Robin Tunney (born June 19, 1972) is an American actress. She is best known for her lead roles in the movie The Craft and the hit television series The Mentalist.
At the age of 19, Robin moved to LA winning several recurring TV roles on Class of '96, Law & Order, Dream On, and Life Goes On.
Robin gave her breakthrough performance as a suicidal teenager in Empire Records. She attracted further attention by playing a witch in "The Craft". She shaved her head for Empire Records and had to wear a wig in"The Craft."
(Image of Robin Tunney and Simon Baker on The Mentalist on CBS - CBS.com - All Rights Reserved)
Robin plays Teresa Lisbon who works for the California Bureau of Investigation (CBI) based in Sacramento, California. The Mentalist is an American crime procedural TV series which debuted on September 23, 2008. Robin was born in Chicago, Illinois, to a car salesman father and a bartender mother.
She is Irish American her father Patrick Tunney emigrated from Ireland and grew up on the South Side of Chicago. She graduated from Carl Sandburg High School in 1990. She then went on to study Art at the Chicago Academy for the Arts.
Robin Tunney Is Irish Catholic From A Big Family
Robin recently appeared on The Bonnie Hunt daytime talk show. All Bonnie Hunt fans know that Bonnie comes from Chicago and a big Irish Catholic family of seven children. One of the first things Bonnie said to Robin when she appeared on stage was "you come from a big Irish Catholic family in Chicago like myself."
(Image of Robin Tunney and Simon Baker on The Mentalist on CBS - CBS.com - All Rights Reserved)
Robin Tunney's Hair
Robin, was wearing her chocolate brown hair with a full forehead curtain of bangs parted in the middle. Her hair was softly waved and worn down around her shoulders. It was incredibly shiny.
She was dressed in a beautiful gray long sleeve jacket top with a black belt and a matching black skirt. She tied the outfit together with brilliant red heels. She replied to Bonnie by saying "I do, I do."
Bonnie asked Robin if her family had "a blast with your fame and fortune now? I mean it must be really nice for them." Robin smiled "well they make fun of me. You know they think, 'come on, I could do that, what do you really do? You show up on time, you memorize the lines. Come on."
Bonnie shook her head "finally someone who understands me. Yes! When you're from a big family you never really get beyond the persona you had in sixth grade. With any of them. It doesn't matter what you go onto accomplish. It's still you. From sixth grade."
(Image of Robin Tunney and Simon Baker on The Mentalist on CBS - CBS.com - All Rights Reserved)
A Family Of Critics
Robin said "yeah, they're like Miss Big Time, the worst Schwarzenegger I ever saw, you were in. But it's great. They kinda keep you down to earth and I feel like, I live in Los Angeles now. By virtue, I grew up, my mother comes from a family of nine and all of her sisters and brothers have between three and eight kids. So I grew up with my cousins in a group. And now, my cousin's children are growing up together and I go home and I kinda I pine for it. Like really big families."
Note: Robin was featured opposite Arnold Schwarzenegger in the 1999 action film End of Days.
Bonnie asked "so you'll be home for Christmas in Chicago?" Robin said "I will. I'm gonna freeze. We can call each other" while we're both there. Bonnie agreed "we can call and commiserate. But it's great to freeze there. It's exhilarating."
Robin said "it's the Holidays. And when you've grown up in that. Yeah, but it's a great place and I love the people there."
Bonnie "would your parents pile all you kids in the car for church on Sundays and that stuff? Did you do the whole bit?"
(Image of Robin Tunney on The Mentalist on CBS - CBS.com - All Rights Reserved)
Robin's Dad's Exemption From God For Church
Robin "actually my father didn't come to church on Sunday which I kinda thought was unfair and I asked him, when I was a little girl 'dad how come we have to go to church and you don't?'
She continued "he said 'Robin was I was a little boy in Ireland, I was walking down the street to church and God came down and he said 'Patrick Tunney you've gone to church enough. You never have to go again.'
Robin explained her father by saying "yeah, he was a car salesman so he was a bit of an actor himself."
Robin's Dad - The Gay Hairdresser Named Laddy
Robin told Bonnie "there's this really funny story. My mother was a bartender and she was sick and there were two weeks where my father went to go and take her place at work at the bar. And she went to work at the bar a month later and they said 'oh my god, Laddy is fabulous' and my mom said 'Laddy, who's Laddy?"
(Image of Robin Tunney on The Mentalist on CBS - CBS.com - All Rights Reserved)
Robin said the people at the bar said 'the gay hairdresser who took your place.' Robin said "and my father pretended to be a hairdresser. And like women were taking his advice. They got the Dorothy Hamill haircut in the 70s andthey said 'Laddy said I would look amazing.'
Bonnie said "oh I love it. I love it. He's the typical Irish storyteller. He even embodies the characters." Robin agreed. "Such a colorful family growing up in that environment, I mean, you do feel creative and you know, they're storytellers."
Bonnie finished her interview with Robin by saying "so nice to meet you. You're a joy to watch on the show. You're just amazing. So talented."
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