Tim Robinson (born May 23, 1981) is an American comedian, actor, and screenwriter. He first became known as a writer and performer on Saturday Night Live (2012–2016) before gaining wider recognition as the co-creator, co-writer, and star of the comedy series Detroiters (2017–2018) and I Think You Should Leave with Tim Robinson (2019–present).
Early life
Robinson was born in Detroit, Michigan,[1] on May 23, 1981,[2] the son of a mother who worked for Chrysler and a father who worked in construction.[3] He grew up in the nearby cities of Clarkston and Waterford Township.[4] His parents divorced when he was a child, and he has said that he "kind of grew up with two dads" because his stepfather was Jewish and celebrated Hanukkah with him.[5] He graduated from Clarkston High School in 2000.[6][7] He saw a live Second City comedy performance in Chicago as a teenager,[4] and soon began taking weekend improv classes at its Detroit branch.[4] While pursuing a comedy career, he supported himself by working in a toy store and teaching improv classes.[8]
Career
Robinson toured with Second City Detroit's touring company, then joined Second City Chicago.[4] He has also performed at the iO Theater and Just for Laughs.[9][10] He filmed a 2011 television pilot for Comedy Central called My Mans, but the show was not picked up by the network.[11][12] In 2012, he was cast as a series regular in the unaired CBS sitcom Friend Me.[13] In September 2012, he made his debut as a featured performer on Saturday Night Live.[14][15][16] A year later, it was announced that he would work on the writing staff rather than continue being a performer, making him the second SNL cast member (after Brian Doyle-Murray) to go from performer to staff writer and the first SNL performer to become a writer after originally being cast solely as a performer.[17] His celebrity impressions on the show included Ben Bailey and Bill Cowher, and he also portrayed the recurring character Carl, an elderly retail worker who would always get insulted by Niff (Bobby Moynihan) and Dana (Cecily Strong).[9]
Robinson has appeared twice on late-night NBC talk show Late Night with Seth Meyers as Dale, who acts as host Seth Meyers' "emergency sidekick." His first appearance was during the "Next Week's News" sketch on February 28, 2014, and his second appearance was during the "Celebrity Drunk Texts" sketch on April 8, 2014. In 2016, he wrote and appeared in his own episode of the sketch comedy show Netflix Presents: The Characters.[18] He is also the co-creator and co-star of Detroiters, along with fellow Detroit native and best friend Sam Richardson. The show premiered on Comedy Central in February 2017. In April 2017, he guest starred on Fox's Making History as Al Capone.
Robinson voiced Creature, the player character's grenade launcher, in the first-person shooter video game High On Life (2022).[28]
Personal life
Robinson married Heather, an electrical engineer for Chrysler, in September 2006.[8] They were schoolmates and began dating as teenagers.[8][29] They live in Los Angeles with their son and daughter.[8][30]
