Robert Townsend (actor)

Robert Townsend (born February 6, 1957) is an American actor, comedian, film director, and writer. He is best known for directing the films Hollywood Shuffle, Eddie Murphy Raw, The Meteor Man, and various other films and stand-up specials, especially his eponymous self-titled character as the starring role as Robert Peterson on The WB sitcom The Parent 'Hood, in which he created and starred in the series, as well as directing episodes.

Personal life

Townsend was born in Chicago, Illinois, the son of Shirley (née Jenkins) and Ed Townsend; his mother ended up raising him and his 3 siblings as a single parent. Townsend became an actor, comedian, writer, producer, director, and network-programming executive. During a reading of Sophocles' Oedipus Rex at school, Robert captured the attention of Chicago’s X Bag Theatre, The Experimental Black Actors Guild. He launched his comedy career at The Improvisation, a renowned comedy club.

He was married to Cheri Jones from 15 September 1990 to 9 August 2001. Together they have two daughters, Sierra and Skylar (Skye Townsend), both entertainers, and a son, Isiah.

Robert Townsend

Robert Townsend may refer to:

See also

Culper Ring, American Revolutionary War spy ring associated with Robert Townsend (spy)

Robert M. Townsend

Robert M. Townsend (born April 23, 1948) is an American economist and professor, the Elizabeth & James Killian Professor of Economics at Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Prior to joining MIT, he was the Charles E. Merriam Distinguished Service Professor in the Department of Economics at the University of Chicago, where he remains a Research Professor.

Biography

Townsend received his B.A. from Duke University in 1970 and Ph.D. from the University of Minnesota in 1975. He began teaching at Carnegie Mellon University in 1975, and became a Professor at the University of Chicago in 1985 where he stayed full-time until moving to MIT in 2008. From 1987 to 1989 Townsend was also editor of the Journal of Political Economy.

In addition to his professorships, Townsend is the Principal Investigator and Project Director of the Enterprise Initiative, funded by the John Templeton Foundation, and the Principal Investigator of the Consortium on Financial Systems and Poverty, funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. Additionally, he is a consultant for numerous institutions, including the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago, the World Bank, and Banco de España.

Robert Townsend (author)

Robert Chase Townsend (July 30, 1920 – January 12, 1998) was an American business executive and author who is noted for transforming Avis into a rental car giant.

Biography

Townsend was born in Washington, D.C. in 1920. His parents moved to Great Neck, New York where he spent his childhood. After high school, he was accepted to Princeton, graduating in 1942. After graduating from college, he was commissioned as an officer in the United States Navy, serving for the remainder of World War II.

After the war, he was hired by American Express in 1948. By the time he left the company, he was the senior vice president for investment and international banking. In 1962, Lazard Frères bought Avis, a struggling auto rental company that had never made a profit in its existence. One of the partners, André Meyer, convinced Townsend to leave American Express and become CEO of Avis. Under his direction as president and chairman, the firm became a credible force in the industry, fueled by the “We Try Harder” advertising campaign (1962–65). Avis also began to have profits, which Townsend credited to Theory Y governance. In 1965, ITT acquired Avis, leading to Townsend's departure as president. After leaving Avis, he became a senior partner of Congressional Monitor (1969). He wrote the widely acclaimed essay on business management, Up the Organization, which spent 28 weeks on The New York Times Best Seller list upon its publication in 1970.