A passionate visionary and trail blazer, Robert Townsend transcends any medium he touches. Whether performing stand up, acting, writing, directing, or producing, his magic is undeniable. Robert's genius first revealed itself in elementary school during a reading of Shakespeare's Oedipus Rex where he dazzled the class with his ability to transform effortlessly into characters. Robert's remarkable talent caught the attention of Chicago's Experimental Bag Theatre in Chicago, then onto New York's renown comedy club the Improvisation which initiated his career as a stand-up comedian. Soon after, he hit Hollywood performing on various television comedy specials including Rodney Dangerfield: It 's Not Easy Being Me and Uptown Comedy Express and landing roles opposite Denzel Washington in A Soldier's Story, Diane Lane in Streets of Fire and Kevin Costner in American Flyers.

	Unbridled success continued when Robert Townsend the independent filmmaker was born. Without formal film education or outside funding, Robert wrote, directed, and starred in his own film, the critically acclaimed Hollywood Shuffle. Next came The Meteor Man that he also wrote, directed and starred. In between features, Robert created and produced his ground breaking Cable Ace award winning Partners in Crime variety specials for HBO and highly praised Townsend Television for FOX television. He also created and starred in the WB Network hit series The Parenthood. While busy as a performer and filmmaker, Robert always makes time to participate in humanitarian efforts and speak to various organizations. As a longtime speaker for the United Negro College Fund, his concern for inner city youth takes him through out the country to inspire young people to follow their dreams. In addition, Robert shares his business expertise with various Fortune 500 companies.