Charlie Robinson (actor)

Charles "Charlie" Robinson (born November 9, 1945) is an American theater, television and film actor. He is best known for his role on the NBC sitcom Night Court as Macintosh "Mac" Robinson (Seasons 2–9), the clerk of the court and a Vietnam War veteran. Although his most frequent on-screen billing has been Charlie Robinson, Night Court had credited him as "Charles Robinson" throughout his 1984–92 stint as Mac.

In two of his earliest film appearances, 1974's Sugar Hill and 1975's The Black Gestapo, he was credited as Charles P. Robinson. Some of his credits have been occasionally commingled with those of Charles Knox Robinson who, between 1958 and 1971, made numerous television and film appearances under the name Charles Robinson.

Early career

A native of Houston, Robinson has been performing since the 1960s, is a member of the Actors Studio, and is considered by playwright Lyle Kessler to be "one of the great American Actors." In his early career, he was a singer; as a teenager with the group Archie Bell and the Drells, and later with a group called Southern Clouds of Joy.^[1] In the late 1960s, Charlie attended, and was enrolled in, Studio 7, an acting school operated by Chris Wilson at the Houston Music Theatre. He stayed with Chris when the school was moved to another location in Southwest Houston where mainly children's theatre was presented. Charlie was cast in a made for TV production and soon moved to the Hollywood area where his career took off.

Later career

Robinson's acting credits include appearances in Black Gestapo, The White Shadow, Flamingo Road, The Fresh Prince of Bel Air, The Game, Touched by an Angel, and Antwone Fisher. Robinson was cast in the role on Newdell in the NBC comedy Buffalo Bill. Not the show it was expected to be, Buffalo Bill was canceled after one season and replaced by Night Court. Robinson was cast as court clerk Mac Robinson, after the first season in 1984, when Karen Austin, who played the original court clerk, left the cast. Robinson played the role on Night Court from 1984 until the show ended in 1992.

He also directed three episodes of the series. From 1992 to 1995, Robinson co-starred on the sitcom Love & War, replacing John Hancock who died a few episodes into the series run.^[2] Robinson played character Bud Harper in Home Improvement, and has appeared in many other television shows including House, The Bernie Mac Show, My Wife and Kids, Soul Food, Charmed, Hart of Dixie,^[3][4] How I Met Your Mother and My Name Is Earl.

He has done commercial work for NEXTEL. He was asking a worker if he's "agitating my dots" after he walks in on two other dispatchers staring at the dots, which represented delivery workers, on a computer screen.

2000–2016

In 2010, Robinson worked at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival and co-starred in the film Jackson which was directed by J.F. Lawton. Robinson appeared as "Troy" in August Wilson's Fences in Southern California's South Coast Repertory in Costa Mesa from January 22, 2010 until February 21, 2010.^[5] In September 2013, he returned to the theater to portray Willy Loman in Death of a Salesman.^[6][7]

He appeared in an Aspen Dental commercial in 2015 as the customer who coined the phrase, "I am not doin' that." This is in response to the receptionist telling him that he would have to drink his meals through a straw until his dentures were ready.

Awards and nominations

Robinson received the NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actor in a Comedy Series.

Filmography

References

External links

• Charlie Robinson at the TCM Movie Database
• as Charles Robinson on IMDb