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robert townsend actor wikipedia jump to content main menu main menu move to sidebar hide navigation main page contents current events random article about wikipedia contact us contribute help learn to edit community portal recent changes upload file special pages search search appearance donate create account log in personal tools donate create account log in contents move to sidebar hide top 1 early life family and education 2 career 3 awards and other credits 4 personal life 5 filmography toggle filmography subsection 5 1 film 5 2 television 6 references 7 further reading 8 external links toggle the table of contents robert townsend actor 14 languages العربية مصرى تۆرکجه català کوردی deutsch español فارسی kreyòl ayisyen italiano 한국어 nederlands русский اردو edit links article talk english read edit view history tools tools move to sidebar hide actions read edit view history general what links here related changes upload file permanent link page information cite this page get shortened url switch to legacy parser print export download as pdf printable version in other projects wikimedia commons wikidata item appearance move to sidebar hide from wikipedia the free encyclopedia american actor and director born 1957 robert townsend townsend in 2018 born 1957 02 06 february 6 1957 age 69 chicago illinois u s education austin high school illinois state university occupations actor comedian film director writer years active 1974 present notable work hollywood shuffle the five heartbeats the meteor man the parent hood spouse cheri jones m 1990 div 2001 children 3 including skye website roberttownsend com robert townsend born february 6 1957 is an american actor director comedian and writer 1 2 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 is best known for directing and starring in the feature films hollywood shuffle 1987 and the five heartbeats 1991 he is well recognized for his leading role robert peterson in the wb s sitcom the parent hood the series he created and directed select episodes of ran from 1995 to 1999 early life family and education edit townsend was born in chicago illinois the second of four children to shirley née jenkins who was of puerto rican descent and robert townsend 3 his mother raised the children as a single parent on the city s west side townsend attended austin high school graduating in 1975 4 he became interested in acting as a teenager during a reading of sophocles oedipus rex in high school townsend captured the attention of chicago s x bag theatre the experimental black actors guild he performed and studied at the second city comedy workshop for improvisation in 1974 after high school townsend studied for a year at illinois state university although townsend s mother believed that he should complete his college education he felt that college took time away from his passion for acting so he left school to pursue his acting career full time he relocated to new york city to study at the negro ensemble company career edit as a teenager townsend auditioned for parts at chicago s experimental black actors guild and performed in local plays townsend had a brief uncredited role in the 1975 movie cooley high he has stated that the film changed his life for what he perceived as its true to life portrayal of people like him 5 townsend auditioned to be part of saturday night live s 1980 1981 cast but he lost the slot to 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 6 in 1985 townsend appeared in a significant supporting role in the cycling drama american flyers starring alongside kevin costner and rae dawn chong he portrayed jerome a close friend and teammate to the lead characters in 1987 townsend wrote directed and produced hollywood shuffle a satire based on the hardships and obstacles that african american actors undergo in the film industry the success of his first project helped him establish himself in the industry 7 8 he directed the very popular stand up comedy performance eddie murphy raw 1987 which was released in theaters another of his films the five heartbeats was based on 1960s r b male groups and the tribulations of the music industry he later wrote directed and produced making the five heartbeats 2018 a documentary film about the production and behind the scenes insight into creating the film townsend s production company townsend entertainment has produced films playin for love 9 in the hive and more townsend created and produced two television variety shows the cableace award winning robert townsend and his partners in crime for hbo and the fox television variety show townsend television 1993 he also created and starred in the wb network s sitcom the parent hood which originally ran from january 1995 to july 1999 in 2018 townsend also directed two episodes for the bet series american soul which began airing in 2019 the show is about don cornelius and soul train townsend was programming director for 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 townsend directed the 2001 tv movie livin for love the natalie cole story for which cole won the naacp image award as outstanding actress in a television movie mini series or dramatic special townsend also directed two television movies in 2001 and 2002 respectively carmen a hip hopera and 10 000 black men named george awards and other credits edit in 2013 townsend was nominated for an 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 10 townsend won indie soap awards in 2010 and 2011 as executive producer of the webseries diary of a single mom which was named indie soap of the year two consecutive years personal life edit townsend was married to cheri jones 11 from september 15 1990 to august 9 2001 12 they have three children including singer actress skye townsend 7 filmography edit film edit year title director producer writer 1987 hollywood shuffle yes yes yes eddie murphy raw yes no no 1991 the five heartbeats yes yes yes 1993 the meteor man yes yes yes 1997 b a p s yes no no 2008 of boys and men no yes no 2009 phantom punch yes no no 2012 in the hive yes yes no 2015 playin for love yes yes yes direct to video black listed 2003 also writer bill cosby 77 2014 unreleased acting roles year title role notes 1975 cooley high basketball player seen in the gym room uncredited mahogany extra 1976 the monkey hustle musician 1979 the warriors baseball fury uncredited 1980 willie phil thin boy 1984 streets of fire lester the sorels a soldier s story cpl ellis 1985 american flyers jerome 1986 ratboy manny odd jobs dwight 1987 hollywood shuffle bobby taylor 1989 the mighty quinn maubee 1991 the five heartbeats donald duck matthews 1993 the meteor man jefferson reed meteor man 1999 joseph s gift james saunders 2000 up up and away jim marshall bronze eagle 2003 black listed alan chambers direct to video 2008 of boys and men holden cole 2012 scooby doo music of the vampire vampire actor 1 voice role 2015 playin for love coach banks television edit year title director writer executive producer creator notes 1981 another page no no no no 15 episodes 1987 the late show no yes no no 1 episode 1993 townsend television yes yes yes yes 10 episodes 1995 1999 the parent hood yes yes yes yes directed 17 episodes 2002 soul food yes no no no episode tonight at noon 2005 2006 south of nowhere yes no no no 4 episodes 2007 unfabulous yes no no no episode the quest 2009 diary of a single mom yes no yes no all 26 episodes 2018 love is yes no no no episode first date 2019 american soul yes no no no episodes lost and found and just us black lightning yes no no no episodes pillar of fire and requiem for tavon 2020 the last o g yes no no no episodes family feud and come clean 2021 the wonder years yes no no no episode independence day 2023 2026 power book iv force yes no no no episodes here there be monsters the last dance and the beginning of the end 2024 2025 poppa s house yes no no no 5 episodes tv special year title director writer executive producer notes 1987 uptown comedy express no yes no 1991 the best of robert townsend his partners in crime yes yes yes a party for richard pryor no yes no a comedy salute to michael jordan no yes no event from comic relief usa 1992 comic relief v no yes no 2013 bill cosby far from finished yes no no 2022 ms pat y all wanna hear something crazy yes no no tv movies year title director writer executive producer 1991 robert townsend and his partners in crime yes yes yes 1999 jackie s back yes no no 2000 up up and away yes no no little richard yes no no holiday heart yes no no 2001 livin for love the natalie cole story yes no no carmen a hip hopera yes no no 2002 10 000 black men named george yes no no 2009 musical theater of hope yes yes no miniseries year title episodes 2021 colin in black white road trip the decision 2022 the best man the final chapters brown girl dreaming an american marriage 2023 kaleidoscope green 7 years before the heist violet 24 years before the heist acting roles year title role notes 1978 watch your mouth prince otoma episodes the outcast and the student prince 1979 women at west point russell baker tv movie 1981 senior trip randy 1982 in love with an older woman james m a s h patient episode bombshells 1995 1999 the parent hood robert peterson 90 episodes 2002 i was a teenage faust mr five tv movie 2023 2026 the bear emmanuel adamu 12 episodes references edit erickson hal 2008 robert townsend movies tv dept the new york times archived from the original on 21 october 2008 braxton greg august 3 1993 as robert townsend sees it he s fighting stereotypes with meteor man and new tv show los angeles times retrieved 2026 04 13 townsend robert 1957 blackpast org 2008 retrieved september 18 2017 1975 austin high school yearbook chicago illinois 1975 retrieved september 18 2017 via classmates com king susan 2019 07 06 how cooley high changed the landscape for black films in 1975 los angeles times retrieved 2021 12 19 canby vincent february 17 1989 review film tropical murder the new york times 1 2 about officialroberttownsend com robert townsend archived from the original on 2011 07 14 maslin janet march 20 1987 hollywood shuffle satire by townsend the new york times retrieved 2021 10 31 playin for love black cinema connection 2014 11 05 retrieved 2018 03 06 2013 ovation awards nominees south by southeast lastagetimes com la stage alliance september 16 2013 archived from the original on 2014 06 26 retrieved 2017 04 21 the week s best photo jet 79 23 march 25 1991 retrieved june 30 2022 gimenes erika 2001 robert townsend to divorce hollywood com retrieved september 18 2017 further reading edit alexander george december 18 2007 why we make movies black filmmakers talk about the magic of cinema harlem moon isbn 978 0 3074 1959 0 collier aldore june 1 1991 robert townsend a new kind of hollywood dreamer ebony xlvi 8 102 106 retrieved june 30 2022 rogers brent robert townsend article in perspectives sustaining digital history 12 november 2007 external links edit official website robert townsend at imdb iamroberttownsend on instagram v t e films directed by robert townsend hollywood shuffle 1987 eddie murphy raw 1987 the five heartbeats 1991 the meteor man 1993 b a p s 1997 jackie s back 1999 up up and away 2000 little richard 2000 holiday heart 2000 livin for love the natalie cole story 2000 carmen a hip hopera 2001 10 000 black men named george 2002 black listed 2003 phantom punch 2008 in the hive 2012 bill cosby 77 unreleased v t e black reel award for outstanding director tv movie or limited series louis gossett jr 2000 charles s dutton 2001 reggie rock bythewood 2002 robert townsend 2003 bill duke 2004 vondie curtis hall 2005 george c wolfe 2006 edward james olmos 2007 vondie curtis hall 2013 spike lee 2014 reggie rock bythewood 2015 dee rees 2016 john singleton chris robinson 2017 anthony hemingway 2018 ava duvernay 2019 stephen williams 2020 steve mcqueen 2021 debbie allen 2022 robert townsend 2023 channing godfrey peoples 2024 kevin bray 2025 authority control databases international isni viaf gnd fast worldcat national united states france bnf data italy czech republic netherlands poland israel artists musicbrainz people ddb other snac yale lux retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title robert_townsend_ actor oldid 1372799315 categories 1957 births living people american male film actors american male television actors male actors from chicago african american film directors film directors from illinois american television directors african american television directors film producers from illinois african american television producers television producers from illinois african american screenwriters screenwriters from illinois comedians from chicago 20th century american comedians 21st century american comedians usc school of cinematic arts faculty 20th century african american male actors 20th century american male actors 21st century african american male actors 21st century american male actors austin community academy high school alumni american male comedians american stand up comedians african american male comedians african american stand up comedians hidden categories articles with short description short description is different from wikidata articles with hcards official website different in wikidata and wikipedia this page was last edited on 2 september 2026 at 09 20 utc page was rendered with parsoid text is available under the creative commons attribution sharealike 4 0 license additional terms may apply by using this site you agree to the terms of use and privacy policy wikipedia is a registered trademark of the wikimedia foundation inc a non profit organization privacy policy about wikipedia disclaimers contact wikipedia legal safety contacts code of conduct developers statistics cookie statement mobile view search search toggle the table of contents robert townsend actor 14 languages add topic