Robi Reed (born Robin Lynn Reed) is an American casting director[1] and producer. She has over 50 films and television shows to her credit, including The Best Man, Soul Food, For Colored Girls, Love Jones, Set It Off, In Living Color and Girlfriends.[2] She began her career working with the writer-director Spike Lee. His 1988 release, School Daze, was her first film as a casting director.[3] She went on to cast Lee's Malcolm X, Do the Right Thing, Mo' Better Blues, Crooklyn, Clockers and Jungle Fever.[4]
Robi Reed | |
|---|---|
 Reed speaks at World AIDS Day event on December 1, 2013. | |
| Born | |
| Alma mater | Hampton University |
| Occupation | Casting director |
| Years active | 1988-present |
| Children | Noah Humes Summer Humes |
| Website | reedforhope |
Reed is currently[when?] the vice president of talent and casting for original programming at Black Entertainment Television (BET), where she oversees talent and casting for scripted and non-scripted shows.[5]
Career
editReed has had a hand in the careers of many top Hollywood stars and has worked to open doors for African-American actors for over 20 years.[6] She has cast Jamie Foxx, Denzel Washington, Jada Pinkett Smith, Queen Latifah and others in major roles.[4]
She is credited with jumpstarting Halle Berry's film career in 1991 by offering her a role alongside Samuel L. Jackson in Lee's Jungle Fever.[7] She also cast Derek Luke to star in his first leading role in the 2002 film Antwone Fisher.[8]
In 1997, Reed earned an Emmy Award for Outstanding Casting in a Drama for her work on The Tuskegee Airmen (HBO). She received a second Emmy nomination in 1998 for her work in casting HBO's Don King: Only in America and a third nomination in 1999 for HBO’'s A Lesson Before Dying.[9]
Reed is the first African-American to be nominated and win an Emmy for casting.[1]
Early life
editReed was born in Mount Vernon, New York, but grew up in Los Angeles where she was exposed to Hollywood at a young age.[10] By the age of 15, she knew she wanted to do casting after accompanying her younger brother, a child actor, to auditions.[3]
Reed was fascinated with film and TV and always read the cast and crew credits from beginning to end. She was determined to know every actor, actress, producer, director and casting agent in Hollywood. She made it her business to learn everything there was to know about the film and TV industry by quizzing herself using index cards to test her knowledge and ability to recall names, parts and projects.[10]
That determination landed Reed her first job as an assistant production office coordinator on the film, The Falcon and the Snowman, starring Sean Penn and Timothy Hutton.[10]
Education
editReed earned a Bachelor of Science degree in speech communication and theatre from Hampton University.[11] She is also a member of Delta Sigma Theta sorority.[12]
Personal
editReed is the mother of two children, a son named Noah and a daughter Summer.[10]
In 2012, she launched the Reed for Hope Foundation, a nonprofit organization that aims to build alliances with other charities and organizations in the fight against the spread of HIV/AIDS and other life-threatening diseases.[13]
Each year, Reed hosts her annual Sunshine Beyond Summer Celebration where she brings together close friends, associates and peers to have a good time in the spirit of serving the community.[10] It is held every year at the private residence of a selected supporting benefactor, which has included the homes of Jamie Foxx,[14] the former Los Angeles mayor, Antonio Villaraigosa,[15] and Judge Greg Mathis.[16] The event started in 2002 as an intimate gathering of friends coming together for Reed's annual end-of-summer barbecue. Today, the event has grown beyond those humble beginnings into a much-anticipated summer event.[10] The Black AIDS Institute had been the charitable beneficiary of Reed's event since its inception and, now, all proceeds benefit the Reed for Hope Foundation.[15]
Filmography
editFilms
edit| Year | Title | Notes | Credited |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1988 | School Daze | ||
| 1988 | I'm Gonna Git You Sucka | ||
| 1989 | Do the Right Thing | ||
| 1989 | Harlem Nights | ||
| 1990 | Mo' Better Blues | ||
| 1991 | Jungle Fever | ||
| 1992 | Malcolm X | ||
| 1993 | Poetic Justice | ||
| 1994 | House Party 3 | as Robi Reed-Humes | |
| 1994 | Crooklyn | as Robi Reed-Humes | |
| 1994 | A Low Down Dirty Shame | as Robi Reed-Humes | |
| 1995 | Panther | as Robi Reed-Humes | |
| 1995 | Clockers | as Robi Reed-Humes | |
| 1996 | Don't Be a Menace... | as Robi Reed-Humes | |
| 1996 | Sunset Park | as Robi Reed-Humes | |
| 1996 | Set It Off | as Robi Reed-Humes | |
| 1997 | Love Jones | as Robi Reed-Humes | |
| 1997 | Gridlock'd | as Robi Reed-Humes | |
| 1997 | Soul Food | as Robi Reed-Humes | |
| 1997 | Ill Gotten Gains | as Robi Reed-Humes | |
| 1998 | Woo | as Robi Reed-Humes | |
| 1999 | Trippin' | as Robi Reed-Humes | |
| 1999 | The Best Man | as Robi Reed-Humes | |
| 1999 | Light It Up | as Robi Reed-Humes | |
| 2000 | Punks | as Robi Reed-Humes | |
| 2000 | Turn It Up | as Robi Reed-Humes | |
| 2000 | Brother | as Robi Reed-Humes | |
| 2001 | MacArthur Park | as Robi Reed-Humes | |
| 2001 | Kingdom Come | as Robi Reed-Humes | |
| 2001 | Two Can Play That Game | as Robi Reed-Humes | |
| 2002 | Turnaround | as Robi Reed-Humes | |
| 2002 | Undercover Brother | as Robi Reed-Humes | |
| 2002 | Antwone Fisher | as Robi Reed-Humes | |
| 2003 | The Fighting Temptations | as Robi Reed-Humes | |
| 2004 | Never Die Alone | ||
| 2005 | House of Grimm | as Robi Reed-Humes | |
| 2005 | The Gospel | ||
| 2006 | Waist Deep | ||
| 2006 | Crossover | ||
| 2007 | Somebody Help Me | video | |
| 2009 | Next Day Air | ||
| 2010 | For Colored Girls | as Robi Reed-Humes | |
| 2011 | Mama, I Want to Sing! | as Robi Reed-Humes |
Television series and mini-series
edit| Year | Title | Notes | Credited As |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1987 | A Different World | 1 episode | |
| 1990-1994 | In Living Color | 125 episodes | as Robi Reed-Humes |
| 1991 | Roc | 2 episodes | |
| 1995 | CBS Schoolbreak Special | 1 episode | |
| 1999 | The PJs | as Robi Reed-Humes | |
| 2000 | Girlfriends | as Robi Reed-Humes | |
| 2003-2004 | The Tracy Morgan Show | 18 episodes | |
| 2010-2011 | The Game | ||
| 2011 | 8 Days a Week | 2 episodes | as Robi Reed-Humes |
| 2010 - 2012 | Let's Stay Together | ||
| 2013 | Being Mary Jane | ||
| 2017 | The New Edition Story | 3 episodes | |
| 2018 | The Bobby Brown Story | 2 episodes |
Television movies
edit| Year | Title | Notes | Credited As |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1990 | Heat Wave | ||
| 1995 | The Tuskegee Airmen | as Robi Reed-Humes | |
| 1996 | Ruby Jean and Joe | as Robi Reed-Humes | |
| 1997 | Don King: Only in America | as Robi Reed-Humes | |
| 1999 | A Lesson Before Dying | as Robi Reed-Humes | |
| 2000 | Freedom Song | as Robi Reed-Humes | |
| 2001 | Fire & Ice | ||
| 2001 | Commitments | ||
| 2001 | Carmen: A Hip Hopera | as Robi Reed-Humes | |
| 2001 | One Special Moment | ||
| 2005 | Their Eyes Were Watching God | as Robi Reed-Humes | |
| 2005 | Fighting the Odds: The Marilyn Gambrell Story | ||
| 2007 | Wifey | as Robi Reed-Humes | |
| 2012 | Let The Church Say, Amen |
Awards and nominations
edit| Year | Title | Category | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1997 | The Tuskegee Airmen | Outstanding Casting for a Miniseries or Special | Won |
| 1998 | Don King: Only in America | Outstanding Casting for a Miniseries or Movie | Nominated |
| 1999 | A Lesson Before Dying | Outstanding Casting for a Miniseries or a Made for Television Movie | Nominated |
| Year | Title | Category | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1992 | Roc | Best Casting for TV | Nominated |
| 1993 | Malcolm X | Best Casting for Feature Film | Won |
Additional awards
edit- Trumpet Award
- 1993 - Won for Casting (Heat Wave)
- NAMIC Vision Awards
- 2007 - Won Legacy Award
- Bronze Lens Award
- 2010 - Honored as Legendary 'Behind the Scenes' Superstar
- Black Reel Awards
- 2011 - Won for Best Ensemble (For Colored Girls)
References
edit- ^ a b "Casting director Robi Reed-Humes wins Emmy Award", Jet, September 30, 1996
- ^ "Robi Reed", Hollywood Archived 2014-02-24 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ a b "Role Players: Hollywood's Black Casting Execs", "Blackamericaweb.com", February 20, 2012 Archived March 31, 2013, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ a b Leonard E. Burnett Jr. and Andrea Hoffman,"Robi Reed-Humes", "Black is the New Green", 2010 Archived 2014-02-23 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "BET Networks names Robi Reed VP of Talent and Casting, Original Programming", Target Market News, July 15, 2010 Archived October 15, 2012, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "'For Colored Girls' Cast to Honor Robi Reed", Essence, November 20, 2010
- ^ Miki Turner, "At 40, Halle Berry is ready for anything", Today, April 19, 2007
- ^ Ellen Baskin, "For Director Washington, His Spirit Fit/Derek Luke was a natural for the role of Antwone Fisher", Newsday, January 5, 2003
- ^ "Awards Search: Robi Reed", Emmys
- ^ a b c d e f "Robi Reed Bio", Reed for Hope Foundation
- ^ School of Liberal Arts, Hampton University
- ^ "Famous Deltas", Southerndivas, April 20, 2006 Archived July 16, 2011, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "Stars Kym Whitley, Keke Palmer, Selita Ebanks Salute Reed For Hope", Emmys, September 9, 2012
- ^ "Eva Marcille Shows Off Her Baby Bump At Robi Reed's Sunshine Beyond Event", The YBF, September 1, 2013
- ^ a b "Robi Reed Hosts 10th Annual Sunshine Beyond Summer Celebration", Eurweb, September 5, 2012 Archived February 22, 2014, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "Emmy Award-Winning Casting Director and Talent Executive Robi Reed Launches Reed for Hope Foundation", Black Gives Back, September 6, 2012