Timothy Francis Robbins was born in West Covina, California. His mother Mary Cecelia, was an actress while his father Gilbert Lee Robins was a musician and folk singer. Robins had a staunch Catholic upbringing in New York City. He then moved to Greenwich Village with his family so that his father could pursue a career in the folk singing group, The Highwaymen. Tim`s first tryst with acting came at the age of 12 when he began doing theatre and joined the drama club at Stuyvesant High School. He spent his teenage years working with the Theatre for the New City. He graduated from college in 1981 and co-founded the Actors Gang which was an experimental theatre group in Los Angeles. In 1982, he played the part of a domestic terrorist in three episodes of the television show St. Elsewhere. He did menial roles in a few films like Fraternity Vacation (1985) and Top Gun (1986). His career took a turn when he played the part of Ebby Calvin LaLoosh in the baseball film Bull Durham (1988). Robins made his directorial and screenwriting debut with Bob Roberts (1992), a mockumentary about a senatorial candidate.

Tim Robbins is known for his role as Nuke in Bull Durham (1988) and Jacob Singer in the psychological horror flick Jacobs Ladder (1990). He was appreciated for his work in the critically acclaimed Shawshank Redemption (1994). He received an Academy Award nomination for Best Director for Dead Man Walking (1995) which also featured Susan Sarandon, his long-time companion. The prison drama was based on a short story by American author Stephen King. Tim`s portrayal of Dave Boyle in the Mystic River (2003) won him an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor. His other notable works include Green Lantern (2011), Life of Crime (2013), A Perfect Day (2015), Marjorie Prime (2017) and Dark Waters (2019).