Wendy Raquel Robinson is an American actress. She is best known for her roles as high school principal Regina "Piggy" Grier on

The WB The WB Television Network (for Warner Bros., or the "Frog Network", for its former mascot, Michigan J. Frog) was an American television network launched on broadcast television on January 11, 1995, as a joint venture between the Warner Bros. ...

comedy sitcom '' The Steve Harvey Show'' (1996–2002), and as sports agent

Tasha Mack This is a list of the characters and plot points from the American comedy-drama television series '' The Game''. Characters Main Recurring Series cast main character format Legacy Characters of the series appeared throughout the various s ...

The CW ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...

BET Black Entertainment Television (acronym BET) is an American basic cable channel targeting African-American audiences. It is owned by the CBS Entertainment Group unit of Paramount Global via BET Networks and has offices in New York City, Los A ...

/ Paramount+ comedy-drama '' The Game'' (2006–present).

Early life and education

Robinson was born in

Los Angeles, California 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' ...

. She attended Howard University, where she graduated ''

cum laude Latin honors are a system of Latin phrases used in some colleges and universities to indicate the level of distinction with which an academic degree has been earned. The system is primarily used in the United States. It is also used in some Sou ...

'' with a

Bachelor of Fine Arts A Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) is a standard undergraduate degree for students for pursuing a professional education in the visual, fine or performing arts. It is also called Bachelor of Visual Arts (BVA) in some cases. Background The Bachelor ...

in drama.

Career

She made her acting debut in 1993 on an episode of ''

Martin Martin may refer to: Places * Martin City (disambiguation) * Martin County (disambiguation) * Martin Township (disambiguation) Antarctica * Martin Peninsula, Marie Byrd Land * Port Martin, Adelie Land * Point Martin, South Orkney Islands Austral ...

''. That same year she guest starred on episodes of '' Thea'' and ''

The Sinbad Show ''The Sinbad Show'' is an American sitcom starring comedian David "Sinbad" Adkins that was premiered on September 16 of 1993 on Fox. The show's main plot is about a bachelor taking in two orphaned children. Chuck Brown performed this sitcom's the ...

''. From 1995 to 1996, Robinson co-starred on the short-lived NBC sitcom '' Minor Adjustments'', starring

Rondell Sheridan Rondell Jerome Sheridan (born August 15, 1958) is an American actor, comedian, and television director, best known for his four-year portrayal of Victor Baxter, the goofy-yet-lovable father of a psychic teenager, in the Disney Channel sitcom ...

. The following year she won the role of Regina "Piggy" Grier in The WB sitcom '' The Steve Harvey Show'' which aired for six seasons. After the series ended its run in 2002, she appeared on the short-lived sketch comedy series '' Cedric the Entertainer Presents'' with her former ''Steve Harvey'' co-star

Cedric the Entertainer Cedric Antonio Kyles (born April 24, 1964), better known by his stage name Cedric the Entertainer, is an American stand-up comedian and actor. He hosted BET's ''ComicView'' during the 1993–1994 season and ''Def Comedy Jam'' in 1995. He is bes ...

. Robinson also made guest appearances on '' The Parkers'', '' All of Us'', and ''

The New Adventures of Old Christine ''The New Adventures of Old Christine'' (often shortened to simply ''Old Christine'') is an American sitcom television series starring Julia Louis-Dreyfus as Christine Campbell, a divorced mother doing her best to keep pace with those around her ...

''. Robinson has also appeared in several films including '' The Walking Dead'', followed by roles in ''

A Thin Line Between Love and Hate ''A Thin Line Between Love and Hate'' is a 1996 American comedy thriller film. It tells the story of Darnell Wright (Martin Lawrence), a ladies' man who finds himself stalked by one of his obsessed lovers: Brandi (Lynn Whitfield), an attractive ...

'' (1996), '' Ringmaster'' (1998), '' Two Can Play That Game'' (2001), and '' Rebound'' (2005). In 2000, she played Miss California in the film ''

Miss Congeniality Miss Congeniality may refer to: * ''Miss Congeniality'' (film), 2000 film, directed by Donald Petrie, starring Sandra Bullock and Benjamin Bratt **'' Miss Congeniality 2: Armed and Fabulous'', a 2005 sequel *A special award, the "Miss Congeniality A ...

''. In 2006, Robinson began portraying the role of

, in the comedy '' The Game''. After three seasons, the series was canceled by

on May 21, 2009.

struck a deal with ''The Games parent company CBS to develop new episodes of the series, relocating taping of the show from Los Angeles to

Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,715 ...

, and announcing its renewal at the April 2010

upfronts In the television industry, an upfront is a gathering at the start of important advertising sales periods, held by television network executives and attended by major advertisers and the media. It is so named because of its main purpose, to allow ...

. ''The Game'' returned to the air for a fourth season on January 11, 2011, The series ended in 2015. She also appeared on Shonda Rhimes' '' Grey's Anatomy'' in 2010. In 2014, she was cast as

Cruella de Vil Cruella de Vil is a fictional character in British author Dodie Smith's 1956 novel ''The Hundred and One Dalmatians''. A pampered and glamorous London heiress and fashion designer, she appears in Walt Disney Productions' 17th animated feature fi ...

in the

Disney The Walt Disney Company, commonly known as Disney (), is an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios complex in Burbank, California. Disney was originally founded on October ...

's '' Descendants''. In 2017, she has appeared in the film ''

Flatliners ''Flatliners'' is a 1990 American psychological horror film directed by Joel Schumacher, produced by Michael Douglas and Rick Bieber, and written by Peter Filardi. It stars Kiefer Sutherland, Julia Roberts, William Baldwin, Oliver Platt, and Ke ...

'', and had a recurring role on the short-lived ABC comedy series, '' The Mayor''. In 2018, Robinson was cast in the ABC comedy-drama series ''

Grand Hotel A grand hotel is a large and luxurious hotel, especially one housed in a building with traditional architectural style. It began to flourish in the 1800s in Europe and North America. Grand Hotel may refer to: Hotels Africa * Grande Hotel Beir ...

'' opposite

Demián Bichir Demián Bichir Nájera (; born 1 August 1963) is a Mexican actor. After starring in telenovelas, he began to appear in Hollywood films. He was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actor for his role in ''A Better Life''. Personal life Bichi ...

and Roselyn Sánchez. In 2022 she featured in the Netflix series '' Family Reunion'' as Joyce.

Philanthropy

In 1996, Robinson co-founded the Amazing Grace Conservatory, a school that predominantly serves children from 5 to 18 years old from disadvantaged socioeconomic backgrounds in the fields of the arts and media production. Robinson serves as the school's artistic director. The school has provided a safe haven and training for thousands of young people. Some notable members include

Issa Rae Jo-Issa Rae Diop (born January 12, 1985), credited professionally as Issa Rae, is an American actress, writer, producer, and comedian. Rae first garnered attention for her work on the YouTube web series ''Awkward Black Girl''. Since 2011, Rae h ...

, Rhyon Nicole Brown, and Elle Varner.

Filmography

Film

Television

Awards and nominations

References

External links

wendyraquel.com
Wendy Raquel Robinson Official Website * {{DEFAULTSORT:Robinson, Wendy Raquel Living people African-American actresses American film actresses American television actresses Howard University alumni Actresses from Los Angeles 20th-century American actresses 21st-century American actresses American voice actresses 20th-century African-American women 20th-century African-American people 21st-century African-American women 21st-century African-American people Year of birth missing (living people)