Robin Givens (born November 27, 1964 in New York, New York) is an American actress. She attended the prestigious Sarah Lawrence College.
She appeared on The Cosby Show and Diff'rent Strokes and the TV movie Beverly Hills Madam before receiving the role on Head of the Class that made her famous. She achieved further prominence as the wife (1988-1989) of heavyweight boxer Mike Tyson with whom she shared a mansion in an affluent section of New Jersey. They divorced, however, after Givens accused Tyson of spousal abuse (Tyson was later arrested).
Her most famous television role was of rich girl Darlene Merriman on the sitcom Head of the Class. After her run on the show and her high profile divorce from Tyson, she appeared in numerous TV specials, TV movies (most notably The Women of Brewster Place with Oprah Winfrey and The Face with Yasmine Bleeth) and some failed sitcoms.
Givens attempted a comeback as the host of the talk show, Forgive or Forget replacing television personality Mother Love. While this was generally regarded as a failure, Givens was well-liked by the audience. With the exception of the occasional made-for-television movie, she has not been seen on television since.
She performed in New York in the Off-Broadway production of The Vagina Monologues, earning good reviews for her performance.
She once dated Brad Pitt. She also dated Howard Stern for a short period of time.
