Robin Givens

Givens was born in New York City, to Ruth Roper (née Newby) and Reuben Givens,[6] who divorced when she was two. Her mother raised Givens and her sister Stephanie in Mount Vernon and New Rochelle, New York.[7] Givens was raised Catholic.[8] She occasionally modeled and acted as a teen.[9] As a model, she appeared in magazines such as Seventeen and Mademoiselle. She made her film debut at age 14 in the film The Wiz (1978) as a guest at Aunt Emma's Party .

Givens graduated from New Rochelle Academy (a private school which closed in June 1987). At the age of 15, she enrolled at Sarah Lawrence College as a pre-medical major, becoming one of the youngest to attend the school.[7][9] While in school she acted in daytime dramas.[7] She graduated at the age of 19 in 1984.[10] Givens claimed to have dropped out of Harvard Medical School to focus on her acting career, but the registrar's office stated that she never applied.[1] It was later reported that she took courses at Harvard Graduate School of Arts and Sciences.[11]

Givens began dating boxer Mike Tyson in 1987.[7] According to Givens, Tyson was physically abusive before they wed on February 7, 1988.[2][29] Tyson stated that he was "severely traumatized by that relationship."[30] Tyson was then estimated to have $50 million; he and Givens did not have a prenuptial agreement.[31][32] During their marriage, Givens bought a $4.3 million mansion in the affluent suburb of Bernardsville, New Jersey with money withdrawn from his brokerage account.[33][34][35] They appeared in a Diet Pepsi commercial together and on the cover of Life magazine.[36][37]

After her miscarriage in June 1988, their marriage began to fall apart.[38][39] Tyson believes Givens's pregnancy (and miscarriage) was a ruse only to rush him to the wedding altar, noting that in all the time she was supposedly pregnant Givens never gained a pound.[40] In a joint interview with Tyson on 20/20 in September 1988, Givens told Barbara Walters that life with him was "torture, pure hell, worse than anything I could possibly imagine," and she went on to describe his volatile temper.[41] In October 1988, Givens filed for divorce, citing spousal abuse and was granted a temporary restraining order.[36] Her attorney Marvin Mitchelson said, "She loves Michael Tyson, but there is continued violence, and she fears for her safety."[31] Tyson sought an annulment, accusing her of stealing millions of dollars and manipulating the public.[42] Givens responded by filing a $125 million libel suit for defamation.[43] Their divorce was finalized on Valentine's Day in 1989.[29]

Givens received negative press following her split from Tyson, particularly within sports and the African American community.[44][45][3] Headlines heralded her as "the Most Hated Woman in America" and she was described as a "gold digger who married Tyson solely for his millions."[46][47] Givens denied that she received a reported divorce settlement of over $10 million from Tyson, stating that she "didn't receive one dime."[48][49]

According to the 1989 biography Fire and Fear: The Inside Story of Mike Tyson, Tyson admitted he punched Givens, stating "that was the best punch I've ever thrown in my entire life."[50] Tyson claimed the book was "filled with inaccuracies."[51] In 2009, Tyson joked about "socking" Givens on Oprah, which caused laughter in the audience. Winfrey later issued an apology to Givens.[4]

In 1993, Givens adopted her first son Michael "Buddy" Givens.[52] In 1997, she married her tennis instructor, Svetozar Marinković. Givens filed for divorce months later.[14] In 1999, she had a second son, William "Billy" Jensen, with ex-boyfriend, tennis player Murphy Jensen.[53]

In January 2004, Givens struck a pedestrian while driving an SUV through a Miami, Florida, intersection.[54] Givens was ticketed for failing to use due care with a pedestrian in a crosswalk, but the charges were later dismissed.[55] In June 2004, the injured party filed a civil lawsuit against Givens for an unspecified amount.[56]

A May 7, 2009, article in Forbes magazine reported that the Internal Revenue Service was suing Givens for unpaid federal income taxes totaling $292,000 ($369,000 in present-day USD when adjusted for inflation), an amount which included interest and penalties. The government had asked a federal court in Florida for a judgment against her on 39 assessments covering a span of eight years.[57]

• Givens, Robin (June 7, 2007). Grace Will Lead Me Home. New York: Miramax. ISBN 978-1-4013-5246-2.

• Robin Givens at IMDb
• Robin Givens at the Internet Broadway Database
• Robin Givens at the Internet Off-Broadway Database
• Robin Givens at AllMovie