Robert Townsend

Biography

Robert Townsend is a talented American actor, director, comedian, and writer born on February 6, 1957, in Chicago, Illinois. He gained national exposure through his stand-up comedy routines and appearances on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson during the 1980s and early-1990s. Townsend is best known for directing films like Hollywood Shuffle (1987) and The Five Heartbeats (1991), as well as starring in the WB sitcom The Parent 'Hood, which he created and directed.