Robin Sherwood is an American actress. She was born in Miami Beach, Florida to the Hon. Wolfie Cohen, a two-term city councilman and successful restaurateur, and Miriam Rose Cohen a prominent society hostess. The family lived in Miami Beach, Florida during the fall and winter and traveled in Europe during the spring and summer. She first appeared on stage when she was nine years old.
She lost her mother at the age of 11 to Ovarian Cancer and subsequently navigated adolescence on her own. Without a mother to guide her, she learned about becoming a woman and a lady through watching movies, and reading classic romantic literature such as Jane Austen, the Bronte Sisters, Emily Dickinson and Lord Byron. By being brought up in a household with all men Robin learned about life as a woman through her imagination. She would later draw on her self-formed nature to create her acting roles.
Robin signed with a talent agency in Miami, Florida at the age of 14. Already a great beauty, the resulting contract landed her a national television commercial, fashion modeling assignments in Glamour Magazine and on the runway for designer Oleg Cassini.
Through Sarah Lawrence college in New York, she studied acting in London, England. Robin performed the leading roles in both musical comedies, Guys and Dolls as Sarah Brown to Sky Masterson played by Jeff Zinn (founder of the Wellfleet Harbor Actors Theater), and Philia in Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum for the North Country Players New England summer repertory theater, under the direction of Ron Bennett.
Robin made her movie debut in independent films. She appeared briefly in the Bill Murray comedy Coming Attractions (1980). Soon her resume began to grow with a role in Outside Chance (1978) a CBS movie of the week with Yvette Mimieux. She arrived as a leading lady, with the David Schmoeller iconic mystery/horror film Tourist Trap (1979), which she starred in with Chuck Connors.
She then moved into major motion pictures, at MGM Studios, director Martin Davidson saw a photograph of her on the wall of the studio's art director and cast Sherwood in a small role in the romantic comedy, Hero at Large (1980) with John Ritter. Immediately following, showing a keen comedic talent, she was delightful as a Marin County hippie feminist, in a supporting role opposite Tuesday Weld in Serial (1980) for Paramount. She then was given the chance to work with director Brian De Palma in a scene stealing cameo role with John Travolta in Blow Out (1981) for Columbia Studios. Her break-through role came when she signed to star opposite Charles Bronson as his emotionally traumatized daughter in the high profile, box office hit, Death Wish II (1982) for MGM, directed by Michael Winner.
She was showered with accolades for her performance as the muted daughter in Death Wish II and singled out for her beauty on screen by Vincent Canby of the New York Times. Her talent and beauty made her an international box office star.
1979
