Robin Givens

Robin Simone Givens (born November 27, 1964) is an American model, stage, film, and television actress. Givens is also a pre-medical graduate of Sarah Lawrence College.

Givens landed her breakthrough role of Darlene Merriman in the ABC sitcom Head of the Class in 1986, and remained on the series for its 5-year duration. Her violent marriage to boxer Mike Tyson in 1988, drew considerable media attention, as did their acrimonious divorce. She later went on to become a spokesperson for the National Domestic Violence Hotline for several years.

Givens continued her career with film and television roles such a The Women of Brewster Place (1989) and Boomerang (1992). In 1996, Givens co-starred on the sitcom Sparks, which aired for two seasons on UPN. In January 2000, she took over hosting duties on the syndicated talk show Forgive or Forget. In 2007, Givens released her autobiography, Grace Will Lead Me Home. She has since had recurring roles on The Game, Tyler Perry's House of Payne, Chuck, Riverdale and its spin-off Katy Keene.

Givens was born in New York City, to Ruth Roper (née Newby) and Reuben Givens, who divorced when she was two. Her mother raised Givens and her sister Stephanie in Mount Vernon and New Rochelle, New York. Givens was raised Catholic. She occasionally modeled and acted as a teen. As a model, she appeared in magazines such as Seventeen and Mademoiselle. She also had cameos in the films The Wiz (1978) and Fort Apache: The Bronx (1981).

Givens graduated from New Rochelle Academy (a private school which closed in June 1987). At the age of 15, she enrolled at Sarah Lawrence College as a pre-medical major, becoming one of the youngest to attend the school. While in school she acted in daytime dramas. She graduated at the age of 19 in 1984. Givens claimed to have dropped out of Harvard Medical School to focus on her acting career, but the registrar's office stated she never applied.

1980s–1990s

In 1985, Givens auditioned for a guest spot on The Cosby Show. She won the spot and Bill Cosby became her mentor. He convinced her to drop out of school and promised that if she wasn't successful in two years, he'd get her back into medical school and pay her tuition. Soon after Givens appeared 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 Boomerang (1992).

In 1994, Givens posed nude for Playboy magazine. During that period Givens felt she had lost her voice, so one of the reasons why she posed for the magazine was so that she could write her own article. Givens was ranked No. 88 on Empire magazine's "100 Sexiest Stars in Film History" list in May 1995. 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, which ended its run in 1998. She also played Denise in The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air.

2000s–2010s

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

In 2006, Givens attempted a return to television on MyNetworkTV's telenovela Saints and Sinners, 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. Givens returned to feature films in Tyler Perry's Southern drama The Family That Preys (2008). She also had a recurring role portraying a fictionalized version of herself on the CW comedy-drama The Game. Additionally, she has had a recurring role on the TBS show Tyler Perry's House of Payne, and a guest role on USA Network's Burn Notice. In addition to television and film roles, Givens has performed onstage. In 2001, she appeared in an off-Broadway production of The Vagina Monologues. From February to April 16, 2006, she played the role of Roxie Hart in the Broadway play Chicago. 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, Givens 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. 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. In 2015, she starred alongside Clifton Powell, Mishon Ratliff, and Malachi Malik in the segment "Mama's Boy" of TV One's anthology romance horror film Fear Files.

Givens was the spokesperson for the National Domestic Violence Hotline for several years.

At 16 years old, Givens met comedian Eddie Murphy at the Comedy Strip in New York. They dated for a year in the early 1980s. In 1986, she met basketball player Michael Jordan at a North Carolina golf tournament and they briefly dated until January 1987.

Givens began dating boxer Mike Tyson in 1987. According to Givens, Tyson was physically abusive before they wed on February 7, 1988. Tyson denies the physical abuse and claims that he himself was "severely traumatized by that relationship."

Tyson was then estimated to have $50 million; he and Givens did not have a prenuptial agreement. During their marriage, Givens and her mother bought a $4.6 million mansion in the affluent suburb of Bernardsville, New Jersey. Givens and Tyson appeared in a Diet Pepsi commercial together and on the cover of Life magazine.

After her miscarriage in May 1988, their marriage began to fall apart. In a joint interview with Tyson on 20/20 in September 1988, Givens told Barbara Walters that life with him was "torture, pure hell, worse than anything I could possibly imagine," and she went on to describe his volatile temper. In October 1988, Givens filed for divorce, citing spousal abuse and was granted a temporary restraining order. Her attorney Marvin Mitchelson said, "She loves Michael Tyson, but there is continued violence, and she fears for her safety." Tyson sought an annulment, accusing her of stealing millions of dollars and manipulating the public. Givens responded by filing a $125 million libel suit for defamation. Their divorce was finalized on Valentine's Day in 1989. Givens denied that she received a reported divorce settlement of over $10 million from Tyson, stating that she "didn't receive one dime."

Givens 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" and another as a "gold digger who married Tyson solely for his millions".

Tyson allegedly admitted in the book Fire and Fear: The Inside Story of Mike Tyson (1989) that he punched Givens, adding "that was the best punch I've ever thrown in my entire life." Tyson denies he ever made such a comment: "I never said that about women. I said that about my opponents in the ring ... The book was filled with inaccuracies like that." Tyson also joked about "socking" Givens on Oprah in 2009, which caused laughter in the audience. Winfrey later issued an apology to Givens.

Following her separation from Tyson, Givens dated actor Brad Pitt. In 1993, Givens adopted her first son Michael "Buddy" Givens. In 1997, she married her tennis instructor, Svetozar Marinković. Givens filed for divorce months later. In 1999, she had a second son, William "Billy" Jensen, with ex-boyfriend, tennis player Murphy Jensen. She briefly dated radio host Howard Stern in 2000.

Legal issues

In January 2004, Givens critically injured an 89-year-old pedestrian, Maria Antonia Alcover, while driving an SUV through a Miami, Florida intersection. Givens was ticketed for failing to use due care with a pedestrian in a crosswalk, but the charges were later dismissed. 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.

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 ($348,000 in present day USD when adjusted for inflation), an amount which included interest and penalties. The government had asked a federal court in Florida for a judgment against her on 39 assessments covering a span of eight years.

• Givens, Robin (June 7, 2007). Grace Will Lead Me Home. New York: Miramax. ISBN 1-4013-5246-4.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)