Robin Givens is a successful American model and famous actress in the early 1990s who began modeling and acting since when she a teenager. Also famous as the ex-wife of legendary boxer, Mike Tyson, she had her major breakthrough in acting when she was given a role in a sitcom ‘Head of class” in 1986. Since then, she appeared on several cameos, films, television shows, and T.V series not forgetting how well she also did as a model.
Givens had a pretty rough childhood as she was raised by her single mother. The actress has been more successful in her career than her marriages and relationships, but that has not deterred her dedication towards her dreams and aspirations. Her hard work has not been in vain as she has won and has been nominated for some awards in the entertainment industry.
Who is Robin Givens?
Robin Givens was born on November 27, 1964, to Reuben Givens and Ruth Givens in New York City, United States. Her father left the family when she was just two years old so she was raised together with her sister Stephanie by their mother in Mount Vernon and New Rochelle, New York.
Givens attended New Rochelle academy and graduated at the age of 15 then she enrolled at Sarah Lawrence College as a premedical major. She began acting and modeling while she was still in school. She graduated at the age of 19 in1984 and then went to audition for a guest spot on the Cosby show which she won.
After appearing in a few movies, Robin Givens became well known in Hollywood. In 1986, she had her major role on ABC sitcom Head of the Class. She also featured in The Women of Brewster Place with Oprah Winfrey and then in 1992, she appeared in Boomerang. She also hosted the talk show Forgive or Forget which ratings increased drastically after she took over the show from T.V Personality Mother Love. However, it seemed as though fans’ love for the show diminished rather quickly as the ratings soon started dropping and the talk show was cancelled thereafter.
Failed Marriages of Robin Givens
It was reported that givens dated comedian Eddie Murphy for almost a year in the early 1980s and also basketball player, Michael Jordan from 1986 to early 1987. She eventually met and started dating her first husband, Mike Tyson in1987. The couple married on February 7, 1988.
During the marriage, Givens and Tyson featured on a commercial Diet Pepsi together and also on the cover of Life Magazine. Givens had a miscarriage in May 1988 and the marriage began to go haywire. She finally filed for divorce in October 1988 citing spousal abuse.
She admitted that Tyson was physically abusing her even before their wedding in February that same year. Her lawyer also added that Givens loves Tyson but his volatile temper makes her scared for her safety. Their divorce was finalized on Valentine’s Day in 1989.
Givens moved on with her life after separating from Tyson. She dated Brad Pitt her co-star in Head of the Class. Before she remarried, she adopted Michael Buddy Givens as her first son. She then married her tennis instructor, Svetozar Marinkovic in 1997 but the union did not last as she filed for divorce a few months after the marriage.
Givens had her second son, William Billy Jensen with her ex-boyfriend, a tennis player Murphy Jensen in 1999. There was speculation in 2000 that she dated Howard Stern a radio host for a short period.
How Rich is She?
Givens has an estimated net worth of $2 million according to Celebrity networth. She earns her income through the numerous endorsement deals and ad campaign.
See Also: 10 Most Expensive Divorce in Sports History
Interesting Facts About Robin Givens
1. She is one of the most hated females of her time. Even though she has been part of few controversies in her career, she has gained negative attention but she has remained strong and determined and did not let her being tagged as the most hated person stand in her way.
2. The actress has not relented since she made her way into the entertainment industry. She was nominated for the ShoWest Convention, USA Award in the female star of tomorrow category in 1991 and she won. She was also nominated in 2004 for Black Reel Awards for a best-supporting actress in the Hollywood Wives.
3. The actress had a court case against her in 2004 when she injured an 89-year-old pedestrian, Maria Antonia Alcover while driving through a Miami Florida intersection. She was charged for not using due care in a crosswalk but the charges were later dismissed. The pedestrian, Alcover later filed a civil lawsuit against Givens for an undisclosed amount. The charges were later dismissed.
4. Givens seems to be getting into trouble all the time as an article in Forbes magazine in May 2009, reported that the internal revenue service sued her for not paying federal income taxes of almost $292,000.
5. After givens filed for divorce with Tyson, he accused her of stealing and manipulating the public but she responded by filing a $125million libel suit for defamation. Givens denied ever receiving a divorce settlement of $10million from Tyson.
6. Givens was the spokesperson for the National Domestic Violence Hotline for several years. She once said in an interview that she really wants to give the world her two sons as two good men, husbands, and fathers. She also added that she went through some volatile relationships when she was in her 20s and would not want that for anybody.
7. The talented actress attended Harvard medical school for two years before she dropped out and focused on her acting career.
8. She posed nude for Playboy magazine in 1994 when she thought she had lost her voice and she really needed to write her own article.
9. Robin Givens was number 88 on Empire magazine’s 100 sexiest stars in film history list in May 1995.
10. In June 2007, her autobiography was released titled “Grace will lead me home”. She reflected on the life of her grandmother, her domestic violence experiences, her faith in God, and also feeling abandoned by her father.
Complete profile of Robin Givens
| Robin Givens | |
|---|---|
| Full Name | Robin Simone Givens |
| Date of Birth | 27 November 1964 |
| Age | 55 years |
| Zodiac Sign | Sagittarius |
| Nationality | American |
| Birth place | New York, New York, United States |
| Profession | Model and Actress |
| Ethnicity | African-American ancestry |
| Education | New Rochelle Academy Sarah Lawrence College Harvard Medical School |
| Father | Reuben Givens |
| Mother | Ruth Roper Givens |
| Siblings | Stephanie Givens |
| Marital Status | Divorced |
| Spouse/Partner | Svetozar Marinkovic (m. 1997–1998), Mike Tyson (m. 1988–1989) |
| Boyfriend | Murphy Jensen(1999–2002) Michael Jordan (1986 - 1987) Eddie Murphy(early 1980s) |
| Kids | William Givens Jensen, Michael Givens |
| Religion | Christianity |
| Estimated Net Worth: | $2 million |
| Source of net worth | Modeling and acting career |
| Height | Feet – 5ft 5in Meters –1.65 m centimeters-165cm |
| Weight | 53 kg |
| Eye color | Dark-brown |
| Hair color | Black |
| Social media | Instagram |
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