Robert TownsendFilmography

Why We Laugh: Black Comedians on Black Comedy

Crew: Director, Producer

Synopsis: Darryl Littleton's insightful book Black Comedians on Black Comedy: How African-Americans Taught Us to Laugh serves as the inspiration for Robert Townsend and Quincy Newell's take no prisoners documentary offering a critical overview and insider's perspective on the cultural impact of black Read More

The Robin Harris Story: We Don't Die, We Multiply

Actors: Martin Lawrence, Bernie Mac, Robert Townsend, Cedric the Entertainer, D.L. Hughley, Robin Harris

Synopsis: Robin Harris was one of the best-respected African-American comedians of his day; after making his way up the ladder the hard way by playing club gigs around the country while working day jobs, he gained his first major break when he became the master of ceremonies at the Comedy Act venue in Los Read More

Black Listed

Crew: Director, Screenwriter

Actors: Heavy D, Harry J. Lennix, Calvin Levels, Victoria Rowell, Dick Anthony Williams, Vanessa A. Williams, Robert Townsend

Synopsis: Robert Townsend directs, writes, and stars in the thriller Black Listed. He plays a lawyer who becomes enraged at the number of dangerous criminals who have managed to utilize legal loopholes in order to beat the system and escape prison time. He convinces some friends to join him on a quest to Read More

Book of Love

Actors: Eric K. George, Salli Richardson, Anthony "Treach" Criss, Mari Morrow, Richard T. Jones

Synopsis: Subtitled "The Definitive Reason Why Men Are Dogs", Book of Love is a mockumentary following the lives of three L.A. bachelors (Eric K. George, Anthony "Treach" Criss, and (Richard T. Jones) as they recover from a series of unhealthy relationships. The team of average Joes are no match for their Read More

10,000 Black Men Named George

Crew: Director

Actors: Andre Braugher, Charles S. Dutton, Mario Van Peebles, Brock Peters, Carla Brothers

Synopsis: In the 1920s, the rights of American workers to join a labor union was still considered an open question, and African-Americans were routinely denied their civil and economic rights. So in 1925, when journalist and political activist Asa Philip Randolph and railway car porter Ashley Totten formed Read More

I Was a Teenage Faust

Actors: Morgan Fairchild, Stuart Margolin, Robert Townsend, Josh Zuckerman

Synopsis: A high-schooler sells his soul to the devil in this made-for-cable comedy from writer/director Thom Eberhardt (Captain Ron). Josh Zuckerman plays the kid in question, a teen who can't catch a break in the rouch-and-tumble world of adolescence. So when a minion of the "man downstairs" appears Read More

Carmen: A Hip Hopera

Crew: Director

Actors: Beyoncé Knowles, Mekhi Phifer, Mos Def

Synopsis: Previously, and brilliantly, adapted as an opera by Georges Bizet, the Prosper Merimee novel Carmen served as the inspiration for this updated made-for-cable movie. Set in contemporary Los Angeles, the film stars Beynoce Knowles of Destiny's Child as the seductive Carmen, no longer an employee in Read More

Little Richard

Crew: Director

Actors: Leon, Jenifer Lewis, Carl Lumbly, Tamala Jones, Mel Jackson

Synopsis: Robert Townsend directs this biopic on the life of one of the great early rock & roll entertainers -- Little Richard (played by Leon). The film charts Richard's rise from his humble origins in Macon, Georgia, to his chart-topping success to his much-reported return to the Church. ~ Jonathan Crow Read More

Up, Up and Away

Crew: Director

Actors: Michael J. Pagan, Robert Townsend, Alex Datcher

Synopsis: Like most teenagers, 14-year-old Scott Marshall (Michael J. Pagan) feels like a misfit "freak" within his own family. In this instance, however, circumstances are a bit different. Practically every member of the Marshall family possesses super-powers and leads a double life as a costumed hero. His Read More

Livin' For Love: The Natalie Cole Story

Crew: Director

Synopsis: Vocal artist Natalie Cole comments on her own life, beginning with her acclaimed father's singing career and descending into the depths of her heroin addiction. Her story of finally defeating the drug addiction is inspired by the legacy of her father Nat King Cole; through her memory of him, she Read More

Holiday Heart

Crew: Director

Actors: Ving Rhames, Alfre Woodard, Mykelti Williamson

Synopsis: In this drama with comic touches directed by Robert Townsend, a middle-aged drag queen (Ving Rhames) still dealing with the loss of his longtime lover meets a 12-year-old girl (Jessika Reynolds) who has no home. Touched by her plight, the drag queen takes in the girl and her mother (Alfre Read More

Taxman

Actors: Joe Pantoliano, Wade Dominguez, Elizabeth Berkley, Michael Chiklis, Robert Townsend

Synopsis: Tailing a Brooklyn tax evader, tax investigator Al Benjamin (Joe Pantoliano) uncovers several murders. Ignoring the police and his tax-office boss, Al teams with rookie cop Joseph Romero (Wade Dominguez). Their efforts to solve the killings lead them to the boss of the Russian immigrant community Read More

Joseph's Gift

Synopsis: Philippe Mora's drama Joseph's Gift, adapted from the biblical story of Joseph, stars Freddy Rodriguez as Joseph Kellar. Joseph has long been the apple of his father's eye, making his brothers seethe with jealousy for years. When the father gives Joseph a gift of an expensive coat, the brothers Read More

Jackie's Back

Crew: Director

Actors: Jenifer Lewis, Tim Curry, TV Blake, Tangie Ambrose, Whoopi Goldberg

Synopsis: Soul diva Jackie Washington is determined to hit the comeback trail but seems to be having trouble finding the on-ramp in the mock-documentary comedy Jackie's Back. Jackie (played by Jenifer Lewis) was a Rhythm and Blues singer who had a few late '60's and early 70's hits, including "Yield" and Read More

Love Songs

Crew: Director

Actors: Robert Townsend, Andre Braugher, Louis Gossett, Jr.

Synopsis: Louis Gossett Jr. and Robert Townsend take turns directing each other in this multi-part film about the many facets of love and passion. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide Read More

Mercenary 2

Actors: Claudia Christian, Olivier Gruner, Nicholas Turturro, Robert Townsend

Synopsis: Robert Townsend stars as a businessman in this soldier-for-hire story. Look for lots of bad guys, racist thugs, and femme fatales. ~ Rebecca Flint Marx, All Movie Guide Read More

B.A.P.S.

Crew: Director

Actors: Halle Berry, Martin Landau, Ian Richardson, Natalie Desselle, Troy Beyer

Synopsis: In this broad fish-out-of-water comedy, Nisi (Halle Berry) and Mickey (Natalie Desselle) are African-American women with two ambitions -- marry rich men who will give them lots of money, and open the world's first combination hair salon and soul food restaurant. However, eligible bachelors and Read More

Happily Ever After Fairy Tales: Rumpelstiltskin

The Meteor Man

Crew: Director, Producer, Screenwriter

Actors: Robert Townsend, Marla Gibbs, Eddie Griffin, Robert Guillaume, James Earl Jones

Synopsis: Robert Townsend's superhero action comedy underwent much tinkering during post-production, employing four editors to whip the film into shape. Townsend wrote, directed, and produced this urban fable and also stars as Jefferson Reed, a meek substitute teacher in an inner-city neighborhood dominated Read More

The Five Heartbeats

Crew: Director, Producer, Screenwriter

Actors: Robert Townsend, Michael Wright, Leon, Harry J. Lennix, Tico Wells

Synopsis: Loosely based on the life and times of several R&B artists (The Dells, The Temptations, Frankie Lymon, Sam Cooke and others) The Five Heartbeats traces the rise and fall of a popular African-American 1950s singing aggregation. The story is told from the point of view of one of the "Heartbeats," Read More

Robert Townsend: Partners in Crime, Vol. 2

Crew: Director, Executive Producer, Screenwriter

Actors: Paul Mooney, Robert Townsend, Damon Wayans, Marlon Wayans, Shawn Wayans

Synopsis: Actor, director, writer, and producer Robert Townsend presents this second volume of his classic HBO variety show Robert Townsend: Partners in Crime. Originally aired in 1991, the show helped launch the careers of comedians Shawn Wayans and Marlon Wayans. This collection of comedy sketches Read More

Robert Townsend: Partners in Crime, Vol. 1

Synopsis: From comedian and filmmaker Robert Townsend (Hollywood Shuffle) comes this collection of comedy sketches starring some of the biggest names in show business. Featuring Keenan Ivory Wayans, Damon Wayans, and Paul Mooney among others Robert Townsend: Partners in Crime, Vol. 1 sends up such Read More

The Mighty Quinn

Actors: Denzel Washington, Robert Townsend, James Fox, Mimi Rogers, M. Emmet Walsh

Synopsis: Xavier Quinn (Denzel Washington) is police chief of a tiny Caribbean island. Quinn's efforts to straddle the fence between the local blacks and the moneyed whites have lost him the respect of both groups. When a murder is committed, Quinn suspects that the killer is Maubee (Robert Townsend), a Read More

Uptown Comedy Express

Synopsis: A group of comedians, including Arsenio Hall and Chris Rock, are featured in this entertaining stand-up comedy special. ~ Iotis Erlewine, All Movie Guide Read More

That's Adequate

Actors: Tony Randall, James Coco, Jerry Stiller, Anne Meara, Ina Balin

Synopsis: Fans of movie industry satire will want to see That's Adequate, an all-star production which spoofs the popular series of documentary films honoring MGM's musical comedies, That's Entertainment. Narrated by Tony Randall, this mock-history chronicles the film output of the second-rate "Adequate Read More

Eddie Murphy: Raw

Crew: Director, Screenwriter

Synopsis: Filmed in front of a packed New York City crowd, the concert film Eddie Murphy: Raw presents the comedian (near the height of his popularity) performing his standup material. The energetic and often extremely raunchy set begins with a series of impressions, most involving some celebrity becoming Read More

Hollywood Shuffle

Crew: Book Author, Director, Producer, Screenwriter

Actors: Robert Townsend, Anne-Marie Johnson, Starletta DuPois, Helen Martin, Craigus R. Johnson

Synopsis: This satirical look at the ambivalent relationship between Hollywood power brokers and African-American performers marked the writing, producing, and directing debut of Robert Townsend. The filmmaker also stars as Bobby Taylor, a struggling actor looking for his big break despite his family's and Read More

Ratboy

Actors: Sondra Locke, Robert Townsend, Christopher Hewett, Larry Hankin, Sidney Lassick

Synopsis: This drama follows an unlikely "ratboy" (S.L. Baird) after he is discovered living in a makeshift shelter in a garbage dump. Along comes Nikki Morrison (Sondra Locke, also the director) who meets the half-rodent, half-human creature and takes him over. She talks to a Hollywood producer and holds Read More

Odd Jobs

Actors: Paul Reiser, Robert Townsend, Scott McGinnis, Paul Provenza, Rick Overton

Synopsis: When a quintet of college classmates take summer jobs, their adventures lead to comic consequences. Max (Paul Reiser) gets a job working for the Cabrizzi Brothers moving company. Dwight (Robert Townsend) and Byron (Paul Provenza) become caddies, while Woody (Scott McGinnis) waits tables and Roy (Rick Overton Read More

Rodney Dangerfield: "It's Not Easy Being Me"

American Flyers

Actors: Kevin Costner, David Marshall Grant, Rae Dawn Chong, Alexandra Paul, Janice Rule

Synopsis: It takes a fierce three-day bicycle race up in the mountains to reunite two formerly feuding brothers in this film written by Steve Tesich, the creator of another cycle movie, 1979's Breaking Away. This film will please the cycling lovers out there, as it includes actual footage taken from the Read More

Streets of Fire

Actors: Michael Paré, Diane Lane, Rick Moranis, Amy Madigan, Willem Dafoe

Synopsis: More like a series of MTV sequences than a long-term narration, this super-thin story line focuses on a kidnapped singer (Diane Lane) and her ex-boyfriend (Michael Pare) who goes forth to save her through rainy streets, the roar of elevated subways, several alleys, and the usual warehouses. Each Read More

A Soldier's Story

Actors: David Alan Grier, Wings Hauser, Howard E. Rollins, Jr., Adolph Caesar, Dennis Lipscomb, Patti LaBelle, Art Evans, Denzel Washington

Synopsis: Inspired by the Herman Melville novel Billy Budd, writer Charles Fuller created the Pulitzer Prize-winning A Soldier's Play, which he then adapted into this film drama in 1984, for socially conscious, liberal director Norman Jewison. In the racially-divided 1940s, Fort Neal, Louisiana, is a Read More

M*A*S*H: Bombshells

Synopsis: Charles (David Ogden Stiers) and Hawkeye (Alan Alda) are out to prove the old adage that one can never go broke underestimating the intelligence of the average person. To that end, the two doctors spread a rumor that Hollywood sex symbol Marilyn Monroe will soon be paying a visit to the 4077th. Read More

In Love with an Older Woman

Synopsis: Jack Bender directed this made-for-TV romance about an attorney (John Ritter) who falls for his firm's latest hire, a woman 15 years older than he. ~ Jason Ankeny, All Movie Guide Read More

Senior Trip

Synopsis: The final made-for-TV movie of the calendar year 1981 (it was originally telecast on December 30), Senior Trip combines music, comedy and pathos to tell the story of a group of graduates from a staid Ohio high school. Though tightly chaperoned on their titular trip to New York City, the kids Read More

Willie and Phil

Actors: Michael Ontkean, Margot Kidder, Ray Sharkey, Jerry Hall, Jan Miner, Natalie Wood

Synopsis: Director Paul Mazursky's follow-up to his 1978 hit An Unmarried Woman found this filmmaker creating a feature-length homage to the François Truffaut classic Jules and Jim. Willie and Phil begins with Jewish intellectual schoolteacher Willie (Michael Ontkean) meeting gregarious Italian-American Read More

Women at West Point

Actors: Linda Purl

Synopsis: Women at West Point is a close-order-drill soap opera inspired by the Point's first women cadets, who entered the school as "plebes" in 1976. Unable to dwell upon the lives and times of all 119 women, the film concentrates upon ever-victimized plebe Linda Purl. What could have been an Read More

Cooley High

Actors: Glynn E. Turman, Lawrence Hilton-Jacobs, Garrett Morris, Cynthia Davis, Corin Rogers

Synopsis: Michael Schultz directed this deeply felt recollection of adolescent life on Chicago's near North Side in 1964. Like American Graffiti, Cooley High deals with girl, school, and police troubles as a group of high-school seniors prepare for post-high-school life. The chums are Glynn Turman as Read More