Actress, Author, and Domestic Abuse Awareness Advocate
Robin Givens long oscillated between a glamorous movie star life and the domestic abuse she suffered at home. Today, she speaks out about the abuse she suffered, urging men, women, and the African American community to educate themselves about domestic violence. Her 2007 biography Grace Will Lead Me Home poignantly and intelligently recounts her abusive marriage and the strength it took to finally leave her husband. She is co-chair of Women Who Care organization.
Career
Robin Givens began her acting career with an appearance on The Cosby Show. In a year after that, she got her breakthrough role as “Darlene Merriman” on the hit ABC series Head of the Class (1986-1991). During that time she co-starred with Oprah Winfrey in the miniseries The Women of Brewster Place (1989). Givens then was featured in several back-to-back movies including the critically acclaimed Boomerang, opposite Eddie Murphy in 1992; A Rage in Harlem (1991) with Forest Whitaker, Danny Glover, and Gregory Hines under the direction of Bill Duke; Foreign Student (1992); and Blankman, with Damon Wayans and David Alan Grier (1994).
Television
In 1995, Givens was listed among Empire magazine’s “100 Sexiest Stars in Film History.” She has collaborated with Tyler Perry on The Family That Preys Together (1998) and the TBS series Tyler Perry’s House of Payne. Most recently, Givens guest-starred on the hit series Chuck, the CW’s Nikita, Lifetime’s Drop Dead Diva, and BET’s Reed Between the Lines with Malcolm Jamal Warner. She also starred in the Fox pilot series Tagged in 2011. Robin Givens’ latest acting endeavors include starring roles on Riverdale, Once Upon a Time, Malibu Dan The Family Man, and About Him 2: The Revolution.
Stage
Givens has worked extensively on stage as well as on the screen, including a successful stint on Broadway in the leading role of “Roxie Hart” in the Broadway production of “Chicago” (2006), and has performed in the Off-Broadway production of “The Vagina Monologues” (2006). She recently garnered rave reviews for her starring role in the acclaimed production of “Blues for an Alabama Sky,” alongside with Kadeem Hardison and Kevin T. Carroll at The Pasadena Playhouse under the leadership of artistic director Sheldon Epp.
Grace Will Lead Me Home
Robin Givens may be best known for her abusive marriage to the volatile boxer Mike Tyson and its cataclysmic ending. But in her vividly evoked, intelligent memoir Grace Will Lead Me Home, she makes it clear there is much more to her life. She recounts the legacy of life-threatening domestic violence that has haunted her family for three generations and how she has managed to survive, and, ultimately, thrive. In this poignant presentation based on her book, Robin Givens shares her story with audiences around the country, urging men, women, and the African American community to educate themselves about domestic violence and put an end to the destructive cycle.
The Art of Living
The Art of Living emphasizes the connection between theater and life. In this presentation with Robin Givens, audiences will explore the critical elements of acting techniques cast against the backdrop of our universal life experiences with the goal of becoming more confident, content, and fulfilled. The Art of Living is about the quality of art as it relates to the quality of life, and the importance of practice in becoming more at peace, more confident, and more secure with ourselves.
All Robin Givens Books
