Tim Robbins

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Tim Robbins at Cannes, 2001 Height: 6 ft 4 in / 1.93 m
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Tim Robbins at Cannes, 2001 Height: 6 ft 4 in / 1.93 m

Timothy Francis Robbins (born October 16, 1958) is an American Academy Award-winning actor, screenwriter, director, producer, and small time musician. He is the longtime companion of actress Susan Sarandon, with whom he shares strong liberal political views.

Contents

[edit] Biography

[edit] Early life

Robbins was born in West Covina, California to parents Mary Bledsoe and Gil Robbins; he has a sister, Adele. Robbins moved to Greenwich Village with his family at a young age while his father pursued a career as a member of the folk music group The Highwaymen. Robbins joined Theater for the New City at age twelve, participated in the drama club at Stuyvesant High School, spent two years at SUNY Plattsburgh and then returned to California to attend drama school at UCLA.

[edit] Career

Upon his graduation in 1981, Robbins founded the Actors' Gang, an experimental theater group, in Los Angeles with actor friends from his college softball team. He also took small parts in films, such as the role of frat animal "Mother" in Fraternity Vacation (1985). His breakthrough part was pitcher "Nuke" LaLoosh in the 1988 baseball movie Bull Durham.

He received critical acclaim for his starring role as an amoral movie executive in the 1992 film The Player. His directorial and screenwriting debut was 1992's Bob Roberts, a mockumentary about a populist right-wing senatorial candidate. Robbins then starred alongside Morgan Freeman in the critically acclaimed The Shawshank Redemption based on Stephen King's short story.

Since that time, Robbins has written, produced, and directed several films with strong political content, such as the critically-acclaimed capital punishment saga Dead Man Walking in 1995, based on the book by Helen Prejean, which earned him a directorial Oscar nomination, and 1999's Depression-era musical Cradle Will Rock. Robbins also continues to act in mainstream Hollywood thrillers, adding shades to his usual affable characters like Arlington Road (1999) as a next door neighbor with evil intentions, and Antitrust (2001) as a malicious computer tycoon. Robbins continues to act in and direct Actors' Gang theater productions.

Robbins won the Best Supporting Actor Oscar and the SAG Award for his work in Mystic River (2003), playing a traumatized adult victim of child molestation. In 2005, he won the 39th annual Man of the Year Pudding Pot Award given by the Hasty Pudding Theatricals of Harvard. His most recent acting roles include a menacing ambulance driver in director Steven Spielberg's War of the Worlds and an appearance in director Jon Favreau's Zathura; both films were released in 2005.

In early 2006, Robbins directeda new adaptation of George Orwell's novel 1984, written by the Tony award winning San Francisco Mime Troupe's head writer, Michael Gene Sullivan. The show opened at Actors' Gang, at their new location at The Ivy Substation in Culver City, California, and will be touring nationwide Fall 2006.

[edit] Personal life

Robbins lives in New York City with actress Susan Sarandon with whom he has been involved since their meeting on the set of Bull Durham in 1988. They have two sons: Jack Henry (born 1989) and Miles Guthrie (born 1992). He is a prominent spokesperson for anti-globalisation, and has vocally opposed the 2003 invasion of Iraq.

In 2003, a 15th anniversary celebration of Bull Durham at the National Baseball Hall of Fame was cancelled by Hall of Fame president Dale Petroskey who was on the White House staff during the presidency of Ronald Reagan, stating Robbins' public questioning of the president and the war represented 'a danger'. Durham co-star Kevin Costner defended Robbins and Sarandon, saying 'I think Tim and Susan's courage is the type of courage that makes our democracy work... Pulling back this invite is against the whole principle about what we fight for and profess to be about.' (See [1].)

Robbins is an avid baseball and hockey fan. He supports the New York Mets and the New York Rangers and frequently attends games. In 1995, Robbins did a series of promos for the MSG network advertising upcoming Rangers games.

[edit] Lloyd Grove incident

After Robbins and Sarandon attended the Academy Awards ceremony in 2003, Robbins threatened to punch The Washington Post journalist Lloyd Grove. Robbins objected to the fact that Grove, while on assignment, had interviewed Sarandon's mother Leonora Tomalin, a Republican. Tomalin went on record speculating that Sarandon and Robbins had politically 'brainwashed' her grandson Jack Henry (who was born in 1989). In his article, Grove quotes Robbins as saying 'if you ever write about my family again, I will fucking find you and I will fucking hurt you'. (Source: Grove, Lloyd, March 25, 2003), "Night of the Livid Celeb", Washington Post, page C01). Sarandon's mother was once quoted as saying that despite her obvious political differences with her daughter, she feels 'Susan is a good mother'.

[edit] Selected filmography

Year Title Role Notes
2006 Tenacious D in: The Pick of Destiny The Stranger
Catch A Fire Col. Nic Vos
2005 The Secret Life of Words Josef
Zathura Dad
War of the Worlds Harlan Oglivy
2003 Mystic River Dave Boyle Academy Award winner
SAG Award winner
Golden Globe winner
Code 46 William Geld
2002 Human Nature Dr. Nathan Bronfman
The Truth About Charlie Lewis Bartholomew
2001 Antitrust Gary Winston
2000 Mission to Mars Woodrow 'Woody' Blake
High Fidelity Ian 'Ray' Raymond
1999 Austin Powers The Spy Who Shagged Me The President
Cradle Will Rock as writer/director only
Arlington Road Oliver Lang
1997 Nothing to Lose Nick Beam Five corners with Jodie Foster
1995 Dead Man Walking as writer/director only
1994 I.Q. Ed Walters
Ready to Wear (Prêt-à-Porter) Joe Flynne
The Shawshank Redemption Andy Dufresne Nominated for best movie in 1994
The Hudsucker Proxy Norville Barnes
1993 Short Cuts Gene Shepard
1992 Bob Roberts Bob Roberts also as writer, director
The Player Griffin Mill
1990 Jacob's Ladder Jacob Singer
Cadillac Man Larry
1989 Erik the Viking Erik
1988 Tapeheads Josh Tager
Bull Durham Ebby Calvin 'Nuke' LaLoosh
Five Corners Harry
1986 Howard the Duck Phil Blumburtt
Top Gun Lt. Sam 'Merlin' Wells
1985 Fraternity Vacation Larry "Mother" Tucker
The Sure Thing Gary Cooper
Preceded by
Chris Cooper
for Adaptation.		 Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor
2003
for Mystic River		 Succeeded by
Morgan Freeman
for Million Dollar Baby

[edit] External links

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