Born in
Seattle, Washington, Robinson made his
Broadway debut in 1969 in
Does a Tiger Wear a Necktie? opposite
Al Pacino. Additional theatre credits include
Amen Corner, The Iceman Cometh, and
Seven Guitars, which garnered him his first Tony nomination. Robinson appeared in six of
August Wilson's ten plays chronicling African-American life in the 20th century. He felt the playwright's "use of language is second to none, except
Eugene O'Neill and perhaps
Tennessee Williams." Robinson was the first African American to receive the Richard Seff Award, presented annually by the
Actors' Equity Foundation to an actor fifty years of age or older for his performance in a supporting role in a Broadway or
off-Broadway production. Robinson's film credits include
Believe in Me (1971),
Willie Dynamite (1974), ''
Newman's Law (1974), Meteor (1979), It's My Turn (1980), The Lonely Guy (1984), Who's the Man? (1993), Wedding Daze (2006), and Brother to Brother'' (2004). The latter won him the
LA Outfest Grand Jury Award Outstanding Actor in a Feature Film and a nomination for the
Independent Spirit Award for Best Supporting Male. Robinson's television credits include the television miniseries
King, TV-movie
The Marcus-Nelson Murders, which led to a recurring role as Detective Gil Weaver on
Kojak, a regular role on the short-lived
Mary Stuart Masterson series
Kate Brasher, and guest appearances on
Ironside, Starsky and Hutch, The Jeffersons, A Man Called Hawk, Law & Order, New York Undercover, Homicide: Life on the Street, ER, Kojak, and
NYPD Blue. On ABC's
How to Get Away With Murder, he played Mac Harkness, the father of
Viola Davis' Annalise Keating. He also wrote material for
Martin Lawrence Presents: 1st Amendment Stand-Up. ==Filmography==