Robinne Lee (born July 16, 1974) is an American actress and author. She made her screen debut in the 1997 independent film ''

Hav Plenty ''Hav Plenty'' is a 1997 American romantic comedy film released by Miramax Films, based on an eventful weekend in the life of Lee Plenty ( Christopher Scott Cherot), written and directed by Cherot. The film is based on the true story of Chris Ch ...

'', and later has appeared in films ''

National Security National security, or national defence, is the security and defence of a sovereign state, including its citizens, economy, and institutions, which is regarded as a duty of government. Originally conceived as protection against military atta ...

'' (2003), ''

Deliver Us from Eva ''Deliver Us from Eva'' is a 2003 American romantic comedy film starring LL Cool J and Gabrielle Union, revolving around LL's character Ray being paid to date a troublesome young lady named Eva (Union). It is considered by many as a modern update ...

'' (2003), '' Hitch'' (2005), ''

Seven Pounds ''Seven Pounds'' is a 2008 American drama film directed by Gabriele Muccino starring actor Will Smith as a man who sets out to change the lives of seven people. Rosario Dawson, Woody Harrelson, and Barry Pepper also star. The film was released in ...

'' (2008), ''

Fifty Shades Darker ''Fifty Shades Darker'' is a 2012 erotic romance novel by British author E. L. James. It is the second installment in the ''Fifty Shades'' trilogy that traces the deepening relationship between a college graduate, Anastasia Steele, and a youn ...

'' (2017), and ''

Fifty Shades Freed ''Fifty Shades Freed'' is the third and final installment of the erotic romance ''Fifty Shades Trilogy'' by British author E. L. James. After accepting entrepreneur CEO Christian Grey's proposal in '' Fifty Shades Darker'', Anastasia Steele m ...

'' (2018).

Life and career

Lee was born in Mount Vernon, New York on July 16. A graduate of

Yale University Yale University is a private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and among the most prestigious in the wo ...

and

Columbia Law School Columbia Law School (Columbia Law or CLS) is the law school of Columbia University, a private Ivy League university in New York City. Columbia Law is widely regarded as one of the most prestigious law schools in the world and has always ranked i ...

, Lee began her acting career as part of the ensemble cast of the romantic comedy ''

'' in 1997, which was shown at Toronto Film Festival. She spent the following years working in smaller films, and well as co-starred in television movies include ''The Runaway'' opposite

Debbi Morgan Deborah Ann Morgan (born September 20, 1956) is an American film and television actress. She played the role of Angie Baxter–Hubbard on the ABC soap opera ''All My Children'' for which she was the first African-American to win the Daytime Emm ...

. On television, Lee also guest-starred on ''

Buffy the Vampire Slayer ''Buffy the Vampire Slayer'' is an American supernatural fiction, supernatural drama television series created by writer and director Joss Whedon. It is based on the Buffy the Vampire Slayer (film), 1992 film of the same name, also written by W ...

'', and ''

Numbers A number is a mathematical object used to count, measure, and label. The original examples are the natural numbers 1, 2, 3, 4, and so forth. Numbers can be represented in language with number words. More universally, individual numbers can ...

''. She also appeared in R&B singer Usher's music video for his 2004 single "

Confessions Part II "Confessions Part II" is a song by R&B singer Usher, produced by Jermaine Dupri and Bryan-Michael Cox for Usher's fourth album '' Confessions''. Written by Usher, Dupri and Cox, the song is a confession of a man to his woman about his impregn ...

". In 2003, Lee appeared in two films, action comedy ''National Security'', with

Martin Lawrence Martin Fitzgerald LawrenceStated in interview on ''Inside the Actors Studio'' (born April 16, 1965) is an American comedian and actor. He came to fame during the 1990s, establishing a Hollywood career as a leading actor. He got his start playin ...

and

Steve Zahn Steven James Zahn (; born November 13, 1967) is an American actor and comedian. His film roles include ''Reality Bites'' (1994), ''That Thing You Do!'' (1996), ''Stuart Little'' (1999), '' Shattered Glass'' (2003), ''Sahara'' (2005), '' Chicken Li ...

, and opposite

LL Cool J James Todd Smith (born January 14, 1968), known professionally as LL Cool J (short for Ladies Love Cool James), is an American rapper, songwriter, record producer, and actor. He is one of the earliest rappers to achieve commercial success, along ...

and

Gabrielle Union Gabrielle Monique Union-Wade ( Union; born October 29, 1972) is an American actress. Her career began in the 1990s, when she made dozens of appearances on television sitcoms, prior to landing supporting roles in 1999 teen films ''She's All That' ...

in the romantic comedy ''

''. In 2005, Lee had a role in box-office hit '' Hitch'', starring

Will Smith Willard Carroll Smith II (born September 25, 1968), also known by his stage name The Fresh Prince, is an American actor and rapper. He began his Will Smith filmography, acting career starring as Will Smith (The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air), a ...

. In 2008, she co-starred again with Smith in the drama film ''

'' playing his character's fiancee. As lead actress, she starred in the 2008 comedy-drama '' This Is Not a Test''. In 2009, Lee co-starred alongside

Don Cheadle Donald Frank Cheadle Jr. (; born November 29, 1964) is an American actor. He is the recipient of multiple accolades, including two Grammy Awards, a Tony Award, two Golden Globe Awards and two Screen Actors Guild Awards. He has also earned ...

in the comedy film ''

Hotel for Dogs ''Hotel for Dogs'' (1971) is a children's novel by Lois Duncan. It was adapted into a film of the same name by Nickelodeon Movies for DreamWorks Pictures, released on January 16, 2009. When the book was originally released in 1971, Andi's name ...

''. In 2007, Lee had the recurring role on the TBS sitcom ''

Tyler Perry's House of Payne ''House of Payne'' is an American sitcom television series created and produced by Tyler Perry that premiered in syndication on June 21, 2006. The series revolves around a multi-generational family living under one roof in Atlanta led by patriarc ...

'' and shot an independent film called '' This Is Not a Test''. From 2013 to 2014, she played Avery Daniels in the first season of the critically acclaimed BET drama series, ''

Being Mary Jane ''Being Mary Jane'' is an American drama television series created by Mara Brock Akil and starring Gabrielle Union, that debuted January 7, 2014 on BET. The 90-minute-pilot for the series aired on July 2, 2013. The series follows the professional ...

''. From 2017 to 2018, she starred in the Syfy horror drama series, ''

Superstition A superstition is any belief or practice considered by non-practitioners to be irrational or supernatural, attributed to fate or magic, perceived supernatural influence, or fear of that which is unknown. It is commonly applied to beliefs and ...

''. Lee played Ros Bailey in ''

'' (2017) and ''

'' (2018), the sequels to ''

Fifty Shades of Grey ''Fifty Shades of Grey'' is a 2011 erotic romance novel by British author E. L. James. It became the first instalment in the ''Fifty Shades'' novel series that follows the deepening relationship between a college graduate, Anastasia Steele, ...

''. Lee's debut novel ''The Idea Of You'' was published on 13 June 2017 by

St. Martin's Press St. Martin's Press is a book publisher headquartered in Manhattan, New York City, in the Equitable Building. St. Martin's Press is considered one of the largest English-language publishers, bringing to the public some 700 titles a year under si ...

. The story follows Solène Marchand, a 40-year-old mother and owner of a prestigious art gallery in Los Angeles, who falls for a considerably younger British popstar, idolized by her 12-year-old daughter. The audiobook, read by Lee herself, was released on 3 April 2018 by

Tantor Media RBMedia is an audiobook publishing company with sales globally. It claims to be the largest audiobook publisher in the world. It was founded in 2017 through the acquisitions of independent audiobook companies. The companies, which now operate as ...

. A

film adaptation A film adaptation is the transfer of a work or story, in whole or in part, to a feature film. Although often considered a type of derivative work, film adaptation has been conceptualized recently by academic scholars such as Robert Stam as a dial ...

Jennifer Westfeldt Jennifer Westfeldt (born February 2, 1970) is an American actress, screenwriter, director, and producer. She is best known for co-writing, co-producing, and starring in the 2002 indie film ''Kissing Jessica Stein'', for which she received an I ...

was announced in June 2021 and entered production in 2022 starring

Anne Hathaway Anne Jacqueline Hathaway (born November 12, 1982) is an American actress. The recipient of List of awards and nominations received by Anne Hathaway, various accolades, including an Academy Award, a Golden Globe Award, and a Primetime Emmy Awar ...

Filmography

Film/Movie

Television

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Lee, Robinne 1974 births American people of Chinese descent American people of Jamaican descent American film actresses Columbia Law School alumni Living people Writers from Mount Vernon, New York Actors from Mount Vernon, New York Yale University alumni 21st-century American women