Robert Townsend

Robert Townsend born February 6 1957 is an American actor director comedian and writer Townsend is best known for directing the films Hollywood Shuffle 1987 Eddie Murphy Raw 1987 The Meteor Man 1993 The Five Heartbeats 1991 and various other films and standup specials He is especially known for his eponymous selftitled character Robert Peterson as the starring role as on The WB sitcom The Parent Hood 19951999 a series which he created and of which directed select episodes Townsend is also known for his role as Donald Duck Matthews in his 1991 film The Five Heartbeats He later wrote directed and produced Making The Five Heartbeats 2018 a documentary film about the production process and behind the scenes insight into creating the film Townsend is also known for his production company Townsend Entertainment which has produced films Playin for Love In the Hive and more During the 1980s and early1990s Townsend gained national exposure through his standup comedy routines and appearances on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson Townsend has worked with talent including Halle Berry Morgan Freeman Chris Tucker Beyoncé Denzel Washington and many more