# Craig Robinson (actor)
**Craig Robinson** (born 1971) is an American actor, comedian, and musician best known for playing Darryl Philbin, the Dunder-Mifflin warehouse manager, on the NBC sitcom *The Office*, and for film roles in *Hot Tub Time Machine*, *This Is the End*, and the DreamWorks animated *The Bad Guys* franchise, where he voices Mr. Shark.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0732497/) • [2](https://snapshot.apple.com/us/person/6621230900) His comedy has always had a musical streak: he performs stand-up built around a keyboard and fronts the funk band The Nasty Delicious.[3](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2010/may/08/craig-robinson-hot-tub)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born | 1971, Chicago, Illinois[2](https://snapshot.apple.com/us/person/6621230900) |
| Signature TV role | Darryl Philbin on *The Office* (2005–2013), moving from guest role to series regular[4](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/1180985-craig_robinson) |
| Education | Bachelor's in music from Illinois State University; master's in music education from St. Xavier University[5](https://mrcraigrobinson.com/about/) |
| Pre-entertainment career | K-8 music teacher in the Chicago Public School System[5](https://mrcraigrobinson.com/about/) |
| Award | Sundance Film Festival special jury prize for dramatic performance in *Morris From America* (2016)[6](https://time.com/4480052/best-summer-movies-2016/) |
| Voice work | Mr. Shark in *The Bad Guys* (2022) and *The Bad Guys 2* (2025)[7](https://prod.dreamworks.com/movies/the-bad-guys-2) |
| Box office | Five tracked films grossed $721.1 million worldwide, led by *The Bad Guys* ($251.2M) and *The Bad Guys 2* ($240.0M)[8](https://boxofficewatch.com/people/craig-robinson) |
## Early life and education
Robinson grew up in Chicago, where his mother taught music in city schools, a background he credits for his talent as a singer and keyboard player.[9](https://news.illinoisstate.edu/2013/05/office-star-craig-robinson-got-hollywood-start-at-isu/) He enrolled at [Illinois State University](https://www.edgepedia.org/illinois-state-university) to pursue music and earned a bachelor's degree in music there in 1994, performing with the university's Interdenominational Youth Choir.[9](https://news.illinoisstate.edu/2013/05/office-star-craig-robinson-got-hollywood-start-at-isu/) • [10](https://news.illinoisstate.edu/2014/09/craig-robinson-headlines-family-weekend-festivities/) It was on campus that he discovered comedy, cracking one-liners for classmates and trying open-mic sets at Chicago-area clubs including Second City and the Chicago Improv.[9](https://news.illinoisstate.edu/2013/05/office-star-craig-robinson-got-hollywood-start-at-isu/)
Rather than jump straight into show business, he earned a master's degree in music education from St. [Xavier University](https://www.edgepedia.org/xavier-university) and then taught music to K-8 students in the Chicago Public School System, at a school he has identified as [Horace Mann](https://www.edgepedia.org/horace-mann) on the South Side.[5](https://mrcraigrobinson.com/about/) • [11](https://www.esquire.com/entertainment/tv/interviews/a36891/craig-robinson-mr-robinson/) During those years he led a double life, teaching music by day and working the city's comedy-club circuit at night.[11](https://www.esquire.com/entertainment/tv/interviews/a36891/craig-robinson-mr-robinson/)
## Stand-up and music
Robinson's first open-mic appearance went badly; he drove to the club realizing he had no jokes, and, by his own account, died on stage without getting a laugh.[3](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2010/may/08/craig-robinson-hot-tub) He kept at it, and a decision to build the act around actual jokes delivered with a Roland JV-30 keyboard paid off when a Chicago comedy talent search led to an appearance on HBO's *Def Comedy Jam*.[3](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2010/may/08/craig-robinson-hot-tub) He first made his mark on the comedy circuit at the 1998 Montreal "Just For Laughs" Festival, won the Miller Genuine Draft 1996 Comedy Search, and went on to perform on *The Jimmy Kimmel Show* and *Real Time with Bill Maher*.[5](https://mrcraigrobinson.com/about/)
His live show remains a hybrid of stand-up, crowd work, and music. He headlines venues and festivals across the country both solo and with his band, The Nasty Delicious, a nine-piece comedy funk outfit of which he calls himself the "weakest member".[3](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2010/may/08/craig-robinson-hot-tub) • [5](https://mrcraigrobinson.com/about/) In interviews he has described music as his first love and his partner in comedy, saying he breaks down scripts by rhythm the way he would a song.[12](https://themusic.com.au/features/craig-robinson-joe-dolan/-1rs7-4REBM/05-12-16)
## The Office and film career
Robinson joined *The Office* in 2005 as the poker-faced warehouse manager Darryl Philbin at the Dunder-Mifflin paper company, and his popularity on the show led to his part being expanded from a guest role to a series regular.[9](https://news.illinoisstate.edu/2013/05/office-star-craig-robinson-got-hollywood-start-at-isu/) • [4](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/1180985-craig_robinson) The show ran through 2013 and earned an Emmy for Outstanding Comedy Series.[9](https://news.illinoisstate.edu/2013/05/office-star-craig-robinson-got-hollywood-start-at-isu/)
His television success opened the door to film. A scene-stealing turn as a club doorman in [Judd Apatow](https://www.edgepedia.org/judd-apatow)'s *Knocked Up* (2007) led to parts in *Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story* and *Pineapple Express* (2008), and he co-starred with [Seth Rogen](https://www.edgepedia.org/seth-rogen) and [Elizabeth Banks](https://www.edgepedia.org/elizabeth-banks) in *Zack and Miri Make a Porno* (2008).[3](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2010/may/08/craig-robinson-hot-tub) • [5](https://mrcraigrobinson.com/about/) In 2010 he played Nick Webber-Agnew in *Hot Tub Time Machine* alongside John Cusack, Rob Corddry, and Clark Duke, and reprised the role in the 2015 sequel.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0732497/) • [5](https://mrcraigrobinson.com/about/) Other roles include Cookie, an ogre camp chef, in *Shrek Forever After* (2010), Maceo Parker in the James Brown biopic *Get On Up* (2014), and himself in the apocalypse comedy *This Is the End* (2013).[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0732497/) • [13](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/craig-robinson/)
Box-office tracking of his five widest releases shows the commercial weight of the animated franchise work: *[The Bad Guys](https://www.edgepedia.org/the-bad-guys-film)* (2022) earned $251.2 million worldwide and *[The Bad Guys 2](https://www.edgepedia.org/the-bad-guys-2)* (2025) $240.0 million, against $127.0 million for *This Is the End*, $66.0 million for *Hot Tub Time Machine*, and $36.9 million for *Zack and Miri Make a Porno*.[8](https://boxofficewatch.com/people/craig-robinson)
## Morris From America and later work
**A dramatic turn.** In Chad Hartigan's *Morris From America* (2016), Robinson played Curtis Gentry, a widowed soccer coach who moves with his 13-year-old son (Markees Christmas) to [Heidelberg](https://www.edgepedia.org/heidelberg), Germany. The film premiered at the 2016 [Sundance Film Festival](https://www.edgepedia.org/sundance-film-festival), where it won the Waldo Salt Screenwriting Award, and Robinson received a special jury prize for his performance.[6](https://time.com/4480052/best-summer-movies-2016/) • [14](https://www.rogerebert.com/interviews/outsider-perspectives-craig-robinson-and-chad-hartigan-on-morris-from-america) He has described the role as a step in a different direction that he relished, and said afterward that the project made other filmmakers trust him with dramatic material.[15](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2016/aug/16/craig-robinson-sausage-party-morris-from-america-mr-robot)
**Leading roles on television.** NBC cast him as a leading man in the semi-autobiographical sitcom *Mr. Robinson* (2015), in which he played a musician teaching middle-school music, mirroring his own years teaching in Chicago; the show was canceled after its first season.[11](https://www.esquire.com/entertainment/tv/interviews/a36891/craig-robinson-mr-robinson/) • [15](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2016/aug/16/craig-robinson-sausage-party-morris-from-america-mr-robot) He later starred in and produced the Peacock comedy *Killing It* (2022), playing Craig Foster, a security guard chasing the American dream through a Florida snake-hunting venture.[16](https://maximumfun.org/transcripts/bullseye-with-jesse-thorn/transcript-bullseye-with-jesse-thorn-craig-robinson/) Recurring television work includes Doug Judy, the "Pontiac Bandit," on *Brooklyn Nine-Nine*, and roles in *Eastbound & Down*, *[Ghosted](https://www.edgepedia.org/ghosted-tv-series)*, and *Mr. Robot*, where he played the mysterious Ray in the second season.[2](https://snapshot.apple.com/us/person/6621230900) • [15](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2016/aug/16/craig-robinson-sausage-party-morris-from-america-mr-robot)
## References
1. [Craig Robinson, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0732497/)
2. [Craig Robinson, Apple Snapshot](https://snapshot.apple.com/us/person/6621230900)
3. [Craig Robinson: from The Office to Hot Tub Time Machine, The Guardian (2010)](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2010/may/08/craig-robinson-hot-tub)
4. [Craig Robinson Movies & TV Shows List, Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/1180985-craig_robinson)
5. [About, Craig Robinson Official Website](https://mrcraigrobinson.com/about/)
6. [The 12 Best Summer Movies You Might Have Missed, Time (2016)](https://time.com/4480052/best-summer-movies-2016/)
7. [The Bad Guys 2, DreamWorks Animation](https://prod.dreamworks.com/movies/the-bad-guys-2)
8. [Craig Robinson Box Office: Every Movie Ranked, Box Office Watch](https://boxofficewatch.com/people/craig-robinson)
9. [Office star Craig Robinson got Hollywood start at ISU, Illinois State University News (2013)](https://news.illinoisstate.edu/2013/05/office-star-craig-robinson-got-hollywood-start-at-isu/)
10. [Craig Robinson headlines Family Weekend festivities, Illinois State University News (2014)](https://news.illinoisstate.edu/2014/09/craig-robinson-headlines-family-weekend-festivities/)
11. [Craig Robinson on How to Handle Annoying Kids and His Old Teaching Job, Esquire (2015)](https://www.esquire.com/entertainment/tv/interviews/a36891/craig-robinson-mr-robinson/)
12. [Drama, Comedy & Music Are All Just As Delicious For Craig Robinson, The Music (2016)](https://themusic.com.au/features/craig-robinson-joe-dolan/-1rs7-4REBM/05-12-16)
13. [Craig Robinson, TV Insider](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/craig-robinson/)
14. [Outsider Perspectives: Craig Robinson & Chad Hartigan on "Morris from America", RogerEbert.com (2016)](https://www.rogerebert.com/interviews/outsider-perspectives-craig-robinson-and-chad-hartigan-on-morris-from-america)
15. [Craig Robinson: the Sausage Party star is having an 'amazing' career moment, The Guardian (2016)](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2016/aug/16/craig-robinson-sausage-party-morris-from-america-mr-robot)
16. [Bullseye with Jesse Thorn: Craig Robinson transcript, Maximum Fun](https://maximumfun.org/transcripts/bullseye-with-jesse-thorn/transcript-bullseye-with-jesse-thorn-craig-robinson/)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Screen people and creators › Screen actors of the Anglosphere and Europe › American actors: 2000s onward › Surnames Ro to R*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 17, 2026; Sep 30, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 12, 2026; Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
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