Timothy Francis “Tim” Robbins is an actor and producer who is known for his activism as much as his acting abilities. He frequently chooses films that advocate liberty and civil rights for all, despite his liberal political views. He is well-known for portraying social and political topics like as capital punishment, child sexual abuse, and libertarian ideas in films. He developed an early interest in show business as the son of an actress and a musician. He was a member of his school drama club and started doing theatre when he was 12. He spent several years as a teenager performing in Theater for the New City’s Annual Summer Street Theater, where he played the lead in a musical adaption of ‘The Little Prince.’ He began his professional playing career as a television actor in the show ‘St. Elsewhere,’ where he played a domestic terrorist. Gradually, he set his sights on Hollywood and began acting in minor roles in films. His performance in the film ‘Bull Durham,’ in which he played a charming baseball player, gained him noticed and helped catapult his career to new heights. Robbins is known for his tiny body and mellow voice, and he excels at portraying soft-spoken and empathetic characters on screen.
Childhood and Adolescence
He is the son of actress Mary Cecelia and folk musician and actor Gilbert Lee Robbins. He has a brother and two sisters. He began acting at the age of 12 after being exposed to drama and films at a young age. He attended Stuyvesant High School and was a member of the drama club. He enrolled at UCLA Film School, where he received his bachelor’s degree in 1981. In Los Angeles, he created The Actor’s Gang, an experimental theater company.
Career of Timothy
In 1982, he started his his career as a television actor. In three episodes of the television show ‘St. Elsewhere,’ he played domestic terrorist Andrew Reinhardt. He also made appearances on television shows as a guest star. He began appearing in minor roles in films such as ‘Toy Soldiers,’ ‘Fraternity Vacation,’ (1985), ‘Top Gun,’ (1986), and others in the mid-1980s. In 1986, he had his first large role in the flop film ‘Howard the Duck,’ which almost put a stop to his career. He originally gained attention for his role as the rookie pitcher Nuke in the romantic sports comedy ‘Bull Durham,’ which he played in 1988. The film was both a commercial and critical triumph.
With his 1992 picture ‘Bob Roberts,’ he became a director and screenwriter. The film was a satirical mockumentary about Bob Roberts, a right-wing conservative politician campaigning for the United States Senate. The film was based on a short piece of the same name that Robbins did for ‘Saturday Night Live’ earlier in the year. In 1994, he co-starred with Morgan Freeman in the drama film “The Shawshank Redemption.” The film is based on Stephen King’s novella “Rita Hayworth and the Shawshank Redemption,” which depicts the narrative of an innocent man who is falsely accused of murdering his wife and lover. The movie garnered highly positive reviews.
In 1995, he wrote and directed the crime drama film ‘Dead Man Walking,’ starring Susan Sarandon and Sean Penn. It tells the narrative of Sister Helen Prejean, who has a unique bond with a death row inmate. He wrote, produced, and directed the drama film ‘Cradle Will Rock’ in 1999, which portrays the events surrounding the production of Marc Blitzstein’s 1937 musical ‘The Cradle Will Rock.’
He featured alongside Sean Penn, Kevin Bacon, and Emmy Rossum in the 2003 drama picture ‘Mystic River.’ The film was based on the same-named novel by Dennis Lehane. Several Academy Awards were given to the picture.
In 2005, he played Josef, a burn sufferer who is temporarily blinded by an oil rig fire, and his connection with his taciturn nurse, Hanna, in the Spanish film ‘The Secret Life of Words.’ He was in the primary cast of the HBO drama film ‘Cinema Verite,’ which was a fictionalized version of the making of ‘An American Family,’ which is regarded as one of the first reality television shows.
Major Projects of Timothy
His performance in ‘Mystic River’ was well-received, and he received numerous honors and plaudits as a result. He played a kid sexual assault victim who is tortured by his memories even after he has grown up into a seemingly normal adult.
He produced and directed the critically acclaimed crime drama film ‘Dead Man Walking,’ which portrayed the story of a death row inmate convicted of murdering a teenage couple and the deep bond he builds with Sister Helen Prejean.
Achievements & Awards
In 2003, he received the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his role as Dave Boyle in the film “Mystic River.” For the same part, he also received the Broadcast Film Critics Association Award and the Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor – Motion Picture.
Estimated Net Worth
Tim Robbins is a $70 million dollar actor, screenwriter, director, producer, activist, and musician from the United States. He is most known for his roles in films such as “Bull Durham,” “The Shawshank Redemption,” “The Player,” and “Mystic River,” for which he won an Academy Award.
Trivia
As of 2011, he was the tallest Academy Award winner actor, standing at 6 feet 5 inches.