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Givens gave up medical studies to pursue acting at the urging of mentor Bill Cosby. This stunning Black actor appeared in supporting roles in several features including “Fort Apache” The Bronx” (1981) and made guest appearances on the daytime soap operas “The Guiding Light” and “Loving” before starring as Darlene on the long-running TV series, “Head of the Class” (ABC, 1986-91). She was featured in the TV movies “Beverly Hills Madam” (1986), “The Women of Brewster Place”, and “The Penthouse” (both 1989) playing the female lead, a femme fatale con artist, in Bill Duke’s “A Rage in Harlem” (1991). Givens returned to series TV in the short-lived CBS drama “Courthouse” (1995) and then co-starred as a lawyer in the UPN sitcom “Sparks” (1996-98). After giving birth to her son William, she returned before the cameras as the host of the syndicated “Forgive and Forget”, hired to replace Mother Love (the first host) in the hopes of reaching a larger demographic. The strategy backfired, however, and the show was not renewed.

• Born:
  on 11/27/1964 in New York, New York
• Job Titles:
  Actor

Family

• Mother: Ruth Roper.
• Sister: Stephanie Givens.
• Son: Michael Givens. born c. 1992; adopted
• Son: William Givens Jensen. born c. August 1999

Significant Others

• Companion: Brad Pitt. dated briefly in 1989
• Husband: Mike Tyson. married in 1988; divorced on February 14, 1989 in the Dominican Republic; Givens received $1 million in cash and kept jewelry given to her by Tyson
• Husband: Svetozar Marinkovic. married on August 22, 1997; separated on August 22, 1997; Givens filed for divorce on December 19, 1997
• Companion: Brad Pitt. dated briefly in 1989
• Companion: Brian Robbins. co-star on ABC’s “Head of the Class”; dated briefly c. 1986
• Companion: Jason Kidd. played basketball with Dallas Mavericks; no longer together
• Companion: Murphy Jensen. became romantically involved in late 1998; father of Givens’ son William

Education

• Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts, 1984-85
• Sarah Lawrence College, Bronxville, New York
• American Academy of Dramatic Arts, New York, New York

Milestones

• 1981 Appeared in first film, “Fort Apache, The Bronx”
• 1986 Won major role as Darlene in TV series, “Head of the Class”
• 1986 Acted first major role in a TV movie, “Beverly Hills Madam”
• 1991 First major role in a feature, “A Rage in Harlem”
• 1995 Returned to series TV in the short-lived CBS drama “Courthouse”
• 2000 Hosted the syndicated TV show “Forgive and Forget”
• 2006 Cast in the role of Roxie Hart in the Broadway production of “Chicago”
• Acted guest roles in soap operas “Loving” and “The Guiding Light” during school
• Modeled in New York at Ford Agency; appeared in “Seventeen” and “Mademoiselle”
• Starred in the UPN sitcom “Sparks”