Robert Townsend (actor)

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Robert Townsend
Born (1957-02-06) February 6, 1957 (age 67)
Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
EducationIllinois State University
Alma materAustin High School
Occupations
  • Actor
  • comedian
  • film director
  • writer
Years active1974–present
Notable work
Spouse
Cheri Jones
​
​
(m. 1990; div. 2001)​
Children3; including Skye
Websiteroberttownsend.com

Robert Townsend (born February 6, 1957) is an American actor, director, comedian, and writer.

The WB's sitcom The Parent 'Hood 's main character Robert Peterson, the series he created and directed select episodes of ran from 1995 to 1999. Townsend is also known for his role as Donald "Duck" Matthews in his 1991 film The Five Heartbeats. He later wrote, directed and produced Making the Five Heartbeats (2018), a documentary film about the production process and behind the scenes insight into creating the film.[citation needed] Townsend is also known for his production company Townsend Entertainment which has produced films Playin' for Love,[3] In the Hive and more. During the 1980s and early–1990s, Townsend gained national exposure through his stand-up comedy routines and appearances on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson. Townsend has worked with talent including Halle Berry, Morgan Freeman, Chris Tucker, Beyoncé, Denzel Washington, Ayo Edebiri, and many more.[4][5]

Early life and career

Townsend was born in

uncredited role in the 1975 movie Cooley High, but says the film "changed his life" for what he perceived as its true-to-life portrayal of people like him.[8]

After high school, Townsend enrolled at

college education
, but he felt that college took time away from his passion for acting, and he soon dropped out of school to pursue his acting career full-time.

Career

Townsend auditioned to be part of Saturday Night Live's 1980–1981 cast, but was rejected in favor of Eddie Murphy. In 1982, Townsend appeared as one of the main characters in the PBS series Another Page, produced by Kentucky Educational Television that taught literacy to adults through serialized stories. Townsend later appeared in small parts in films like A Soldier's Story (1984), directed by Norman Jewison, and after its success garnered much more substantial parts in films like The Mighty Quinn (1989) with Denzel Washington.[9]

In 1987, Townsend wrote, directed and produced

programming director at the Black Family Channel, but the network folded in 2007. Townsend created The Robert Townsend Foundation, a nonprofit organization
whose mission is to introduce and help new unsigned filmmakers.

Awards and other credits

Townsend directed the 2001 TV movie, Livin' for Love: The Natalie Cole Story for which Cole won the

Ovation Award in the category of "Lead Actor in a Musical" for his role as Dan in the La Mirada Theatre for the Performing Arts production of Next to Normal.[11]

Personal life

Townsend was married to Cheri Jones[12] from September 15, 1990, to August 9, 2001.[13] They have three children, including Skye Townsend.[4]

Filmography

Title Year Role
Cooley High 1975 Basketball player seen in the gym room (uncredited)
The Monkey Hustle 1976 Musician
Women at West Point 1979 Plebe
Streets of Fire 1984 Lester - The Sorels
A Soldier's Story 1984 Cpl. Ellis
American Flyers 1985 Jerome
Ratboy 1986 Manny
Odd Jobs 1986 Dwight
Hollywood Shuffle 1987 Bobby Taylor (Director/Producer/Writer)
Eddie Murphy Raw 1987 (Director)
The Mighty Quinn 1989 Maubee
The Five Heartbeats 1991 Donald "Duck" Matthews (Director/Producer/Writer)
Robert Townsend and His Partners in Crime 1991 (Producer/Performer)
The Meteor Man 1993 Jefferson Reed/Meteor Man (Director/Producer/Writer)
Townsend Television 1993 (Creator/Producer/Performer)
The Parent 'Hood 1995–1999 Robert Peterson (Co-Creator)
B*A*P*S 1997 (Director)
Jackie's Back 1999 (Director)
Joseph's Gift 1999 James Saunders
Up, Up and Away 2000 Jim Marshall/Bronze Eagle (Director)
Little Richard 2000 (Director)
Holiday Heart 2000 (Director)
Carmen: A Hip Hopera 2001 (Director)
Livin' for Love: The Natalie Cole Story 2001 (Director)
10,000 Black Men Named George 2002 (Director)
I Was a Teenage Faust 2002 Mr. Five
Black Listed 2003 Alan Chambers (Director)
Of Boys and Men 2008 Holden Cole
Phantom Punch 2009 (Director)
In the Hive 2012 (Director)
Scooby-Doo! Music of the Vampire 2012 Vampire Actor #1 (voice)
Bill Cosby 77 2014 (Director)
Playin' for Love 2015 (Director/Performer/Producer)
Making The Five Heartbeats 2018 (Director)
Black Lightning 2019 (Director/Performer)
American Soul 2019 (Director)
The Wonder Years 2021 (Director)
Kaleidoscope 2023 (Director)
The Bear 2023 Emmanuel Adamu
Power Book IV: Force 2023 (Director)

References

  1. ^ Erickson, Hal (2008). "Robert Townsend". Movies & TV Dept. The New York Times. Archived from the original on 21 October 2008.
  2. ^ "As Robert Townsend Sees It : He's Fighting Stereotypes With 'Meteor Man' and New TV Show". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2010-10-10.
  3. ^ "Playin' For Love". Black Cinema Connection. 2014-11-05. Retrieved 2018-03-06.
  4. ^ a b c "About". Robert Townsend. Archived from the original on 2011-07-14.
  5. ^ "Carmen: A Hip Hopera", Wikipedia, 2019-08-09, retrieved 2019-09-17
  6. ^ "Townsend, Robert (1957-)". BlackPast.Org. 2008. Retrieved September 18, 2017.
  7. ^ "1975 Austin High School Yearbook (Chicago, Illinois)". Classmates.com. 1975. Retrieved September 18, 2017.
  8. ^ King, Susan (2019-07-06). "How 'Cooley High' changed the landscape for black films in 1975". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2021-12-19.
  9. ^ Canby, Vincent (February 17, 1989). "Review/Film; Tropical Murder". The New York Times.
  10. ^ Maslin, Janet (March 20, 1987). "'Hollywood Shuffle,' Satire by Townsend". The New York Times. Retrieved 2021-10-31.
  11. ^ "2013 Ovation Awards Nominees — South by Southeast". LA STAGE Alliance. September 16, 2013. Retrieved 2017-04-21.
  12. ^ "The Week's Best Photo". Jet. 79 (23). March 25, 1991. Retrieved June 30, 2022.
  13. ^ Gimenes, Erika (2001). "Robert Townsend to divorce". Hollywood.com. Retrieved September 18, 2017.

Further reading

External links

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