---
name: "Robert Townsend"
canonical: "https://film.one/person/robert-townsend"
roles: ["Actor"]
born: "6 February 1957"
reviewed_on_fi1m: 2
average_fi1m_score: 79
average_as: "actor"
average_over: 2
updated: "2026-09-20T06:44:49.652239+00:00"
licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL."
---

# Robert Townsend

Actor. Born 6 February 1957 in Chicago, Illinois, USA.

## Details

- **Work:** Actor
- **Born:** 6 February 1957, Chicago, Illinois, USA
- **Active:** 1984–present
- **Average Fi1m score:** 79, as actor, over 2 titles
- **Fi1m score by decade:** 1980s 76 (1), 2020s 82 (1)
- **Elsewhere:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Townsend_(actor), https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q2159005, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0870186/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/68750

## Streaming the US now

- **Amazon Prime Video:** [*A Soldier's Story*](https://film.one/film/a-soldiers-story.md) (76)

For United States; add `?region=XX` for another country.

## Biography

Robert Townsend (born 6 February 1957) is an American actor, director, comedian and writer. Born in Chicago, Illinois, he attended Austin High School and Illinois State University. He began his career with small roles and stand-up comedy appearances, gaining early film credits including an uncredited part in *The Warriors* (1979) and roles in *Streets of Fire* (1984).

Townsend is known for his performance as Corporal Ellis in *A Soldier's Story* (1984). He later wrote, directed and starred in *Hollywood Shuffle* (1987) and directed *Eddie Murphy Raw* (1987) and *The Five Heartbeats* (1991). On television he created and starred in the sitcom *The Parent 'Hood* (1995–1999), also directing episodes.

*Sources: en.wikipedia.org, imdb.com.*

## On Fi1m (2)

- *The Bear* (2022), Fi1m 82, as Emmanuel Adamu — [page](https://film.one/tv/the-bear-2022.md)
- *A Soldier's Story* (1984), Fi1m 76, as Corporal Ellis — [page](https://film.one/film/a-soldiers-story.md)

## Complete filmography (73)

Every credit, newest first. Titles without a page can be requested for review on the HTML page.

- *Before* (2024), series, as Jackson
- *Poppa's House* (2024), series, Director
- *Kaleidoscope* (2023), series, Director
- *The Bear* (2022), series, as Emmanuel Adamu — Fi1m 82, [page](https://film.one/tv/the-bear-2022.md)
- *Ms. Pat: Y'all Wanna Hear Something Crazy?* (2022), Director
- *Power Book IV: Force* (2022), series, Director
- *Colin in Black and White* (2021), series, Director
- *The Wonder Years* (2021), series, Director
- *A Walk with Charles Burnett* (2019), Director
- *Making The Five Heartbeats* (2018), Director, Producer
- *Love Is___* (2018), series, Director
- *Black Lightning* (2018), series, as Dr. Napier Frank · Director
- *Playin' for Love* (2015), Coach Banks, Director, Writer, Producer
- *Bill Cosby: Far From Finished* (2013), Director, Thanks
- *In the Hive* (2012), Director
- *Scooby-Doo! Music of the Vampire* (2012), as Vampire Actor #1 (voice)
- *Diary of a Single Mom* (2009), Director
- *Why We Laugh: Black Comedians on Black Comedy* (2009), Director
- *Of Boys and Men* (2008), as Holden Cole · Producer
- *Phantom Punch* (2008), Director
- *Tao of The Golden Mask* (2007), Actor
- *South of Nowhere* (2005), series, Director
- *Black Listed* (2003), as Alan Chambers · Director
- *I Was a Teenage Faust* (2002), as Mr. Five
- *Undercover Brother* (2002), as Mr. UB
- *10,000 Black Men Named George* (2002), Director
- *Book of Love: The Definitive Reason Why Men Are Dogs* (2002), Actor
- *Carmen: A Hip Hopera* (2001), Director
- *Holiday Heart* (2000), Director
- *Livin' for Love: The Natalie Cole Story* (2000), Director
- *Little Richard* (2000), Director
- *Sidney Poitier: One Bright Light* (2000), Actor
- *Up, Up, and Away* (2000), as Jim Marshall / Bronze Eagle · Director
- *Taxman* (1999), as Peyton Cody
- *Mercenary II: Thick & Thin* (1999), as Charlie Love
- *From Behind Closed Doors* (1999), Director
- *Jackie's Back!* (1999), as Robert Townsend · Director
- *Love Songs* (1999), as Champ · Director
- *Joseph's Gift* (1999), as James Saunders
- *B.A.P.S* (1997), Director
- *Happily Ever After: Fairy Tales for Every Child* (1995), series, as Rumpelstiltskin (voice)
- *The Parent 'Hood* (1995), series, as Robert Peterson · Director, Producer, Creator
- *The Meteor Man* (1993), as Jefferson Reed · Director, Screenplay, Producer
- *The Carol Burnett Show* (1991), series, Actor
- *The Five Heartbeats* (1991), as Duck · Director, Writer, Producer
- *Robin Harris: One Night Stand* (1990), as Bum #3
- *Robert Townsend: Partners in Crime: Vol. 4* (1989), Writer, Executive Producer, Director
- *Robert Townsend: Partners in Crime: Vol. 3* (1989), Director, Executive Producer, Writer
- *The Mighty Quinn* (1989), as Maubee
- *That's Adequate* (1989), as Standup Comic
- *I'm Gonna Git You Sucka* (1988), as Minor Role (uncredited)
- *Robert Townsend: Partners in Crime: Vol. 2* (1988), Writer, Director
- *Robert Townsend: Partners in Crime: Vol. 1* (1987), Director, Writer
- *Eddie Murphy Raw* (1987), Director
- *Uptown Comedy Express* (1987), Writer
- *Hollywood Shuffle* (1987), as Bobby Taylor · Director, Writer, Producer
- *Ratboy* (1986), as Manny
- *Rodney Dangerfield: It's Not Easy Bein' Me* (1986), Writer
- *Odd Jobs* (1986), as Dwight
- *Amazing Stories* (1985), series, as Billy Burliss
- *American Flyers* (1985), as Jerome
- *A Soldier's Story* (1984), as Corporal Ellis — Fi1m 76, [page](https://film.one/film/a-soldiers-story.md)
- *Streets of Fire* (1984), as The Sorels - Lester
- *In Love with an Older Woman* (1982), as James
- *Senior Trip* (1981), as Randy
- *Willie & Phil* (1980), as Thin Boy
- *Women at West Point* (1979), as Russell Baker
- *The Warriors* (1979), as Baseball Fury (uncredited)
- *The Monkey Hustle* (1976), as Musician
- *Mahogany* (1975), as Extra (uncredited)
- *Cooley High* (1975), as Basketball Player in Gym Class
- *M*A*S*H* (1972), series, as Patient — Fi1m 85, [page](https://film.one/tv/m-a-s-h-1972.md)
- *Townsend Television*, series, Creator

## Gallery

- ![Robert Townsend](https://film.one/media/person/378714/gallery-655d78554daf.jpg) Robert Townsend — WBLS on YouTube, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/63/Robert_Townsend%2C_2018_%28TtFUnyOrkpM%29.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail_unscaled)
- ![Robert Townsend](https://film.one/media/person/378714/gallery-610b88fff926.jpg) Robert Townsend — Image via TMDB
- ![Robert Townsend](https://film.one/media/person/378714/gallery-9669bca5ded1.jpg) Robert Townsend — Image via TMDB

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© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/person/robert-townsend