Robin Givens

Robin Simone Givens (born November 27, 1964) is an American stage, television, and film actress.

Givens began her acting career after graduating from Sarah Lawrence College in 1984. In 1986, she won the role of Darlene Merriman in the ABC sitcom Head of the Class. She remained with the series for its entire five-year run. After the series ended in 1991, she continued her career with film roles and guest starring roles on television.

In 1996, Givens co-starred on the sitcom Sparks which aired for two season on UPN. In January 2000, she took over hosting duties on the syndicated talk show Forgive or Forget. The show was canceled four months later. Givens has since had recurring roles on The Game, Tyler Perry's House of Payne, and Chuck. In 2007, Givens released her autobiography Grace Will Lead Me Home.

Givens has been married and divorced twice. Her first marriage to boxer Mike Tyson in 1988 drew considerable media attention as did their divorce the following year. Her second marriage to tennis instructor Svetozar Marinković in 1997 also lasted a year. In 1993, Givens adopted a son. In 2000, she gave birth to a second son who was fathered by her ex-boyfriend, tennis player Murphy Jensen.

Early life

Givens was born in New York City, New York the daughter of Ruth Roper (née Newby) and Reuben Givens.^[2] Givens' mother and father divorced when she was two. She and her sister Stephanie were raised by their mother in Mt. Vernon and New Rochelle, New York. Givens graduated from New Rochelle Academy (a N–12 private school which closed in June 1987), and enrolled at Sarah Lawrence College at age 15. She graduated in 1984.^[3] She falsely claimed to have attended Harvard Medical School for two years before leaving to pursue her acting career,^[4] but upon further investigation these claims turned out to be fabrications as there were no records of Givens being a student at Harvard.^[5]

Career

1980s–1990s

Givens first began acting in 1985 with an appearance on The Cosby Show, followed by roles in Diff'rent Strokes, and the 1986 television film Beverly Hills Madam opposite Faye Dunaway. That same year, she landed her breakthrough role as rich girl Darlene Merriman on the ABC sitcom Head of the Class. 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 1992's Boomerang. In 1994, she posed nude for Playboy magazine^[6] and was ranked #88 on Empire Magazine 100 Sexiest Stars in Film History list in May 1995.^[7] 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. The series ended its run in 1998. She also played as Denise in The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air.

2000s–2010s

In January 2000, Givens appeared in a cameo in the music video "He Wasn't Man Enough" by Toni Braxton, as the wife of a cheating husband.^[8] 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. Ratings initially increased after Givens took over hosting duties,^[9] but soon fell. The series was canceled after this season.^[10]

In 2006, Givens attempted a return to television on MyNetworkTV's telenovela Saints and Sinners,^[11] 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.^[12]

In 2008, Givens returned to feature films in Tyler Perry's Southern drama The Family That Preys. Givens also had a recurring role portraying a fictionalized version of herself on the CW comedy-drama The Game. She has also had a recurring role on the TBS show Tyler Perry's House of Payne, and she has a guest role on USA Network's Burn Notice.

In addition to television and film roles, Givens has also performed onstage. In 2001, she appeared in an Off Broadway production of The Vagina Monologues.^[13] From February to April 16, 2006, she played the role of Roxie Hart in the Broadway play Chicago.^[14] 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, she 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.^[15] 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.

Personal life

Marriages and children

After meeting in March 1987, Givens married boxer Mike Tyson on February 7, 1988. Tyson was then estimated to have US$50 million, and he and Givens did not make a prenuptial agreement. During their marriage, Givens and her mother bought a $4.5 million mansion in the affluent suburb of Bernardsville, New Jersey.^[16][17]

After an alleged miscarriage in May 1988, the marriage began to fall apart.^[18] She alleged spousal abuse while Tyson alleged alienation and interest in his money, not in him. 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.^[19] She later denied the report stating "I didn’t receive one dime".^[20] She received negative press following her split from Tyson, particularly within the African American community. One article in particular described her as "the most hated woman in America".^[21]

In 1993, Givens adopted her first son, Buddy. In 1997, she married her tennis instructor, Svetozar Marinković. Givens filed for divorce months later.^[7] In 2000 she had a second son, William, with ex-boyfriend, Murphy Jensen.^[22]

Legal issues

Lawsuit

In January 2004, Givens critically injured an 89-year-old pedestrian, Maria Antonia Alcover, while driving an SUV through a Miami, Florida intersection.^[23] Givens was ticketed for failing to use due care with a pedestrian in a crosswalk, but the charges were later dismissed.^[24] In June 2004, Alcover filed a civil lawsuit against Givens and her sister (the owner of the SUV Givens was driving) for an unknown amount.^[25]

Tax problems

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 which includes interest and penalties. The government has asked a federal court in Florida for a judgment against her on thirty-nine assessments covering a span of eight years.^[26]

Filmography

Awards and nominations

Bibliography

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

References

External links

• Robin Givens at the Internet Movie Database
• Robin Givens at the Internet Broadway Database
• Robin Givens at the Internet Off-Broadway Database
• Robin Givens at AllRovi