| Holly Robinson Peete | |
|---|---|
| Born | Holly Elizabeth Robinson September 18, 1964 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States |
| Occupation | Actress, singer, presenter |
| Years active | 1969–present |
| Spouse | Rodney Peete (1995–present) |
| Children | 1 girl, 3 boys |
Holly Elizabeth Robinson Peete (born September 18, 1964) is an American actress and singer. She is perhaps best known for her roles as Judy Hoffs on the Fox TV police drama 21 Jump Street, Vanessa Russell on the ABC sitcom Hangin' with Mr. Cooper, and Dr. Malena Ellis on the NBC/WB sitcom For Your Love. After graduating from high school, Peete entered Sarah Lawrence College in New York. She majored in psychology and French, and could speak four languages. During her time as an undergraduate, she spent a year abroad at the Sorbonne in Paris, France. After she graduated in 1986, she considered attending graduate school and perhaps working in languages for the U.S. State Department. However, her love of acting contributed to her decision to give an acting career a chance for a few months first. Within a short time, Peete found roles on a television series and in two films, and thoughts of graduate school were left behind.
Peete served as one of the original five co-hosts of the CBS daytime talk show The Talk. She was not asked back for the show's second season.[1]
Peete's children's book, "My Brother Charlie", won her an NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Literary Work in March 2011.[2]
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Peete was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, to Dolores and Matt Robinson (the original Gordon on Sesame Street). Her mother was a school teacher, in public relations, and later a personal talent manager, and her father a producer/writer. She has an older brother named Matthew Jr. In 1974 her family moved to California.[3][4] Peete graduated from Santa Monica High School in Santa Monica, California, where her classmates included Rob Lowe. Peete graduated from Sarah Lawrence College with a degree in psychology and French.[5] Peete studied abroad for a year at the Sorbonne, and is fluent in French.[5] While there she sang in Paris nightclubs, including a memorable performance with jazz legend Lionel Hampton at the Hotel Meridian Jazz Club.[6][7][8]
In 1969, she made her first TV appearance by playing a little girl named Sally on the very first episode of Sesame Street.At the age of 11 Holly worked for the children's show Kidsworld as a celebrity correspondent;she interviewed many actors and actresses for the program. As an actress, she has appeared on the television series 21 Jump Street (1987—1991), Hangin' with Mr. Cooper (1992—1997), For Your Love (1998—2002), and Like Family (2003—2004). In 1992 she portrayed Diana Ross in The Jacksons: An American Dream. Robinson most recently starred on the UPN comedy Love, Inc.. The show lasted just one season, and was canceled after the WB/UPN merger.
Robinson has also had a limited career as a singer and recording artist, including the introductory song to 21 Jump Street. She contributed a variety of songs to the soundtrack of the film Howard the Duck. (She appeared as a musician/singer in a minor role in the film.) She recorded the theme song "We Got Our Love" for the 1988 film Three for the Road. She and Dawnn Lewis, along with R&B quartet En Vogue, performed the theme song for Season 1 of Hangin' with Mr. Cooper.
Robinson has been a spokesperson for Colgate Total toothpaste since 2008. Robinson and her husband currently co-host a talk show on Oprah & Friends Radio. In 2009, she co-starred in the ABC comedy pilot, The Bridget Show.
In 2006, she won, along with fellow writer Daniel Paisner, the Quills Award in Sports for the book Get Your Own Damn Beer, I'm Watching the Game!: A Woman's Guide to Loving Pro Football. Peete and her daughter Ryan Elizabeth co-wrote a children's book My Brother Charlie, which was released in March 2010.
In 2010, she participated in the third season of Celebrity Apprentice, playing for her own charity, the HollyRod Foundation, which provides support for families with autism. She set an "Apprentice" record for the most money made on a single task, and finished as the runner-up to winner Bret Michaels.
Robinson began co-hosting The Talk, a CBS daytime talk show, on October 18, 2010.[9]
Robinson is known for expressing herself through her ethnicity and being vocal on especially issues of the African American race and autism, from which one of her children, Rodney, suffers.[10] In April 2011, Robinson hosted a weekly series on The Talk promoting autism awareness.[11]
Robinson hosted the 42nd NAACP Image Awards, alongside Wayne Brady, on March 4, 2011.[12]
On June 10, 1995, Robinson married Rodney Peete, a National Football League quarterback. He proposed by surprising Holly during an episode of Hangin' with Mr. Cooper. Together, they have four children: daughter Ryan Elizabeth and son Rodney Jr. (twins born in 1997), son Robinson (born in 2002), and son Roman (born in 2005). Rodney Jr., was diagnosed with autism at age 3.[13] One of Holly's closest friends is Terry Ellis of the popular R&B group En Vogue.
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 1979 | Dummy | Genettia Lang | TV Movie |
| 1986 | Howard the Duck | K.C., Cherry Bomb | |
| 1992 | The Jacksons: An American Dream | Diana Ross | TV Movie |
| 1998 | Killers in the House | Jennie Sawyer | TV Movie |
| 1999 | After All | Michelle Troussaint | TV Movie |
| 2002 | My Wonderful Life | Samika | TV Movie |
| 2004 | Earthquake | Heaven | TV Movie |
| 2007 | Matters of Life and Dating | TV Movie | |
| 2009 | The Bridget Show | TV Movie | |
| 2010 | Speed-Dating | Gayle | |
| 2010-11 | The Talk | Herself | |
| 2011 | The Young and the Restless | Herself | July 28, 2011 episode |
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