Tim Robinson (born May 23, 1981) is an American comedian, actor, writer, and producer. Robinson first became known as a writer and performer on the
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an Television in the United States, American English-language Commercial broadcasting, commercial television network, broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Enterta ...
sketch comedy
Sketch comedy comprises a series of short, amusing scenes or vignettes, called "sketches", commonly between one and ten minutes long, performed by a group of comic actors or comedians. The form developed and became popular in vaudeville, and is ...
series ''
Saturday Night Live
''Saturday Night Live'' (often abbreviated to ''SNL'') is an American late-night live television sketch comedy and variety show created by Lorne Michaels and developed by Dick Ebersol that airs on NBC and Peacock. Michaels currently serves a ...
'' from 2012 to 2014, before gaining wider recognition as the co-creator, co-writer, and star of the comedy series
''Detroiters'' (2017–2018) and ''
I Think You Should Leave with Tim Robinson
''I Think You Should Leave with Tim Robinson'' is an American sketch comedy series created by Tim Robinson and Zach Kanin, with Robinson also starring in most of the sketches. The first season premiered on Netflix on April 23, 2019, while the s ...
'' (2019–present).
Early life
Robinson was born in
Detroit
Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at th ...
on May 23, 1981, the son of a mother who worked for
Chrysler
Stellantis North America (officially FCA US and formerly Chrysler ()) is one of the " Big Three" automobile manufacturers in the United States, headquartered in Auburn Hills, Michigan. It is the American subsidiary of the multinational automoti ...
and a father who worked in construction.
[ His parents divorced, after which he said he "kind of grew up with two dads", one of whom was Jewish and celebrated ]Hanukkah
or English translation: 'Establishing' or 'Dedication' (of the Temple in Jerusalem)
, nickname =
, observedby = Jews
, begins = 25 Kislev
, ends = 2 Tevet or 3 Tevet
, celebrations = Lighting candles each night. ...
with him. He was raised in the nearby towns of Clarkston and Waterford
"Waterford remains the untaken city"
, mapsize = 220px
, pushpin_map = Ireland#Europe
, pushpin_map_caption = Location within Ireland##Location within Europe
, pushpin_relief = 1
, coordinates ...
, graduating from Clarkston High School in 2000. He saw a live Second City comedy performance in Chicago
(''City in a Garden''); I Will
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, map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago
, coordinates =
, coordinates_footnotes =
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdivision_name ...
as a teenager, and soon began taking weekend improv classes at its Detroit branch. While pursuing a comedy career, he supported himself with jobs such as working in a toy store and teaching improv classes.
Career
Robinson toured with Second City Detroit's touring company, then joined Second City Chicago. He has also performed at the iO Theater
iO, or iO Chicago, (formerly known as "ImprovOlympic") is an improv theater and training center in central Chicago, with a former branch in Los Angeles, called iO West and in Raleigh, North Carolina called iO South. The theater taught and hosted p ...
and Just for Laughs. He filmed a 2011 television pilot for Comedy Central
Comedy Central is an American basic cable channel owned by Paramount Global through its network division's MTV Entertainment Group unit, based in Manhattan. The channel is geared towards young adults aged 18–34 and carries comedy programming ...
called ''My Mans'', but the show was not picked up by the network. In 2012, he was cast as a series regular in the unaired CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS, the abbreviation of its former legal name Columbia Broadcasting System, is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainm ...
sitcom '' Friend Me''. In September 2012, he made his debut as a featured performer on ''Saturday Night Live
''Saturday Night Live'' (often abbreviated to ''SNL'') is an American late-night live television sketch comedy and variety show created by Lorne Michaels and developed by Dick Ebersol that airs on NBC and Peacock. Michaels currently serves a ...
''. A year later, it was announced that he would work on the writing staff rather than continue being a performer, making him the second ''SNL'' cast member (after Brian Doyle-Murray
Brian Murray (born October 31, 1945), known professionally by his stage name as Brian Doyle-Murray, is an American actor, voice-actor and screenwriter. He has appeared with his younger brother, actor/comedian Bill Murray, in several movies, i ...
) to go from performer to staff writer and the first ''SNL'' performer to become a writer after originally being cast solely as a performer. His celebrity impressions on the show included Ben Bailey
Benjamin Ray Bailey (born October 30, 1970) is an American comedian.
He is best known for hosting the Emmy Award-winning game show ''Cash Cab'' in New York City.
Early life
Bailey was born in Bowling Green, Kentucky, and raised in Chatham Bor ...
and Bill Cowher
William Laird Cowher (born May 8, 1957) is an American sports analyst, former football player and coach. Following a six-year playing career as a linebacker in the National Football League (NFL), he served as a head coach in the NFL for 15 seas ...
, and he also portrayed the reoccurring character Carl, an elderly retail worker who would always get insulted by Niff (Bobby Moynihan
Bobby Moynihan (born January 31, 1977) is an American actor, comedian and writer who was a cast member on ''Saturday Night Live'' from 2008 until 2017. He also voiced Louie Duck on Disney's ''DuckTales'' from 2017 to 2021, Panda in ''We Bare Be ...
) and Dana (Cecily Strong
Cecily Legler Strong (born February 8, 1984) is an American actress, comedian, and producer. Strong is most notable for being a cast member of ''Saturday Night Live'' from 2012 to 2022. She is also the longest-tenured female cast member in the s ...
).
Robinson has appeared twice on late-night NBC talk show ''Late Night with Seth Meyers
''Late Night with Seth Meyers'' is an American late-night news and political satire talk show hosted by Seth Meyers on NBC. The show premiered on February 24, 2014, and is produced by Broadway Video and Universal Television. Airing weeknights a ...
'' as Dale, who acts as host Seth Meyers
Seth Adam Meyers (born December 28, 1973) is an American comedian, writer, producer, actor, and television host. He hosts ''Late Night with Seth Meyers'', a late-night talk show on NBC. Prior to that, he was a cast member and head writer for NBC ...
' "emergency sidekick." His first appearance was during the "Next Week's News" sketch on February 28, 2014, and his second appearance was during the "Celebrity Drunk Texts" sketch on April 8, 2014. In 2016, he wrote and appeared in his own episode of the sketch comedy show '' Netflix Presents: The Characters''. He is also the co-creator and co-star of ''Detroiters'', along with fellow Detroit native and frequent collaborator Sam Richardson. The show premiered on Comedy Central
Comedy Central is an American basic cable channel owned by Paramount Global through its network division's MTV Entertainment Group unit, based in Manhattan. The channel is geared towards young adults aged 18–34 and carries comedy programming ...
in February 2017. In April 2017, he guest starred on Fox's '' Making History'' as Al Capone
Alphonse Gabriel Capone (; January 17, 1899 – January 25, 1947), sometimes known by the nickname "Scarface", was an American gangster and businessman who attained notoriety during the Prohibition era as the co-founder and boss of the ...
.
In 2018, Netflix
Netflix, Inc. is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service and production company based in Los Gatos, California. Founded in 1997 by Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph in Scotts Valley, California, it offers a fil ...
green-lit ''I Think You Should Leave with Tim Robinson
''I Think You Should Leave with Tim Robinson'' is an American sketch comedy series created by Tim Robinson and Zach Kanin, with Robinson also starring in most of the sketches. The first season premiered on Netflix on April 23, 2019, while the s ...
'', a sketch comedy series created by and starring Robinson and produced by the members of The Lonely Island
The Lonely Island is an American comedy trio, formed by Akiva Schaffer, Andy Samberg, and Jorma Taccone in Berkeley, California, in 2001. They have written for and starred in the American TV program ''Saturday Night Live'' (''SNL'').
The three ...
. It premiered in April 2019 and received critical acclaim, as did its second season, which premiered in July 2021.
In 2022, Robinson won the for his work on ''I Think You Should Leave''.
Personal life
As a teenager, Robinson began dating his schoolmate Heather, who later became an electrical engineer for Chrysler
Stellantis North America (officially FCA US and formerly Chrysler ()) is one of the " Big Three" automobile manufacturers in the United States, headquartered in Auburn Hills, Michigan. It is the American subsidiary of the multinational automoti ...
. The two were married in September 2006, and live in Los Angeles
Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...
with their son and daughter.
Having become an avid skateboarder
Skateboarding is an action sport originating in the United States that involves riding and performing tricks using a skateboard, as well as a recreational activity, an art form, an entertainment industry job, and a method of transportation. S ...
during high school, Robinson continues to skateboard in his spare time.
Filmography
Film
Television
References
External links
*
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Robinson, Tim
1981 births
Living people
American male comedians
American male television actors
American television writers
American male television writers
Male actors from Detroit
People from Clarkston, Michigan
21st-century American male actors
American impressionists (entertainers)
American sketch comedians
Screenwriters from Michigan
21st-century American comedians
21st-century American screenwriters
21st-century American male writers
Primetime Emmy Award winners
Writers Guild of America Award winners