Tim Robbins

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Tim Robbins

Tim Robbins at Cannes, 2001
Birth name Timothy Francis Robbins
Born October 16, 1958 (age 48)
Flag of United States West Covina, California, United States
Official site http://www.timrobbins.net/
Notable roles Andy Dufresne in The Shawshank Redemption
Dave Boyle in Mystic River
Academy Awards
Best Supporting Actor
2003 Mystic River
Nominated: Best Director
1995 Dead Man Walking
Golden Globe Awards
Best Actor - Motion Picture Musical or Comedy
1993 The Player
Best Supporting Actor - Motion Picture
2004 Mystic River

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

Contents

[edit] Biography

[edit] Early life

Tim Robbins was born in West Covina, California, to 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 started doing theater at age twelve and joined the drama club at the prestigious Stuyvesant High School. He spent two years at SUNY Plattsburgh and then returned to California to study at the UCLA Film School.

[edit] Career

After 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 role was as pitcher "Nuke" LaLoosh in the 1988 baseball movie Bull Durham.

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

Robbins has written, produced, and directed several films with strong political content, such as the critically acclaimed capital punishment saga Dead Man Walking (film) (1995), starring Sarandon and Sean Penn. The film earned him a Oscar nomination for Best Director. His next directorial effort was 1999's Depression-era musical Cradle Will Rock. Robbins has also appeared in mainstream Hollywood thrillers, such as 1999's Arlington Road (as a terrorist) and 2001's Antitrust (as a malicious computer tycoon). Robbins has also acted in and directed several Actors' Gang theater productions.

Robbins won the Best Supporting Actor Oscar and the SAG Award for his work in Mystic River (2003), as a man traumatized from having been molested as a child. 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 directed an adaptation of George Orwell's novel 1984, written by Michael Gene Sullivan of the Tony Award-winning San Francisco Mime Troupe. The show opened at Actors' Gang, at their new location at The Ivy Substation in Culver City, California. In addition to venues around the United States, it has played in Athens, Greece, the Melbourne International Festival in Australia and the Hong Kong Arts Festival.

[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).

Robbins is an avowed supporter of Ralph Nader and appeared on stage in character as Bob Roberts during the "Nader Rocks the Garden" rally at Madison Square Garden during Nader's campaign for president in 2000. Robbins is a prominent spokesperson for anti-globalisation, a frequent critic of U.S. President George W. Bush, and a vocal opponent of the war in 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. Petrovsky, who was on the White House staff during the Reagan administration, said Robbins' public stance against Bush 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 Washington Post journalist Lloyd Grove, who had interviewed Sarandon's mother, Leonora Tomalin, a Republican. Tomalin went on record speculating that Sarandon and Robbins had 'brainwashed' her grandson Jack Henry. 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 thinks that 'Susan is a good mother'.

[edit] Selected filmography

Year Title Role Notes
1985 Fraternity Vacation Larry "Mother" Tucker
The Sure Thing Gary Cooper
1986 Howard the Duck Phil Blumburtt
Top Gun Lt. Sam 'Merlin' Wells
1988 Tapeheads Josh Tager
Bull Durham Ebby Calvin 'Nuke' LaLoosh
Five Corners Harry
1989 Erik the Viking Erik
1990 Jacob's Ladder Jacob Singer
Cadillac Man Larry
1992 Bob Roberts Bob Roberts also as writer, director
The Player Griffin Mill
1993 Short Cuts Gene Shepard
1994 I.Q. Ed Walters
Ready to Wear (Prêt-à-Porter) Joe Flynne
The Shawshank Redemption Andy Dufresne Oscar nominee for Best Picture
The Hudsucker Proxy Norville Barnes
1995 Dead Man Walking as writer/director only
Academy Award nominee
1997 Nothing to Lose Nick Beam
1999 Austin Powers The Spy Who Shagged Me The President
Cradle Will Rock as writer/director only
Arlington Road Oliver Lang
2000 Mission to Mars Woodrow 'Woody' Blake
High Fidelity Ian 'Ray' Raymond
2001 Antitrust Gary Winston
2002 Human Nature Dr. Nathan Bronfman
The Truth About Charlie Lewis Bartholomew
2003 Mystic River Dave Boyle Academy Award winner
SAG Award winner
Golden Globe winner
Code 46 William Geld
2004 Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy Public News Anchor (Cameo - uncredited)
2005 The Secret Life of Words Josef
Zathura Dad
War of the Worlds Harlan Oglivy
2006 Tenacious D in: The Pick of Destiny The Stranger
Catch A Fire Col. Nic Vos
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] References

  1. ^ Tim Robbin's height

[edit] External links

Persondata
NAME Robbins, Tim
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Robbins, Timothy Francis
SHORT DESCRIPTION actor, screenwriter, director, producer
DATE OF BIRTH October 16, 1958
PLACE OF BIRTH West Covina, California, United States
DATE OF DEATH
PLACE OF DEATH
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