Robin Givens

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Robin Givens

Born	Robin Simone Givens November 27, 1964 (1964-11-27) (age 43) New York, New York US
Spouse(s)	Svetozar Marinkovic (1997) Mike Tyson (1988-1989)

Robin Simone Givens (born November 27, 1964 in New York, New York) is an American actress.

1 Early life and career
2 Recent life and career
3 Trivia
4 Filmography
5 Books
6 References
7 External links

[edit] Early life and career

Robin Simone Givens was born to Ruth and Reuben Givens in New York City on November 27, 1964. Robin was raised with her younger sister by their mother, Ruth in suburban Westchester County, New York. Her mother helped her daughters by encouraging their creativity; this influenced their interest in art. As a young artist, Robin played violin for a short while. She chose acting instead, and began classes in New York City, at age ten, at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts.^{[citation needed]}

In 1980, Givens enrolled at Sarah Lawrence College as a freshman in pre-med, at age fifteen. During her junior year, she became so interested in acting that she left school. She once claimed in Seventeen magazine that she was accepted to Harvard Medical School but had given it up to appear on The Cosby Show because Bill Cosby himself told her that the school would always be there and her youthful career opportunities would not.^{[citation needed]}

She appeared on The Cosby Show and Diff'rent Strokes and the TV movie Beverly Hills Madam as April Baxter, before receiving the role as rich girl Darlene Merriman on the sitcom Head of the Class, which made her famous. The series was a comedy about a group of gifted high school students that were placed in an enrichment class. She also appeared in an episode of The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air.

She achieved further prominence as the wife (1988-1989) of heavyweight boxer Mike Tyson with whom she shared a mansion in the affluent suburb of Bernardsville, New Jersey. They divorced, however, after Givens accused Tyson of spousal abuse. 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.^[1] After her run on Head of the Class and her high profile divorce from Tyson, she appeared in numerous TV specials, TV movies (most notably The Women of Brewster Place with Oprah Winfrey and The Face with Yasmine Bleeth) and some failed sitcoms.

[edit] Recent life and career

In 2007, Givens was filming Queen of Media, the movie based on the autobiography written by radio personality Wendy Williams. Givens attempted to return to the entertainment industry in 2000 as the host of the talk show, Forgive or Forget replacing television personality Mother Love. While this was generally regarded as a failure, Givens was well-liked by the audience^{[citation needed]}. Her stint was brief, as just a few months later, the show stopped production. With the exception of the occasional made-for-television movie or appearance on Trinity Broadcasting Network's Praise The Lord program (12 July 2007), and Larry King Live, she has rarely been seen on television. She performed in New York in the Off-Broadway production of The Vagina Monologues, earning good reviews for her performance, and she played Roxy Hart on Broadway in "Chicago". In 2007 Givens toured the country playing a part in Tyler Perry's play, "Men, Money & Golddiggers" (which is rumored to have been written with Givens in mind) and starred in Saints and Sinners on MyNetworkTV.^[2]

Givens re-married in 1997, to her tennis instructor Svetozar Marinkovic. The marriage was a failure, as the two were separated from the day of their marriage.^{[citation needed]} In October 1999, she had a son, with tennis player Murphy Jensen; they are no longer together. Givens also has dated Brad Pitt, which she confirmed on the Oprah Show, saying how Mike broke down their hotel room door while attempting to assault Brad. She has another child, and is a single parent.

And recently she joined the cast of the TBS sitcom " Tyler Perry's House Of Payne" playing Allen Payne's girlfriend.

[edit] Trivia

Trivia sections are discouraged under Wikipedia guidelines.
The article could be improved by integrating relevant items and removing inappropriate ones.

She dated Brad Pitt for some time in his pre-stardom days.^[3]

She dated Howard Stern before he met his fiancee Beth Ostrosky.

She appeared in a cameo in music video He Wasn't Man Enough by Toni Braxton, as the wife of a cheating husband.

She said she didn't get "a dime" in her divorce with Mike Tyson and that they also did not have a prenup. [1] However, newspapers report that her divorce settlement from Tyson was over $10 million.

She posed nude for Playboy magazine in the September 1994 edition.

In 1995 she was named by Empire Magazine as one of the 100 Sexiest Stars in Film History. [2]

She has two sons: Buddy, born 1992; and William, born October 1999. William is the son of professional tennis player Murphy Jensen.^[4]

[edit] Filmography

The Wiz (1978)
A Rage in Harlem (1991)
Boomerang (1992)
Foreign Student (1994)
Blankman (1994)
Dangerous Intentions (1995)
Secrets (1998) (short subject)
Everything's Jake (2000)
The Elite (2001)
Book of Love (2002)
Antibody (2002)
Head of State (2003)
A Good Night to Die (2003)
Love Chronicles (2003)
One On One (2005)
Flip the Script (2005)
Restraining Order (2006)
4-Bidden (2007)
Little Hercules in 3-D (2007)
Queen Of Media (2008)
The Family That Preys (2008)

[edit] Books

Grace Will Lead Me Home (Publisher: Miramax (June 5, 2007)) ISBN1-4013-5246-4. The book addresses her personal religious faith and how it provided strength to her in times of trouble.