Robin Simone Givens was born in New York, New York, on November 27, 1964. Her father, Reuben, abandoned his family when Robin was a little girl, leaving Robin's mother, Ruth, to raise her and her younger sister Stephanie alone in Westchester, Connecticut.

Ruth was supportive of her children's interest in the arts, and Robin took violin lessons before deciding to try acting. At age 10, Robin began to take acting classes at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York. In 1978, she made her unaccredited debut as an extra in The