Mike Tyson & Robin Givens in Moscow, Russia (September 12, 1988)

Robin Givens (born November 27, 1964)[1] is an American actress, model and director.[2] Givens landed her breakthrough role of Darlene Merriman in the ABC sitcom Head of the Class in 1986, and remained on the series for its five-year duration. Her troubled marriage to boxer Mike Tyson from 1988[3][4] drew considerable media attention, as did their acrimonious divorce. She later went on to become a spokesperson for the National Domestic Violence Hotline for several years.[5] Givens continued her career with film and television roles such as The Women of Brewster Place (1989) and Boomerang (1992). Early life[edit] Givens’ mother raised Robin and her sister Stephanie in Mount Vernon and New Rochelle, New York.[7] Givens was raised Catholic.[8] She occasionally modeled and acted as a teen.[9] As a model, she appeared in magazines such as Seventeen and Mademoiselle. She made her film debut at age 14 in the film The Wiz (1978) as a guest at Aunt Emma’s Party. Givens graduated from New Rochelle Academy (a private school which closed in June 1987). At the age of 15, she enrolled at Sarah Lawrence College as a pre-medical major, becoming one of the youngest to attend the school.[7][9] While in school she acted in daytime dramas.[7] She graduated at the age of 19 in 1984.[10] Givens claimed to have dropped out of Harvard Medical School to focus on her acting career, but the registrar’s office stated that she never applied.[2] It was later reported that she took courses at Harvard Graduate School of Arts and Sciences.[11] Career[edit] 1980s–1990s[edit] In 1985, Givens auditioned for a guest spot on The Cosby Show. She won the spot and Bill Cosby became her mentor.[9] He persuaded her to drop out of school and promised that if she wasn’t successful in two years, he’d get her back into medical school and pay her tuition.[7] Soon after Givens appeared in Diff’rent Strokes and the 1986 television film Beverly Hills Madam, opposite Faye Dunaway.[7] That same year, she landed her breakthrough role as rich girl Darlene Merriman on the ABC sitcom Head of the Class.[7] The series lasted five seasons, ending in 1991. In 1989, while starring in Head of the Class, she appeared in The Women of Brewster Place with Oprah Winfrey. She later appeared in Boomerang (1992). Personal life[edit] Givens began dating boxer Mike Tyson in 1987.[7] According to Givens, Tyson was physically abusive before they wed on February 7, 1988.[3][30] Tyson stated that he was “severely traumatized by that relationship.“[31] Tyson was then estimated to have $50 million; he and Givens did not have a prenuptial agreement.[32][33] During their marriage, Givens bought a $4.3 million mansion in the affluent suburb of Bernardsville, New Jersey with money withdrawn from his brokerage account.[34][35][36] They appeared in a Diet Pepsi commercial together and on the cover of Life magazine.[37][38] After her miscarriage in June 1988, their marriage began to fall apart.[39][40] Tyson claims Givens’s pregnancy (and miscarriage) was a ruse only to rush him to the wedding altar, noting that in all the time she was supposedly pregnant Givens never gained a pound.[41] In a joint interview with Tyson on 20/20 in September 1988, Givens told Barbara Walters that life with him was “torture, pure hell, worse than anything I could possibly imagine,“ and she went on to describe his volatile temper.[42] In October 1988, Givens filed for divorce, citing spousal abuse and was granted a temporary restraining order.[37] Her attorney Marvin Mitchelson said, “She loves Michael Tyson, but there is continued violence, and she fears for her safety.“[32] Tyson sought an annulment, accusing her of stealing millions of dollars and manipulating the public.[43] Givens responded by filing a $125 million libel suit for defamation.[44] Their divorce was finalized on Valentine’s Day in 1989.[30] Givens received negative press following her split from Tyson, particularly within sports and the African-American community.[4][45][46] Headlines heralded her as “the Most Hated Woman in America“ and she was described as a “gold digger who married Tyson solely for his millions.“[47][48] Givens denied that she received a reported divorce settlement of over $10 million from Tyson, stating that she “didn’t receive one dime.“[49][50] According to the 1989 biography Fire and Fear: The Inside Story of Mike Tyson, Tyson admitted he punched Givens, stating “that was the best punch I’ve ever thrown in my entire life.“[51] Tyson later claimed the book was “filled with inaccuracies.“[52] In 2009, Tyson joked about “socking“ Givens on Oprah, which caused laughter in the audience. Winfrey later issued an apology to Givens.[5] In 1993 Givens adopted her first son, Michael “Buddy“ Givens.[53] In 1997, she married her tennis instructor, Svetozar Marinković. Givens filed for divorce months later.[14] In 1999, she had a second son, William “Billy“ Jensen, with ex-boyfriend, tennis player Murphy Jensen.[54]