MEET US - TIM ROBBINS

Tim Robbins with Sister Helen Prejean

Tim Robbins describes the evolution of the

Tim Robbins Dead Man Walking School Theatre Project

Born October 16, 1958 in West Covina, California and raised in New York City's Greenwich Village, Tim Robbins has a long list of notable credits as an actor, director, writer and producer of films and theater.

Key acting roles are in such films as Clint Eastwood’s Mystic River, Isabel Croixet's The Secret Life of Words, Philip Noyce's Catch a Fire, Robert Altman’s The Player and Short Cuts, Frank Darabont’s The Shawshank Redemption, The Coen Brothers’ The Hudsucker Proxy, Steven Spielberg's War of the Worlds, Mark Pellington's Arlington Road, Michael Winterbottom’s Code 46, Michel Gondry’s Human Nature, Tony Bill's Five Corners, Adrian Lyne’s Jacob’s Ladder and Ron Shelton’s Bull Durham.

Robbins has won numerous awards for his acting including an Oscar®, Golden Globe® and Screen Actors Guild Award® for Best Supporting Actor for Mystic River, Best Actor Award at the Cannes Film Festival and the Golden Globe for Best Actor for The Player. He was nominated by the Golden Globes for Best Actor for Bob Roberts and by the Screen Actors Guild for Best Actor for The Shawshank Redemption.

As a director, Robbins distinguished himself with Cradle Will Rock, which he also wrote and produced, winning Best Film and Best Director at the Sitges Film Festival in Barcelona and the National Board of Review Award for Special Achievement in Filmmaking in the United States.

Dead Man Walking, which he also wrote and produced, won multiple awards including the Academy Award for Best Actress for Susan Sarandon, the Christopher Award, the Humanitas Award and four awards at the Berlin Film Festival, as well as an 4 Oscar nominations including Best Director and a Golden Globe nomination for Best Screenplay.

His first film, Bob Roberts, won the Bronze Award at the Tokyo International Festival and Best Film, Best Director and Best Actor at the Boston Film Festival.

Robbins also serves as Artistic Director for The Actors' Gang, a theater company formed in 1982 that has over 80 productions and more than 100 awards to their credit. As a playwright he has been produced in London, Paris, New York, Chicago, Los Angeles and at the Edinburgh Festival in Scotland. His latest play, Embedded, played to sold out audiences for over four months at the Public Theater in New York before playing the Riverside Studios in London and embarking on a National Tour in the U.S.

Most recently he directed The Actors' Gang in their shockingly relevant and wildly successful adaptation of George Orwell's 1984 which for the past two years has toured to over 40 states and to four continents.

From 2006 until the present, Le Petit Theatre de Pain's production of Embedded has been touring France, most recently playing at the Theatre du Soleil in Paris. In the US, Embedded was revived recently in productions in Chicago and Tampa Bay.

In addition, Robbins stage adaptation of Dead Man Walking has been performed in over 170 universities nationwide. Rights to perform the play are exclusive to educational institutions until 2014. In order to obtain the rights for the play, universities must commit two departments other than theater arts to offer courses on the death penalty. Throughout the country and the world for the past four years, symposiums, lectures and debates have been held in conjunction with the theatrical productions leading to a substantial increase in the dialogue and education surrounding this important issue.

Robbins is also very proud to sponsor educational programs with The Actors' Gang that provide arts education to Elementary, Middle and High School students in the L.A. area. The Gang has also worked for the past three years providing theatrical workshops to incarcerated inmates in the L.A. prison system.

Robbins lives in New York City with his partner, Susan Sarandon, and is the proud father of 3 mischievous young adults.


> Meet Tim Robbins

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Meet Susan Sarandon

Meet Steven Crimaldi


Tim Robbins - Dead Man Walking School Theatre Project

Tim Robbins
Dead Man Walking School Theatre Project


Listen to Tim Robbins describe the evolution of the
Dead Man Walking School Theatre Project.

(If the audio player is not visible, you may need to download the free QuickTime player.)


Part One
Tim Robbins talks about the impetus for the DMW Play Project

Press play to listen (2:17)


Part Two
Tim Robbins talks about the first phase of the DMW Play Project
(the pilot in Jesuit Schools)
Press play to listen (1:12)


Part Three
Tim Robbins talks about the second (current) phase of the DMW Play Project

Press play to listen (2:11)


Part Four
Tim Robbins talks about theatre as a reflection of life
and how the Play Project
is not only about exploring the issues, but also about giving young people a new way to
think about the role of art and drama.
Press play to listen (2:06)


Part Five
Tim Robbins talks about 'The Actors' Gang,' to which Tim is donating all his royalties.
Press play to listen (0:48)