about my opponents in the ring ... The book was filled with inaccuracies like that."[43] Tyson also joked about "socking" Givens on Oprah in 2009, which caused laughter in the audience. Winfrey later issued an apology to Givens.[4]

Following her separation from Tyson, Givens dated actor Brad Pitt.[44] In 1993, Givens adopted her first son Michael "Buddy" Givens.[45] In 1997, she married her tennis instructor, Svetozar Marinković. Givens filed for divorce months later.[13] In 1999, she had a second son, William "Billy" Jensen, with ex-boyfriend, tennis player Murphy Jensen.[46] She briefly dated radio host Howard Stern in 2000.[47]

In January 2004, Givens struck a pedestrian while driving an SUV through a Miami, Florida intersection.[48] Givens was ticketed for failing to use due care with a pedestrian in a crosswalk, but the charges were later dismissed.[49] In June 2004, the injured party filed a civil lawsuit against Givens for an unknown amount.[50]

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 ($348,000 in present day USD when adjusted for inflation), an amount which included interest and penalties. The government had asked a federal court in Florida for a judgment against her on 39 assessments covering a span of eight years.[51]

Filmography

Film

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1978	The Wiz	Guest at Aunt Emma's Party	Uncredited
1991	A Rage in Harlem	Imabelle
1992	Boomerang	Jacqueline Broyer
1994	Foreign Student	April
1994	Blankman	Kimberly Jonz
1995	Dangerous Intentions	Kaye Ferrar
1998	Secrets
2000	Everything's Jake	Publisher
2001	The Elite	Ashe
2002	Book of Love	Iyanna
2002	Antibody	Dr. Rachel Saverini	Direct-to-video release
2003	Head of State	Kim
2003	A Good Night to Die	Dana
2003	Love Chronicles	Monifa Burly
2005	Flip The Script	Rain Jones
2006	Restraining Order	Diane McNeil
2008	Queen of Media	Wendy Williams
2008	The Family That Preys	Abigail "Abby" Dexter
2008	Little Hercules In 3-D	Dana
2009	A Mother's Prayer	Brenda	Direct-to-DVD release
2010	Enemies Among Us	Gloria	Direct-to-DVD release
2012	Unspoken Words	Mrs. Lewis	Direct-to-DVD release
2012	Double Sided	Miranda Johnson	Direct-to-DVD release
2014	Airplane Vs Volcano	Dr. Whitmore
2016	God's Not Dead 2	Principal Kinney
2018	God Bless the Broken Road	Kareena Williams

Television

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1985	The Cosby Show	Susanne	Episode: "Theo and the Older Woman"
1986	Diff'rent Strokes	Ann	Episode: "The Big Bribe"
1986	Beverly Hills Madam	April Baxter	Television movie
1986	Philip Marlowe, Private Eye	Token Ware	Episode: "Pickup on Noon Street"
1986–1991	Head of the Class	Darlene Merriman	114 episodes
1989	The Penthouse	Dinah St. Clair	Television movie
1989	The Women of Brewster Place	Kiswana	Miniseries
1992	Angel Street	Det. Anita King	Television movie
1992	Angel Street	Det. Anita King	Unknown episodes
1995	Me and the Boys	Nina	3 episodes
1995	The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air	Denise	Episode: "Cold Feet, Hot Body"
1995	Courthouse	Suzanne Graham	11 episodes
1996	In the House	Alex	3 episodes
1996	A Face to Die For	Claudia	Television movie
1996–1998	Sparks	Wilma Cuthbert	40 episodes
1997	Moesha	Ladonna	Episode: "Strike a Pose"
1999	The Love Boat: The Next Wave	Dana Chase	Episode: "Don't Judge a Book by Its Lover"
1999	Michael Jordan: An American Hero	Juanita Vanoy/Juanita Jordan	Television movie
1999	Cosby	Ms. Malone	2 episodes
2000	The Expendables	Randy	Television movie
2000	Chicken Soup for the Soul	Counselor	Episode: "The Right Thing"
2000	DAG	Jennifer	Episode: "Jennifer Returns"
2001	Spinning Out of Control	Erin	Television movie
2003	Hollywood Wives: The New Generation	Kyndra	Television movie
2003–2004	One on One	Sheila	2 episodes
2005	Captive Hearts	Jade Marlo	Television movie
2008	Tyler Perry's House of Payne	Tanya	6 episodes
2008	Burn Notice	Kandi	Episode: "Scatter Point"
2008	The Game	Herself	7 episodes
2008	Everybody Hates Chris	Stacy	Episode: "Everybody Hates Doc's"
2010	My Parents, My Sister & Me	Keela Goldman	7 episodes
2010	Drop Dead Diva	Ann Simpson	Episode: "A Mother's Secret"
2010	Nikita	Mary Miracle	Episode: "All the Way"
2011	Chuck	Jane Bentley	3 episodes
2011	Reed Between the Lines	Dominique	Episode: "Let's Talk About Jealousy"
2012	Suburgatory	Tulsa	Episode: "Independence Day"
2012	Retired at 35	Dr. Keller	Episode: "The Dates"
2013	90210	Cheryl	3 episodes
2013–2014	Twisted	Judy	2 episodes
2014	The First Family	Melanie	Episode: "The First Pageant"
2016	Man Seeking Woman	Vicki Claus	Episode: "Tinsel"
2016	Lucifer	Leila Simms	Episode: "Sin-Eater"
2017–2019	Riverdale	Sierra McCoy	Recurring Role; 28 episodes
2017-2018	Once Upon a Time	Eudora	2 episodes
2019	Step Up: High Water	Dana
2019	Ambitions	Stephanie Carlisle	Series regular, 18 episodes
2019	The Fix	Julianne Johnson	1 episode - the pilot
2020	Katy Keene	Sierra McCoy	Episode: "Chapter Six: Mama Said"

Awards and nominations

Year	Award	Result	Category	Film
1991	ShoWest Convention, USA	Won	Female Star of Tomorrow
2004	Black Reel Awards	Nominated	Television: Best Supporting Actress	Hollywood Wives: The New Generation

Books

• Givens, Robin (June 7, 2007). Grace Will Lead Me Home. New York: Miramax. ISBN 1-4013-5246-4.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)

References

1. Katz, Michael (October 9, 1988). "Tyson-Givens - A Fairy Tale Turned Sour".
2. "Robin Givens Reveals All". Oprah.com. November 5, 2004.
3. McKinney, Jessica (November 22, 2018). "Robin Givens Opens Up About Mike Tyson Abuse In Wake Of #MeToo: Watch". Vibe.
4. "Robin Givens Responds". Oprah. November 13, 2009.
5. "Riverdale': Robin Givens Cast As Riverdale's Mayor In The CW Series".
6. "Robin Givens Biography (1964?-)". FilmReference.com. NetIndustries, LLC. Retrieved 2010-08-23.
7. Collier, Aldore (June 29, 1987). "Robin Givens Leaves Harvard Med For Hollywood". Jet: 54–55, 57.
8. "Excerpt: Robin Givens' "Grace Will Lead Me Home"". ABC News. June 6, 2007. Archived from the original on September 11, 2016.
9. Arias, Ron (May 11, 1987). "If Robin Givens Can Jump from Harvard to Head of the Class, There's No Ceiling on Her Talent". People.com.
10. "BIG FIGHT: Tyson-Given marriage down for the count". Anchorage Daily News. 1988-10-19. p. F1. Retrieved 6 December 2012.
11. Givens, Robin; Gorman, Greg (September 1994). "So How Do You Like Me Now?". Playboy. pp. 120–130.
12. "How Robin Givens Found Her Voice After Surviving Domestic Violence". E! Online. November 20, 2019.
13. "Robin Givens: Biography". askmen.com. Archived from the original on 2012-11-01. Retrieved 2008-10-22.
14. "'Sparks' Begins Second Season". Jet: 60–63. October 27, 1997.
15. Smith, Jessie Carney (2010). Encyclopedia of African American Popular Culture [4 volumes]. ABC-CLIO. p. 1599. ISBN 978-0-313-35797-8.
16. "The Complete History of Guest Stars on "The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air"". Retrieved 2012-09-10.
17. Farber, Jim (2000-04-23). "SOFT AND SEXY Toni Braxton has a new album, a new video and a 'cute' new man. How sad is that?". Daily News. New York. Retrieved 2015-09-21.
18. "Givens Boosts Ratings Of `Forgive Or Forget' Show". Jet. 2000-02-14. Archived from the original on 2009-04-22. Retrieved 2008-10-22.
19. "`Forgive Or Forget' TV Show Is Cancelled". Jet. 2000-04-17. Archived from the original on 2012-06-30. Retrieved 2008-10-22.
20. "Givens and Harris Join MyNetworkTV" (Press release). MyNetworkTV. November 29, 2006. Retrieved 2006-11-30.
21. "Book Excerpt: 'Grace Will Lead Me Home'". CBS News. 2007-06-07. Retrieved 2008-10-22.
22. "State of the Art". Boston Phoenix. Archived from the original on 2009-04-22. Retrieved 2008-10-22.
23. "Given is 'Roxie Hart' in Chicago". Broadwayworld.com. Retrieved 2010-06-07.
24. Robin Givens: Truly Knowing God. The 700 Club.
25. TV One’s Fright Night Files Renamed Fear Files and Given a Sequel
26. Hasen, Jeff (February 14, 1989). "Heavyweight champion Mike Tyson and actress Robin Givens chose..." UPI.
27. Gustkey, Earl (June 23, 1988). "IT HAD TO BE ASKED : Tyson, Wife Handle Tough Questions About Marital Rift With Relative Ease".
28. Tyson, Mike (2013). Undisputed Truth, My Autobiography. Plume. p. 118. ISBN 978-0-14-218121-8.
29. Gross, Ken (October 17, 1988). "As Wife Robin Givens Splits for the Coast, Mike Tyson Rearranges the Furniture". People. "The food lies untouched. The only sounds across the breakfast table in the Bernardsville, N.J., mansion are the loud silences of words being swallowed. Finally, Robin Givens, 24, star of the ABC-TV sitcom Head of the Class, pushes herself away from the table and announces, 'I have to pack.' 'Me, too,' says her husband, Mike Tyson, 22, the world heavyweight boxing champion. Suddenly the Sunday morning atmosphere is tense and full of menace."
30. AP (June 12, 2005). "Mike Tyson Chronology". USA Today. Retrieved March 21, 2011. Oct. 2, 1988 — Police go to Tyson's Bernardsville, N.J., home after he hurls furniture out the window and forces Givens and her mother to flee the house.
31. "Tyson-Givens Marriage Is Ending After Eight Months". Jet: 16–18, 51. October 24, 1988.
32. "Life Magazine, July 1, 1988 - Mike Tyson And Robin Givens". oldlifemagazine.com.
33. McMurran, Kristin (1988-06-27). "The Champ and the Vamp". People. Time Inc. 29 (25). ISSN 0093-7673. Archived from the original on 2009-04-22. Retrieved 2010-08-23.
34. "MOOD SWINGS : In a TV Interview, Tyson's Wife Says Life Has Been 'Torture . . . Pure Hell'". Los Angeles Times. September 30, 1988.
35. Soble, Ronald L. (October 8, 1988). "Givens, Citing Fear, Files for Divorce From Tyson". Los Angeles Times.
36. "Mike Tyson: "The Truth About Robin And Me"". Jet: 59–60. January 9, 1989.
37. Kurtz, Howard (November 17, 1988). "GIVENS FILES $125 MILLION LIBEL SUIT AGAINST TYSON". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286.
38. Bass, Patrik Henry (June 18, 2008). "Through the Storm: Robin Givens". Essence. essence.com.
39. Younge, Gary (August 4, 2003). "Out for the count". The Guardian.
40. Randolph, Laura B. (March 1990). "Robin Givens: Life After Tyson". Ebony.
41. https://www.essence.com/news/through-the-storm-robin-givens/
42. "Robin Took Best Punch, Tyson Says in Biography". Los Angeles Times. June 23, 1989.
43. Tyson, Mike (2013). Undisputed Truth, My Autobiography. Plume. p. 209. ISBN 978-0-14-218121-8.
44. Gliatto, Tom (June 30, 1997). "Love Lost". People.com.
45. "Robin Givens and sons". People.com. August 23, 2007.
46. Perry, Beth (2007-06-25). "'I've Been Through a Lot'". People. Retrieved 2008-10-22.
47. "Through the Storm: Robin Givens". Essence. June 18, 2008. Retrieved August 16, 2016.
48. "Robin Givens Strikes, Hurts Pedestrian". people.com. 2004-01-29. Retrieved 2008-10-22.
49. "Charges dismissed against Robin Givens". usatoday.com. 2004-12-04. Retrieved 2008-10-22.
50. "89-year-old woman sues Robyn Givens". usatoday.com. 2004-06-18. Retrieved 2008-10-22.
51. William P. Barrett (May 7, 2009). "Feds Sue Robin Givens For $292,000 Owed IRS". Forbes.

External links

• Robin Givens on IMDb
• Robin Givens at the Internet Broadway Database
• Robin Givens at the Internet Off-Broadway Database
• Robin Givens at AllMovie