An Oscar-winning actor who has worked with Tom Cruise, Bruce Willis, Kevin Costner, Sean Penn and Morgan Freeman was spotted this week in Los Angeles.
Now 66, he was unrecognizable when he was seen at LAX on Friday, with a large festive white beard obscuring his memorable features just before Christmas.
He first became a movie star in the late 1980s, featuring in a classic sports drama whose leading lady became his real-life girlfriend.
They were frequently cited as a rare example of a long-lasting Hollywood relationship, only for their romance to fall apart after 21 years.
As well as being an A-list actor, he also enjoyed an acclaimed career as a filmmaker – and has even been credited with discovering Jack Black.
Can you guess who he is?
An Oscar winner who worked with such names as Tom Cruise, Bruce Willis, Kevin Costner, Sean Penn and Morgan Freeman was spotted this week in Los Angeles
The actor in question is The Shawshank Redemption star Tim Robbins, who was spotted hauling a carry-on bag through Los Angeles International Airport this week.
Tim cut a stylish figure during his latest sighting, wearing a moss green checked coat over a black t-shirt and a set of fashionably dark jeans.
His best-remembered work role is the wrongly convicted prisoner Andy Dufresne in the 1994 drama The Shawshank Redemption.
The picture, based on a novel by Stephen King, saw Tim cast alongside Morgan Freeman and is often listed as one of the best films ever made.
Born in Los Angeles and raised partly in New York, Tim came from an artistic family – his father was the 1960s folk musician Gil Robbins of The Highwaymen fame.
Early in his acting career, Tim appeared on such beloved TV shows as the hospital drama St. Elsewhere and Bruce Willis’ star-making detective comedy Moonlighting.
In 1981, Tim founded a Los Angeles theater troupe called the Actors’ Gang, whose early membership included the young John Cusack.
One of his early film roles was a supporting part as LTJG Sam Wells, aka Merlin, in the classic 1986 picture Top Gun, with Tom Cruise and Val Kilmer.
The actor in question is The Shawshank Redemption star Tim Robbins, who was spotted hauling a carry-on bag through Los Angeles International Airport this week
Based on a novel by Stephen King, The Shawshank Redemption saw Tim cast alongside Morgan Freeman and is often listed as one of the best Hollywood films ever made
Tim and Susan Sarandon began their romance in 1988 and remained together for 21 years before they shocked their fans by going their separate ways in 2009; pictured in 2008
However Tim’s big break came in the 1988 baseball movie Bull Durham, starring him alongside Kevin Costner and Susan Sarandon.
Tim and Susan struck up their romance on the set of Bull Durham and remained together for 21 years before they shocked their fans by going their separate ways in 2009.
While together, they were hailed for their professional collaborations, their left-wing political activism and their longstanding personal relationship, which produced two sons – Jack, 35, and Miles, 32.
When Tim became a filmmaker, he received widespread praise for directing Susan alongside Sean Penn in the 1995 anti-death penalty drama Dead Man Walking.
Susan won an Oscar for her role as nun Helen Prejean, while Tim was nominated for best director and Sean was up for best actor for his role as a death role inmate.
Tim’s other movies as an actor include the beloved 2000 romantic comedy High Fidelity, which was led by his old friend John Cusack.
He also featured in the 1990 horror film Jacob’s Ladder with Elizabeth Pena and the 1992 dark comedy The Player with Greta Scacchi.
His Academy Award finally came in 2004, when he won best supporting actor for playing a traumatized rape victim in Clint Eastwood’s drama Mystic River.
However Tim’s big break came in the 1988 movie Bull Durham, starring him (right) alongside Hollywood heavyweights Kevin Costner (left) and Susan Sarandon
When Tim became a filmmaker, he received widespread praise for directing Susan alongside Sean Penn in the 1995 anti-death penalty drama Dead Man Walking
Tim’s Academy Award finally came in 2004, when he won best supporting actor for playing a rape victim with lasting trauma in Clint Eastwood’s drama Mystic River
Tim has also been credited with discovering Jack Black, whom he first cast in a play when the School Of Rock actor was just 12 years old.
As a teenager, Jack started ‘hanging around’ Tim’s college theater troupe the Actors’ Gang, Tim revealed in an interview with The Ringer.
When Tim made his feature film directorial debut with the 1992 political satire Bob Roberts, he cast Jack in a supporting role – giving the younger actor his first movie.
Jack eventually became a star in High Fidelity, a project that also harked back to his Actors’ Gang days, as both Tim and John Cusack were in the cast.
One of Tim’s (pictured) early roles was a supporting part as LTJG Sam Wells, aka Merlin, in the classic 1986 original Top Gun movie starring Tom Cruise
When Tim made his feature film directorial debut with the 1992 political satire Bob Roberts, he cast Jack Black (center) in a supporting role – giving the younger actor his first movie
Tim is currently dating director and cinematographer Reed Morano, 47, who was his date to this year’s Oscars, where they are pictured
Since 2023, Tim has featured on the post-apocalyptic sci-fi series Silo, playing an authoritarian leader he has described as being influenced by the real-life political figures who imposed the COVID-19 lockdowns.
‘I’m talking about a whole bunch of stuff, lack of freedom of movement, lack of freedom of assembly, lack of freedom of speech,’ he told Variety.
The series features a formidable cast including Rashida Jones, Rebecca Ferguson, Harriet Walter, David Oyelowo and Common.
Tim is currently dating director and cinematographer Reed Morano, 47, who was his date to this year’s Oscars, where he presented best supporting actor.
