Leon Robinson
Encyclopedia
Leon Preston Robinson IV (born March 8, 1962) usually credited as simply Leon, is an American actor and singer, who began his professional career as an actor in 1981.
Season 3 star, Cynthia Bailey and shares an 11 year old daughter, Noelle Robinson. Leon more recently, was in a relationship with Australian fashion model Ebony Mciver.
series Midnight Caller
in which he played an athlete who falls victim to crack cocaine
. He also co-starred in the 1989 ABC
miniseries The Women of Brewster Place
, as the boyfriend of a suburbanite (played by Robin Givens
). He became a part of popular music history when he was cast as Saint Martin de Porres in Madonna
's controversial 1989 music video "Like a Prayer
".
Leon's early film roles included a football teammate of Tom Cruise
in All the Right Moves
(1983) and as Fortune Smith, the Notre Dame
-bound basketball playing co-worker of Matt Dillon
, in The Flamingo Kid
(1984). After his exposure in the 1989 video for the song "Like a Prayer" by Madonna
, Leon's roles became more substantial. In 1993, he played a leading role in the film Cool Runnings
. That same year, he co-starred as John Lithgow
's henchman out to get Sylvester Stallone
in Renny Harlin
's Cliffhanger
and followed with a turn as a disillusioned ex-jock in Above the Rim
(1994). Leon also appeared as Lela Rochon
's married lover in 1996's Waiting to Exhale
and co-produced as well as co-starred in the 1997 romantic drama The Price of Kissing. He also starred in the movie Once Upon A Time When We Were Colored, directed by Tim Reid.
Leon has received critical acclaim for his portrayal of two legendary singers in made-for-TV movies: David Ruffin
in the 1998 NBC miniseries The Temptations
, and Little Richard
in the self-titled 2000 NBC movie based on the life of the rock-and-roll pioneer. During this period, Leon joined the ensemble casts of two TV series, playing Jefferson Keane
on HBO's Oz and Lawrence Hill on Showtime's Resurrection Blvd.
, in addition to briefly hosting his own late-night talk show, The L-Bow Room, on BET
.
In 2008, Leon starred in the 20th Century Fox
thriller Cover, directed by Bill Duke
, and stars alongside Danny Mastherson and Dominique Swain in the indie comedy The Brooklyn Heist, directed by Julian Mark Kheel.
In 2009, AOL Black Voices voted Leon one of the Sexiest Actors of all-time.
Leon, who is also a professional singer, is the lead vocalist of his own band, Leon and the Peoples
. In 2007, he received an International Reggae and World Music Award nomination for his band Leon & The Peoples' debut CD The Road Less Traveled, and completed a 36 city US tour with reggae
singers Beres Hammond and Marcia Griffiths on the "For The Love Of It Tour". He was a frequent surprise guest on Beres Hammond’s 2008 “A Moment in Time” US tour. He recently performed at NYC's Central Park headlining the 2010 Aids Walk Concert.
Personal life
Leon had a relationship with The Real Housewives of AtlantaThe Real Housewives of Atlanta
The Real Housewives of Atlanta is an American reality television series on the Bravo cable network that premiered in the fall of 2008. Following the format of its predecessors , in 2009 the Atlanta series was not only the highest rated show of the The Real Housewives of... franchise, it was the...
Season 3 star, Cynthia Bailey and shares an 11 year old daughter, Noelle Robinson. Leon more recently, was in a relationship with Australian fashion model Ebony Mciver.
Career
Leon made his professional debut on the CBS Afternoon Playhouse production "Journey to Survival" in 1981. Before striking it on the big screen, Leon amassed numerous small screen credits, notably in a 1989 episode of the NBCNBC
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...
series Midnight Caller
Midnight Caller
Midnight Caller is a dramatic NBC television series created by Richard DiLello, which ran from 1988 to 1991. It was one of the first television series to address the dramatic possibilities of the then-growing phenomenon of talk radio...
in which he played an athlete who falls victim to crack cocaine
Crack cocaine
Crack cocaine is the freebase form of cocaine that can be smoked. It may also be termed rock, hard, iron, cavvy, base, or just crack; it is the most addictive form of cocaine. Crack rocks offer a short but intense high to smokers...
. He also co-starred in the 1989 ABC
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
miniseries The Women of Brewster Place
The Women of Brewster Place (1989 television)
The Women of Brewster Place is a TV miniseries that aired on March 19,1989 & March 20,1989 on ABC. The miniseries is based upon the 1982 novel by Gloria Naylor. It was produced by Oprah Winfrey's Harpo Productions with a teleplay by Karen Hall...
, as the boyfriend of a suburbanite (played by Robin Givens
Robin Givens
Robin Simone Givens is an American model and film, television, and stage actress. She is best known for her role as Darlene Merriman on the television series Head of the Class.-Early life:...
). He became a part of popular music history when he was cast as Saint Martin de Porres in Madonna
Madonna (entertainer)
Madonna is an American singer-songwriter, actress and entrepreneur. Born in Bay City, Michigan, she moved to New York City in 1977 to pursue a career in modern dance. After performing in the music groups Breakfast Club and Emmy, she released her debut album in 1983...
's controversial 1989 music video "Like a Prayer
Like a Prayer (song)
"Like a Prayer" is a song by American singer-songwriter Madonna on her fourth studio album of the same name . It was released on March 21, 1989, by Sire Records as the album's lead single...
".
Leon's early film roles included a football teammate of Tom Cruise
Tom Cruise
Thomas Cruise Mapother IV , better known as Tom Cruise, is an American film actor and producer. He has been nominated for three Academy Awards and he has won three Golden Globe Awards....
in All the Right Moves
All the Right Moves
All the Right Moves is a 1983 drama film directed by Michael Chapman and starring Tom Cruise, Craig T. Nelson, Lea Thompson, Chris Penn, and Gary Graham...
(1983) and as Fortune Smith, the Notre Dame
University of Notre Dame
The University of Notre Dame du Lac is a Catholic research university located in Notre Dame, an unincorporated community north of the city of South Bend, in St. Joseph County, Indiana, United States...
-bound basketball playing co-worker of Matt Dillon
Matt Dillon
Matthew Raymond "Matt" Dillon is an American actor and film director. He began acting in the late 1970s, gaining fame as a teenage idol during the 1980s.- Early life :...
, in The Flamingo Kid
The Flamingo Kid
The Flamingo Kid is a 1984 comedy film directed by Garry Marshall, written by Marshall, Neal Marshall and Bo Goldman. It stars Matt Dillon, Richard Crenna, Hector Elizondo, and Janet Jones...
(1984). After his exposure in the 1989 video for the song "Like a Prayer" by Madonna
Madonna (entertainer)
Madonna is an American singer-songwriter, actress and entrepreneur. Born in Bay City, Michigan, she moved to New York City in 1977 to pursue a career in modern dance. After performing in the music groups Breakfast Club and Emmy, she released her debut album in 1983...
, Leon's roles became more substantial. In 1993, he played a leading role in the film Cool Runnings
Cool Runnings
Cool Runnings is a 1993 comedy film directed by Jon Turteltaub. It is loosely based on the true story of the Jamaica national bobsled team's debut in the bobsleigh competition of the 1988 Winter Olympics in Calgary, Alberta. It stars Leon Robinson, Doug E. Doug, Malik Yoba, and Rawle D...
. That same year, he co-starred as John Lithgow
John Lithgow
John Arthur Lithgow is an American actor, musician, and author. Presently, he is involved with a wide range of media projects, including stage, television, film, and radio...
's henchman out to get Sylvester Stallone
Sylvester Stallone
Michael Sylvester Gardenzio Stallone , commonly known as Sylvester Stallone, and nicknamed Sly Stallone, is an American actor, filmmaker, screenwriter, film director and occasional painter. Stallone is known for his machismo and Hollywood action roles. Two of the notable characters he has portrayed...
in Renny Harlin
Renny Harlin
Renny Harlin is a Finnish-American film director and producer. He is best known for Die Hard 2 , Cliffhanger , The Long Kiss Goodnight and Deep Blue Sea...
's Cliffhanger
Cliffhanger (film)
Cliffhanger is a 1993 American action film directed by Renny Harlin and starring Sylvester Stallone and John Lithgow. Stallone plays a mountain climber, who becomes embroiled in a failed heist set in a U.S. Treasury plane flying through the Rocky Mountains...
and followed with a turn as a disillusioned ex-jock in Above the Rim
Above the Rim
Above the Rim is a 1994 drama directed by Jeff Pollack. The screenplay was written by Pollack and journalist-turned-screenwriter Barry Michael Cooper , from a story by Pollack and Benny Medina....
(1994). Leon also appeared as Lela Rochon
Lela Rochon
Lela Rochon is an American actress who is best known for her role as Robin Stokes in the movie Waiting to Exhale....
's married lover in 1996's Waiting to Exhale
Waiting to Exhale
Waiting to Exhale is a 1995 romance film starring Whitney Houston and Angela Bassett, directed by Forest Whitaker. The movie was adapted from the 1992 novel of the same name by Terry McMillan. Loretta Devine, Lela Rochon, Dennis Haysbert, Michael Beach, Gregory Hines, Donald Faison and Mykelti...
and co-produced as well as co-starred in the 1997 romantic drama The Price of Kissing. He also starred in the movie Once Upon A Time When We Were Colored, directed by Tim Reid.
Leon has received critical acclaim for his portrayal of two legendary singers in made-for-TV movies: David Ruffin
David Ruffin
Davis Eli "David" Ruffin was an American soul singer and musician most famous for his work as one of the lead singers of the Temptations from 1964 to 1968...
in the 1998 NBC miniseries The Temptations
The Temptations (miniseries)
The Temptations is a four-hour television miniseries broadcast in two-hour halves on NBC, based upon the history of one of Motown's longest-lived acts, The Temptations...
, and Little Richard
Little Richard
Richard Wayne Penniman , known by the stage name Little Richard, is an American singer, songwriter, musician, recording artist, and actor, considered key in the transition from rhythm and blues to rock and roll in the 1950s. He was also the first artist to put the funk in the rock and roll beat and...
in the self-titled 2000 NBC movie based on the life of the rock-and-roll pioneer. During this period, Leon joined the ensemble casts of two TV series, playing Jefferson Keane
Jefferson Keane
Jefferson Keane aka Tizi Ozuo is a fictional character in the HBO prison drama Oz played by American actor Leon Robinson.-Character overview:...
on HBO's Oz and Lawrence Hill on Showtime's Resurrection Blvd.
Resurrection Blvd.
Resurrection Blvd. is an American dramatic series which aired on Showtime for three seasons from 2000 to 2002.-Plot:In East Los Angeles, California, the Santiago family has had three generations of boxers within the family. They continue their battle to become boxing champions while struggling with...
, in addition to briefly hosting his own late-night talk show, The L-Bow Room, on BET
Black Entertainment Television
Black Entertainment Television is an American, Viacom-owned cable network based in Washington, D.C.. Currently viewed in more than 90 million homes worldwide, it is the most prominent television network targeting young Black-American audiences. The network was launched on January 25, 1980, by its...
.
In 2008, Leon starred in the 20th Century Fox
20th Century Fox
Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation — also known as 20th Century Fox, or simply 20th or Fox — is one of the six major American film studios...
thriller Cover, directed by Bill Duke
Bill Duke
William Henry "Bill" Duke, Jr. is an American actor and film director with over 30 years of experience. Known for his physically imposing frame, Duke's work frequently dwells within the action/crime and drama genres but also includes comedy.-Early life:Duke was born in Poughkeepsie, New York, the...
, and stars alongside Danny Mastherson and Dominique Swain in the indie comedy The Brooklyn Heist, directed by Julian Mark Kheel.
In 2009, AOL Black Voices voted Leon one of the Sexiest Actors of all-time.
Leon, who is also a professional singer, is the lead vocalist of his own band, Leon and the Peoples
Leon and the Peoples
Leon & The Peoples is a ‘reggae-soul’ band. Lead vocals by actor and singer/songwriter Leon. They have performed live across the nation.Leon, actor and singer/songwriter, starred in the Disney film “Cool Runnings.” Leon has also appeared on television with a re-occurring role on NBC’s “Crossing...
. In 2007, he received an International Reggae and World Music Award nomination for his band Leon & The Peoples' debut CD The Road Less Traveled, and completed a 36 city US tour with reggae
Reggae
Reggae is a music genre first developed in Jamaica in the late 1960s. While sometimes used in a broader sense to refer to most types of Jamaican music, the term reggae more properly denotes a particular music style that originated following on the development of ska and rocksteady.Reggae is based...
singers Beres Hammond and Marcia Griffiths on the "For The Love Of It Tour". He was a frequent surprise guest on Beres Hammond’s 2008 “A Moment in Time” US tour. He recently performed at NYC's Central Park headlining the 2010 Aids Walk Concert.
Filmography
- StripesStripes (film)Stripes is a 1981 American comedy film directed by Ivan Reitman, starring Bill Murray, Harold Ramis, Warren Oates, P. J. Soles, and John Candy. It also featured several actors in their first significant film roles, including John Larroquette, Sean Young, John Diehl, and Judge Reinhold. It was one...
(1981)...Soldier (scenes deleted) - All the Right MovesAll the Right MovesAll the Right Moves is a 1983 drama film directed by Michael Chapman and starring Tom Cruise, Craig T. Nelson, Lea Thompson, Chris Penn, and Gary Graham...
(1983)...Shadow Nadeing - The Flamingo KidThe Flamingo KidThe Flamingo Kid is a 1984 comedy film directed by Garry Marshall, written by Marshall, Neal Marshall and Bo Goldman. It stars Matt Dillon, Richard Crenna, Hector Elizondo, and Janet Jones...
(1984)...Fortune Smith - Band of the Hand (1986)...Moss
- The Father Clements Story (1987)...Ice
- The Lawless Land (1988)...Road Kill
- ColorsColors (film)Colors is a 1988 police procedural crime film starring Sean Penn and Robert Duvall and directed by Dennis Hopper. The story takes place in South Central Los Angeles, and is about Bob Hodges , an experienced LAPD Community Resources Against Street Hoodlums Police Officer III, and his rookie partner,...
(1988)...Killer Bee - The Women of Brewster PlaceThe Women of Brewster PlaceThe Women of Brewster Place may refer to:*The Women of Brewster Place , a 1982 novel by Gloria Naylor*The Women of Brewster Place , a 1989 television miniseries based upon the novel...
(1989)...Abshu - A Mother's Courage (1989)...Michael Thomas
- Like a Prayer (music video)...(1989)
- The Five HeartbeatsThe Five HeartbeatsThe Five Heartbeats is a 1991 musical drama film directed by Robert Townsend, who co-wrote the script with Keenan Ivory Wayans. Distributed by 20th Century Fox, the film's main cast includes Townsend, Michael Wright, Leon Robinson, Harry J. Lennix, Tico Wells, Harold Nicholas of the Nicholas...
(1991)...J. T. Matthews - Cool RunningsCool RunningsCool Runnings is a 1993 comedy film directed by Jon Turteltaub. It is loosely based on the true story of the Jamaica national bobsled team's debut in the bobsleigh competition of the 1988 Winter Olympics in Calgary, Alberta. It stars Leon Robinson, Doug E. Doug, Malik Yoba, and Rawle D...
(1993)...Derice Bannock - CliffhangerCliffhanger (film)Cliffhanger is a 1993 American action film directed by Renny Harlin and starring Sylvester Stallone and John Lithgow. Stallone plays a mountain climber, who becomes embroiled in a failed heist set in a U.S. Treasury plane flying through the Rocky Mountains...
(1993)...Kynette - Bad Attitude (1993)
- Above the RimAbove the RimAbove the Rim is a 1994 drama directed by Jeff Pollack. The screenplay was written by Pollack and journalist-turned-screenwriter Barry Michael Cooper , from a story by Pollack and Benny Medina....
(1994)...Shep - Waiting to ExhaleWaiting to ExhaleWaiting to Exhale is a 1995 romance film starring Whitney Houston and Angela Bassett, directed by Forest Whitaker. The movie was adapted from the 1992 novel of the same name by Terry McMillan. Loretta Devine, Lela Rochon, Dennis Haysbert, Michael Beach, Gregory Hines, Donald Faison and Mykelti...
(1995)...Russell - Pure Danger (1996)...Felix
- Once Upon a Time... When We Were Colored (1996)...Uncle Melvin
- Spirit Lost (1997)...John
- B.A.P.S. (1997)...Himself
- The TemptationsThe Temptations (miniseries)The Temptations is a four-hour television miniseries broadcast in two-hour halves on NBC, based upon the history of one of Motown's longest-lived acts, The Temptations...
(1998)...David RuffinDavid RuffinDavis Eli "David" Ruffin was an American soul singer and musician most famous for his work as one of the lead singers of the Temptations from 1964 to 1968... - Side Streets (1999)...Errol Boyce
- Friends and Lovers (1999)...Tyrell
- BatsBats (film)Bats is a 1999 horror film, directed by Louis Morneau and produced by Destination Films. The film stars Lou Diamond Phillips, Dina Meyer, Bob Gunton and Leon.-Plot:...
(1999)...Jimmy Sands - The Little Richard Story (2000)...Little Richard
- AliAli (film)Ali is a 2001 American biographical film directed by Michael Mann. The film tells the story of boxing icon Muhammad Ali, played by Will Smith, from 1964 to 1974 featuring his capture as of the heavyweight title from Sonny Liston , his conversion to Islam, criticism of the Vietnam War, banishment...
(2001)...Joe Simmons - Buffalo Soldiers (2001)...Stoney
- Get Rich or Die Tryin' (2005)...Slim
- CoverCover (film)Cover is a drama thriller film starring Aunjanue Ellis, Razaaq Adoti, Vivica A. Fox, and Leon. The film was produced and directed by Bill Duke and open at selective theaters on February 22, 2008.-Plot synopsis:...
(2007)... Ryan Chambers - The Brooklyn HeistThe Brooklyn HeistThe Brooklyn Heist , is a 2009 film written by Julian Mark Kheel and Brett Halsey and directed by Julian Mark Kheel.-Cast:* Danny Masterson as Fitz* Leon Robinson as Ronald* Aysan Çelik as Lana...
(aka Capers) (2009)...Ronald - Je'Caryous Johnson Presents: 3 Ways to Get a Husband (2009)
- The Heart Specialist (2011)...Handsome Doctor