What is Robert Townsend’s Net Worth?
Robert Townsend, an American actor, comedian, film director, and writer, has a net worth of $5 million. He is best known for directing and starring in movies like “Hollywood Shuffle,” “The Meteor Man,” and “The Five Heartbeats.” He has also worked on several stand-up comedy specials. Additionally, he co-created and starred on the 90s television sitcom “The Parent ‘Hood.” Townsend has appeared in other notable films, such as “A Soldier’s Story,” “Odd Jobs,” and “The Mighty Quinn.”
Early Life and Career
Robert Townsend was born on February 6, 1957 in Chicago, Illinois. He grew up on the city’s West Side and attended Austin High School, where he developed an interest in acting. Townsend caught the attention of Chicago’s Experimental Black Actors Guild and performed in local plays while studying improv at the Second City.
After graduating from high school in 1975, Townsend attended Illinois State University for a year before moving to New York City to join the Negro Ensemble Company. He ultimately chose to leave school to pursue a full-time acting career.
Robert Townsend’s Early Film Career
Robert Townsend began his film career in 1975 with an uncredited role in “Cooley High” and followed it up with a brief appearance in “The Monkey Hustle” the following year. In the 80s, Townsend landed supporting roles in films such as “Streets of Fire,” “A Soldier’s Story,” “American Flyers,” and “Ratboy.” He also had two substantial parts in “Odd Jobs” and “The Mighty Quinn,” where he starred alongside Paul Reiser and Denzel Washington, respectively.
Robert Townsend’s Career as a Film Director
Robert Townsend began his career as a film director in 1987 with the satirical comedy “Hollywood Shuffle,” a movie that he also co-wrote and starred in. The film was a significant hit, earning Townsend a sizeable windfall of $5 million at the box office.
Following the success of “Hollywood Shuffle,” Townsend directed the stand-up comedy film “Eddie Murphy Raw” and the musical drama “The Five Heartbeats,” which he co-wrote and starred in. Two years later, he wrote, directed, and starred in “The Meteor Man,” a superhero comedy that focused on a black character, making it one of the first of its kind.
Townsend’s final theatrical film as a director in the 1990s was the female buddy comedy “B.A.P.S,” starring Halle Berry, Natalie Desselle, and Martin Landau. In the early 2000s, he directed his first non-comedy film, the crime drama “Black Listed,” in which he also starred alongside Vanessa Williams and Harry Lennix.
Robert Townsend went on to direct the 2008 biographical sports drama “Phantom Punch,” starring Ving Rhames as legendary boxer Sonny Liston. Four years later, he released “In the Hive,” starring the late Michael Clarke Duncan in the first of his posthumous releases. Townsend subsequently directed and starred in the basketball romantic comedy “Playin’ for Love,” which was released in early 2015.
Television Career
Robert Townsend has been prolific on television as a director and show creator. In the early 90s, he created two variety shows: HBO’s “Robert Townsend and His Partners in Crime” and Fox’s “Townsend Television,” on both of which he also performed. His biggest show was the WB sitcom “The Parent ‘Hood,” which ran from 1995 to 1999; he starred on the show alongside Suzzanne Douglas.
Townsend also directed the 1999 Lifetime television film “Jackie’s Back!,” starring Jenifer Lewis and Tim Curry. Starting off the new millennium, Townsend directed and starred in the Disney Channel Original Movie “Up, Up and Away.” The same year, he directed the NBC biographical television film “Little Richard” and the Showtime television film “Holiday Heart,” starring Ving Rhames and Alfre Woodard as a gay drag queen and a drug-addicted single mother, respectively.
Townsend continued directing television films over the next two years, his credits being MTV’s “Carmen: A Hip Hop Opera,” NBC’s “Livin’ for Love: The Natalie Cole Story,” and Showtime’s “10,000 Black Men Named George.” He also appeared in a supporting role in the television film “I Was a Teenage Faust,” directed by Thom Eberhardt. Townsend later moved back behind the camera, directing episodes of the television series “Black Lightning,” “American Soul,” and the reboot of “The Wonder Years.”
Robert Townsend’s Family Life
In 1990, Townsend tied the knot with Cheri Jones. The former couple welcomed a son, Isiah, and two daughters, Sierra and Skye, before calling it quits in 2001. The daughters followed their parents’ footsteps and pursued a career in show business.
