Tim Robbins Biography

Timothy Francis "Tim" Robbins (born October 16, 1958) is an American actor, screenwriter, director, producer, activist and musician. He is known for his roles as Nuke in Bull Durham, Jacob Singer in Jacob's Ladder, Griffin Mill in The Player, Andy Dufresne in The Shawshank Redemption, and as Dave Boyle in Mystic River, for which he won an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor.

Early life

Robbins was born in West Covina, California, and raised in New York City. He is the son of Mary Cecelia (née Bledsoe), an actress, and Gilbert Lee Robbins (1931"2011), a musician, folk singer, actor, and former manager of The Gaslight Cafe. Robbins has two sisters, Adele and Gabrielle, and a brother, David. He was raised Catholic. He moved to Greenwich Village with his family at a young age, while his father pursued a career as a member of the folk music group, The Highwaymen. Robbins started doing theater at age twelve and joined the drama club at Stuyvesant High School. He spent two years at SUNY Plattsburgh and then returned to California to study at the UCLA Film School.

Career

Robbins's acting career began at Theater for the New City, where he spent his teenage years in their Annual Summer Street Theater and also played the title role in a musical adaptation of Antoine de Saint-Exupéry's The Little Prince. After graduation from college in 1981, Robbins founded the Actors' Gang, an experimental theater group, in Los Angeles with actor friends from his college softball team (including John Cusack). In 1982, he appeared as domestic terrorist Andrew Reinhardt in three episodes of the television program St. Elsewhere. In 1985, he guest-starred in the second episode of the television series Moonlighting, "Gunfight at the So-So Corral". He also took small parts in films, such as the role of frat animal "Mother" in Fraternity Vacation (1985) and "Lt. Sam 'Merlin' Wells" in the fighter pilot film Top Gun (1986). He played in The Love Boat, as a young version of one of the characters in retrospection about the Second World War. His breakthrough role was as pitcher Ebby Calvin "Nuke" LaLoosh in the 1988 baseball film Bull Durham.

He received critical acclaim and won the Best Actor Award at Cannes for his starring role as an amoral film executive in Robert Altman's 1992 film The Player. He made his directorial and screenwriting debut with 1992's Bob Roberts, a mockumentary about a right-wing senatorial candidate. Robbins then starred alongside Morgan Freeman in the critically acclaimed The Shawshank Redemption (1994), which was based on Stephen King's short story.

Robbins has written, produced, and directed several films with strong social content, such as the critically acclaimed capital punishment saga Dead Man Walking (1995), starring Sarandon and Sean Penn. The film earned him an Oscar nomination for Best Director. His next directorial effort was 1999's Depression-era musical Cradle Will Rock. Robbins has also appeared in mainstream Hollywood thrillers, such as 1999's Arlington Road (as a terrorist) and 2001's Antitrust (as a malicious computer tycoon), and in comical films such as The Hudsucker Proxy, Nothing to Lose, and High Fidelity. Robbins has also acted in and directed several Actors' Gang theater productions.

Robbins won the Best Supporting Actor Oscar and the SAG Award for his work in Mystic River (2003), as a man traumatized from having been molested as a child. In 2005, he won the 39th annual Man of the Year Pudding Pot Award given by the Hasty Pudding Theatricals of Harvard. His most recent acting roles include a temporarily blind man who is nursed to health by a psychologically wounded young woman in The Secret Life of Words and an apartheid torturer in Catch a Fire.

In early 2006, Robbins directed an adaptation of George Orwell's novel 1984, written by Michael Gene Sullivan of the Tony Award-winning San Francisco Mime Troupe. The show opened at Actors' Gang, at their new location at The Ivy Substation in Culver City, California. In addition to venues around the United States, it has played in Athens, Greece, the Melbourne International Festival in Australia and the Hong Kong Arts Festival. Robbins is considering adapting the play into a film version.

Robbins appeared in 2008's The Lucky Ones, with co-star Rachel McAdams. Shooting took place in Illinois, including scenes filmed at Mojo's Music in Edwardsville, Illinois.

Robbins played Senator Hammond, the disapproving father of the film's villain Hector Hammond, in the 2011 superhero film Green Lantern.

In 2010 Robbins released the album Tim Robbins & The Rogues Gallery Band, a collection of songs written over the course of 25 years that he ultimately took on a world tour. He was originally offered the chance to record an album in 1992 after the success of his film Bob Roberts, but he declined because he had "too much respect for the process", having seen his father work so hard as a musician, and because he felt he had nothing to say at the time.

Robbins directed two episodes from the HBO series Treme. The series follows the interconnected lives of a group of New Orleanians in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. He helmed the episodes "Everything I Do Gonh Be Funky" in Season 2 (2011) and "Promised Land" in Season 3 (2012). Robbins became interested in the show while staying in New Orleans during the filming of Green Lantern. "I had the unique experience of watching ?Treme' with locals. It resonated for me immediately, and it resonated for them as well, because they have seen their town get misinterpreted and represented in ridiculous ways," he told The Times-Picayune in 2011. "Something about this show was different for them. I appreciated that. I loved the writing and the actors. I loved the environment it's set in. I watched the whole first season in New Orleans, and got in touch with David Simon and said, ?If you guys need a director next year, I'd be happy to do an episode.'"

In 2013, he will be a member of the jury at the 63rd Berlin International Film Festival.

Robbins will direct and star in the film Man Under, alongside Michelle Pfeiffer and Chloë Grace Moretz.

Personal life

In 1988 Robbins entered into a relationship with actress Susan Sarandon, whom he met on the set of Bull Durham. They have two sons: John "Jack" Henry (born May 15, 1989) and Miles Guthrie (born May 4, 1992). Robbins, like Sarandon, is a lapsed Catholic, and they both share liberal political views. The end of Robbins' relationship with Sarandon was announced in late December 2009.

Robbins supported Ralph Nader's 2000 presidential campaign and appeared on stage in character as Bob Roberts during the "Nader Rocks the Garden" rally at Madison Square Garden. In December 2007, Robbins campaigned for Senator John Edwards in the 2008 U.S. presidential election.

In 2003 a 15th anniversary celebration of Bull Durham at the National Baseball Hall of Fame was canceled by Hall of Fame president Dale Petroskey. Petroskey, who was on the White House staff during the Reagan administration, told Robbins that his stance helped to "undermine the U.S. position, which could put our troops in even more danger." Durham co-star Kevin Costner, a self-described libertarian, defended Robbins and Sarandon, saying, "I think Tim and Susan's courage is the type of courage that makes our democracy work. Pulling back this invite is against the whole principle about what we fight for and profess to be about." Robbins later said that Kevin Costner, Clint Eastwood, and Jack Valenti were the only major Hollywood figures that stood up for his free speech rights in this case and noted that all three men are either Republicans or very conservative Democrats, adding that he felt there could be common ground between individuals with different political beliefs.

Robbins is an avid baseball and ice hockey fan. He supports the New York Mets and the New York Rangers and frequently attends games. In 1995 Robbins did a series of promos for MSG Network advertising upcoming Rangers games, and has narrated a documentary on the 1969 Mets for SNY. Robbins is a passionate ice hockey player who participates regularly in the New York adult recreational hockey community. As of 2011, he was the tallest Academy Award-winning actor at .

Filmography

Year	Film	Role	Notes
1982	St. Elsewhere	Andrew Reinhardt	Three episodes
1984	No Small Affair	Nelson
	Toy Soldiers	Boe
1985	Fraternity Vacation	Larry "Mother" Tucker
	The Sure Thing	Gary Cooper
1986	Howard the Duck	Phil Blumburtt	Nominated "? Razzie Award for Worst Supporting Actor
	Top Gun	Lt. Sam 'Merlin' Wells
1988	Tapeheads	Josh Tager
	Bull Durham	Ebby Calvin "Nuke" LaLoosh
	Five Corners	Harry
1989	Erik the Viking	Erik
	Miss Firecracker	Delmount
	Twister	Jeff
1990	Jacob's Ladder	Jacob Singer
	Cadillac Man	Larry
1991	Jungle Fever	Jerry
1992	Bob Roberts	Bob Roberts	Also writer, director Bronze Award for Best Actor at the Tokyo International Film Festival Nominated "? Golden Globe Award for Best Actor " Motion Picture Musical or Comedy
	The Player	Griffin Mill	Best Actor Award (Cannes Film Festival) Golden Globe Award for Best Actor " Motion Picture Musical or Comedy Nominated "? BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role
1993	Short Cuts	Gene Shepard	Golden Globe Special Award for Ensemble Cast Volpi Cup for Best Ensemble Cast
1994	I.Q.	Ed Walters
	Prêt-à-Porter	Joe Flynne	Title in English: Ready to Wear National Board of Review Award for Best Cast
	The Shawshank Redemption	Andy Dufresne	Nominated "? Chlotrudis Award for Best Actor Nominated "? Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role
	The Hudsucker Proxy	Norville Barnes
1995	Dead Man Walking		Writer & Director only Golden Aphrodite Award at the Love is Folly International Film Festival Humanitas Prize for Feature Film Category Palm Springs International Film Festival Award for Best Director Prize of the Ecumenical Jury Prize of the Guild of German Art House Cinemas Reader Jury of the "Berliner Morgenpost" Nominated "? Academy Award for Best Director Nominated "? Golden Globe Award for Best Screenplay Nominated "? Golden Berlin Bear Award for Best Film
1997	Nothing to Lose	Nick Beam
1999	Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me	The President
	Cradle Will Rock		Writer & Director only Gran Angular Award for Best Director Gran Angular Award for Best Film Istanbul International Film Festival Award for International Competition National Board of Review Special Achievement in Filmmaking Award Nominated "? Palme d'Or (1999 Cannes Film Festival)
	Arlington Road	Oliver Lang
2000	Mission to Mars	Woodrow 'Woody' Blake
	High Fidelity	Ian 'Ray' Raymond
2001	Antitrust	Gary Winston
	The Party's Over	Himself
2002	Human Nature	Dr. Nathan Bronfman
	The Truth About Charlie	Lewis Bartholomew
2003	Mystic River	Dave Boyle	Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor Boston Society of Film Critics Award for Best Cast Broadcast Film Critics Association Award for Best Supporting Actor Central Ohio Film Critics Association for Best Supporting Actor Chicago Film Critics Association Award for Best Supporting Actor Florida Film Critics Circle Award for Best Supporting Actor Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor " Motion Picture Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role Southeastern Film Critics Association Award for Best Supporting Actor Nominated "? BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role Nominated "? Online Film Critics Society Award for Best Supporting Actor Nominated "? Phoenix Film Critics Society Award for Best Supporting Actor Nominated "? Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture Nominated "? Washington D.C. Area Film Critics Association Award for Best Supporting Actor
	Code 46	William Geld
2004	Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy	Public News Anchor	(Cameo "? uncredited)
2005	The Secret Life of Words	Josef	ADIRCAE Award for Best Performance in a Leading Role Nominated "? Barcelona Film Award for Best Actor (Millor Actor) Nominated "? Cinema Writers Circle Award for Best Actor (Mejor Actor)
	War of the Worlds	Harlan Ogilvy
	Zathura	Dad
2006	Tenacious D in The Pick of Destiny	The Stranger
	Catch a Fire	Nic Vos
2007	Noise	David Owen
2008	The Lucky Ones	Fred Cheaver
	City of Ember	Loris Harrow
2011	Green Lantern	Senator Hammond
	Cinema Verite	Bill Loud	Nominated - Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor " Series, Miniseries or Television Film
2012	Back to 1942	Father Megan
2012	Thanks for Sharing	Mike
2014	Life of Crime	Frank Dawson
2014	Welcome to Me		Filming