Robert Townsend

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.

• Name — Robert Townsend • Born — 6 February 1957 • Birthplace — Chicago, Illinois, U.S. • Occupation — * Actor • comedian • film director • writer • Years Active — 1974–present • Website — roberttownsend.com • Children — 3, including Skye • Notable Works — * Hollywood Shuffle • The Five Heartbeats • The Meteor Man • The Parent 'Hood • Education — Austin High School; Illinois State University

Townsend was born in Chicago, Illinois, the second of four children to Shirley (née Jenkins), who was of Puerto Rican descent, and Robert Townsend. His mother raised the children as a single parent on the city's west side. Townsend attended Austin High School, graduating in 1975. 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.

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. Townsend auditioned to be part of Saturday Night Lives 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. 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. 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, 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.

Townsend was married to Cheri Jones from September 15, 1990, to August 9, 2001. They have three children, including singer/actress Skye Townsend.

• Year — Title — Director — Writer — Executive Producer — Creator — Notes • 1981 — Another Page — 15 episodes • 1987 — The Late Show — 1 episode • 1993 — Townsend Television — 10 episodes • 1995–1999 — The Parent 'Hood — Directed 17 episodes • 2002 — Soul Food — Episode: "Tonight at Noon" • 2005–2006 — South of Nowhere — 4 episodes • 2007 — Unfabulous — Episode: "The Quest" • 2009 — Diary of a Single Mom — All 26 episodes • 2018 — Love Is — Episode: "First Date" • 2019 — American Soul — Episodes: "Lost and Found" and Just Us • Black Lightning — Episodes: "Pillar of Fire" and "Requiem for Tavon" • 2020 — The Last O.G. — Episodes: "Family Feud" and "Come Clean" • 2021 — The Wonder Years — Episode: "Independence Day" • 2023–2026 — Power Book IV: Force — Episodes: "Here There Be Monsters", "The Last Dance" and "The Beginning of the End" • 2024–2025 — Poppa's House — 5 episodes TV special • Year — Title — Director — Writer — Executive Producer — Notes • 1987 — Uptown Comedy Express • 1991 — The Best of Robert Townsend & His Partners in Crime • A Party for Richard Pryor • A Comedy Salute to Michael Jordan — Event from Comic Relief USA • 1992 — Comic Relief V • 2013 — Bill Cosby: Far from Finished • 2022 — Ms. Pat: Y'all Wanna Hear Something Crazy? TV movies • Year — Title — Director — Writer — Executive Producer • 1991 — Robert Townsend and His Partners in Crime • 1999 — Jackie's Back • 2000 — Up, Up and Away • Little Richard • Holiday Heart • 2001 — Livin' for Love: The Natalie Cole Story • Carmen: A Hip Hopera • 2002 — 10,000 Black Men Named George • 2009 — Musical Theater of Hope 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

Robert Townsend was born on 6 February 1957 in Chicago.

Among them are Eddie Murphy Raw (1987), Hollywood Shuffle (1987), The Five Heartbeats (1991), The Meteor Man (1993), B.A.P.S.

• Year — Title — Director — Producer — Writer • 1987 — Hollywood Shuffle • Eddie Murphy Raw • 1991 — The Five Heartbeats • 1993 — The Meteor Man • 1997 — B*A*P*S • 2008 — Of Boys and Men • 2009 — Phantom Punch • 2012 — In the Hive • 2015 — Playin' for Love 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