Robin Givens facts for kids

Robin Givens (born November 27, 1964) is an American actress and director. She is known for her roles in TV shows and movies. Robin Givens played Darlene Merriman in the TV show Head of the Class starting in 1986. She was on the show for five years.

Robin Givens has acted in many films and TV shows. These include The Women of Brewster Place (1989) and Boomerang (1992). In 1996, she was in the sitcom Sparks. In 2000, she hosted the talk show Forgive or Forget. She also wrote a book about her life called Grace Will Lead Me Home in 2007. More recently, she has been in shows like The Game, Tyler Perry's House of Payne, Chuck, Riverdale, and Batwoman. Since 2020, Robin Givens has also started directing TV shows and movies.

Early Life and Education

Robin Givens was born on November 27, 1964. Her mother raised Robin and her sister Stephanie. They lived in Mount Vernon and New Rochelle, New York. Robin was raised in the Catholic faith.

As a teenager, she sometimes worked as a model and actress. She appeared in magazines like Seventeen. Robin Givens made her first movie appearance at age 14. This was in the film The Wiz (1978).

She graduated from New Rochelle Academy. At 15, she started college at Sarah Lawrence College. She studied to become a doctor. While in college, she acted in daytime TV shows. She finished college in 1984 when she was 19.

Acting Career Highlights

Starting Out in the 1980s and 1990s

In 1985, Robin Givens tried out for a role on The Cosby Show. She got the part, and Bill Cosby helped her with her acting career. She then appeared in Diff'rent Strokes. In 1986, she was in the TV movie Beverly Hills Madam.

That same year, she got her big role as Darlene Merriman. This was on the ABC sitcom Head of the Class. The show was very popular and lasted for five seasons until 1991. While on Head of the Class, she also appeared in The Women of Brewster Place (1989) with Oprah Winfrey. Later, she starred in movies like A Rage in Harlem (1991) and Boomerang (1992).

In 1996, Givens played Claudia in the TV movie A Face to Die For. Later that year, she co-starred in the sitcom Sparks. This show ran for two seasons. She also had a role in The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air.

2000s and Beyond

In 2000, Robin Givens appeared in a music video for Toni Braxton. Later that year, she became the host of the talk show Forgive or Forget. The show was canceled after that season.

In 2006, she tried a return to TV in the show Saints and Sinners. She also continued to act in TV movies. In June 2007, she released her autobiography, Grace Will Lead Me Home. She returned to feature films in Tyler Perry's movie The Family That Preys (2008).

Robin Givens also had roles in TV shows like The Game and Tyler Perry's House of Payne. She has also performed on stage. From 2006 to 2007, she played Roxie Hart in the Broadway musical Chicago.

In her book Grace Will Lead Me Home, she wrote about her grandmother and her strong will to survive. In 2011, she was a guest star in three episodes of the spy-comedy show Chuck. She played Director Jane Bentley.

Robin Givens was a spokesperson for the National Domestic Violence Hotline for several years. In 2017, she hosted the San Diego Black Film Festival.

In 2021, Givens joined the cast of Batwoman for its third season. She played Jada Jet, who is Ryan Wilder's biological mother. In 2022, she was in the Lifetime movie He's Not Worth Dying For.

Directing Work

In 2020, Robin Givens started directing films. Her first movie as a director was the mystery thriller A Murder to Remember. She has also directed other films like Favorite Son (2021) and The Christmas Clapback (2022). In 2021, she directed the horror films Haunted Trail and Horror Noire. In 2023, she directed the comedy film The Nana Project.

She has also directed episodes for several TV series. These include Riverdale, Dynasty, Nancy Drew, So Help Me Todd, and Elsbeth.

Personal Life

Robin Givens dated boxer Mike Tyson starting in 1987. They were married in 1988. Their marriage ended in divorce in 1989.

In 1993, Robin Givens adopted her first son, Michael "Buddy" Givens. In 1997, she married her tennis instructor, Svetozar Marinković. They divorced a few months later. In 1999, she had a biological son, William "Billy" Jensen, with tennis player Murphy Jensen.

Awards and Recognition

Robin Givens has received awards for her work.

• In 1991, she won the Female Star of Tomorrow award at the ShoWest Convention in the USA.
• In 2004, she was nominated for a Black Reel Award. This was for Best Supporting Actress in Television for Hollywood Wives: The New Generation.

See also

In Spanish: Robin Givens para niños