Holly Robinson Peete | |
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Peete in April 2007
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Born |
Holly Elizabeth Robinson September 18, 1964 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
Alma mater | Sarah Lawrence College |
Occupation | Actress, talk show host, author,singer |
Years active | 1969–present |
Notable work | |
Spouse(s) | Rodney Peete (m. 1995) |
Children | 4 |
Parent(s) |
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Holly Elizabeth Robinson Peete (born September 18, 1964) is an American actress and singer. She is perhaps best known for her roles as Judy Hoffs on the Fox TV police drama 21 Jump Street, Vanessa Russell on the ABC sitcom Hangin' with Mr. Cooper, and Dr. Malena Ellis on the NBC/WB sitcom For Your Love. She also served as one of the original co-hosts of the CBS daytime talk show The Talk.
After graduating from high school, Peete entered Sarah Lawrence College in New York. She majored in Psychology and French. After she graduated in 1986, she considered attending graduate school and perhaps working in languages for the U.S. State Department. However, she decided to give an acting career a chance. Within a short time, Peete found roles on a television series and in two films.
Peete's children's book, My Brother Charlie, won her an NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Literary Work in March 2011.
In March 2016, a reality series debuted entitled For Peete's Sake, documenting the everyday life of her family.
Peete was born in Mount Airy, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, to Dolores and Matt Robinson (the original Gordon on Sesame Street). Her mother was a school teacher, in public relations, and later a personal talent manager, and her father a producer/writer. She has an older brother named Matthew Thomas III. She attended Greene Street Friends School in nearby Germantown. In 1974, her family moved to California. Peete graduated from Santa Monica High School in Santa Monica, California, where her classmates included Rob Lowe. Peete graduated from Sarah Lawrence College with a degree in psychology and French. Peete studied abroad for a year at the Sorbonne, and is fluent in French. While there she sang in Paris nightclubs, including a memorable performance with jazz legend Lionel Hampton at the Hotel Meridian Jazz Club.