Charles Robinson (actor)
Encyclopedia
Charles "Charlie" Robinson (born November 9, 1945) is a critically acclaimed American theater and television
actor
. He is best known for his role as Mac Robinson in the NBC
sitcom Night Court
. He has also been performing since the 1960s, is a member of the Actors Studio
, and is considered by Playwright Lyle Kessler
to be "one of the great American Actors."
Robinson's credits include appearances in Black Gestapo, The White Shadow
, Flamingo Road, The Fresh Prince of Bel Air, Touched by an Angel
, and Antwone Fisher
. Robinson was cast in the role on Newdell in the NBC
comedy Buffalo Bill
. Not the hit it was expected to be, Buffalo Bill was canceled after one season and replaced by Night Court
. Robinson was cast as Mac Robinson after the first season in 1984, and played the role until Night Court ended in 1992, he also directed three episodes of the series. Robinson played recurrent character Bud Harper in Home Improvement, and continues to appear on shows including House
, The Bernie Mac Show
, My Wife and Kids
, Soul Food, Charmed
, How I Met Your Mother
and My Name Is Earl
.
In 2010, Robinson worked at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival and co-starred in the film on Jackson
(2008). Robinson appeared as "Troy" in August Wilson
's Fences at South Coast Repertory
in Costa Mesa, CA from 1/22/10 until 2/21/10.
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
actor
Actor
An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
. He is best known for his role as Mac Robinson in the NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
sitcom Night Court
Night Court
Night Court is an American television situation comedy that aired on NBC from January 4, 1984, to May 20, 1992. The setting was the night shift of a Manhattan court, presided over by the young, unorthodox Judge Harold T. "Harry" Stone...
. He has also been performing since the 1960s, is a member of the Actors Studio
Actors Studio
The Actors Studio is a membership organization for professional actors, theatre directors and playwrights at 432 West 44th Street in the Clinton neighborhood of Manhattan in New York City. It was founded October 5, 1947, by Elia Kazan, Cheryl Crawford, Robert Lewis and Anna Sokolow who provided...
, and is considered by Playwright Lyle Kessler
Lyle Kessler
Lyle Kessler is an American playwright, screenwriter and actor, best known internationally for Orphans, the play he wrote in 1983.-Actor:...
to be "one of the great American Actors."
Robinson's credits include appearances in Black Gestapo, The White Shadow
The White Shadow
The White Shadow is an American drama television series that ran on the CBS network from November 27, 1978, to March 16, 1981.-Overview:...
, Flamingo Road, The Fresh Prince of Bel Air, Touched by an Angel
Touched by an Angel
Touched by an Angel is an American drama series that premiered on CBS on September 21, 1994 and ran for 211 episodes and nine seasons until its conclusion on April 27, 2003. Created by John Masius and produced by Martha Williamson, the series stars Roma Downey, as an angel named Monica, and Della...
, and Antwone Fisher
Antwone Fisher
Antwone Quenton Fisher is an American director, screenwriter, author and film producer. His 2001 autobiographical book Finding Fish is a New York Times Best Seller...
. Robinson was cast in the role on Newdell in the NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
comedy Buffalo Bill
Buffalo Bill (TV series)
Buffalo Bill is an American television situation comedy that featured the misadventures of an egotistical talk show host and his staff at WBFL-TV, a small TV station in Buffalo, New York. It premiered May 31, 1983 on NBC and ran for only part of two seasons...
. Not the hit it was expected to be, Buffalo Bill was canceled after one season and replaced by Night Court
Night Court
Night Court is an American television situation comedy that aired on NBC from January 4, 1984, to May 20, 1992. The setting was the night shift of a Manhattan court, presided over by the young, unorthodox Judge Harold T. "Harry" Stone...
. Robinson was cast as Mac Robinson after the first season in 1984, and played the role until Night Court ended in 1992, he also directed three episodes of the series. Robinson played recurrent character Bud Harper in Home Improvement, and continues to appear on shows including House
House (TV series)
House is an American television medical drama that debuted on the Fox network on November 16, 2004. The show's central character is Dr. Gregory House , an unconventional and misanthropic medical genius who heads a team of diagnosticians at the fictional Princeton-Plainsboro Teaching Hospital in...
, The Bernie Mac Show
The Bernie Mac Show
The Bernie Mac Show is an American sitcom featuring comic actor Bernie Mac and his wife Wanda raising his sister's three kids: Jordan, Bryana and Vanessa. The show aired for five seasons , concluding with a half-hour series finale on Fox....
, My Wife and Kids
My Wife and Kids
My Wife and Kids is an American television family sitcom that ran on ABC from March 28, 2001 until May 17, 2005. Produced by Touchstone Television , it starred Damon Wayans and Tisha Campbell-Martin, and centers on the character of Michael Kyle, a loving husband and modern-day patriarch who rules...
, Soul Food, Charmed
Charmed
Charmed is an American television series that originally aired from October 7, 1998, until May 21, 2006, on the now defunct The WB Television Network. The series was created in 1998 by writer Constance M...
, How I Met Your Mother
How I Met Your Mother
How I Met Your Mother is an American sitcom that premiered on CBS on September 19, 2005, created by Craig Thomas and Carter Bays.As a framing device, the main character, Ted Mosby with narration by Bob Saget, in the year 2030 recounts to his son and daughter the events that led to his meeting...
and My Name Is Earl
My Name Is Earl
My Name Is Earl is an American television comedy series created by Greg Garcia that was originally broadcast on the NBC television network from September 20, 2005, to May 14, 2009, in the United States...
.
In 2010, Robinson worked at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival and co-starred in the film on Jackson
Jackson (film)
Jackson is a 2008 American comedy-drama-musical film written and directed by J. F. Lawton starring Barry Primus as Donald and Charles Robinson as Sam.-Synopsis:...
(2008). Robinson appeared as "Troy" in August Wilson
August Wilson
August Wilson was an American playwright whose work included a series of ten plays, The Pittsburgh Cycle, for which he received two Pulitzer Prizes for Drama...
's Fences at South Coast Repertory
South Coast Repertory
South Coast Repertory is a professional theatre company located in Costa Mesa, California.Tony Award-winning South Coast Repertory, founded in 1964 by David Emmes and Martin Benson and now under the leadership of Artistic Director Marc Masterson and Managing Director Paula Tomei, is widely...
in Costa Mesa, CA from 1/22/10 until 2/21/10.