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For other people named Robin Williams, see Robin Williams (disambiguation).

Robin McLaurim Williams[1][2] (born July 21, 1951, died August 11, 2014)[3] was an American actor and comedian.


Rising to fame with his role as the alien Mork in the TV series Mork and Mindy, and later stand-up comedy work, Williams had performed in many feature films since 1980. He won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his performance in the 1997 film Good Will Hunting. He had also won two Emmy Awards, four Golden Globes, two Screen Actors Guild Awards and five Grammy Awards.

Early life[]

Williams was born in Chicago, Illinois. His mother, Laura (née Smith, 1922–2001), was a former model from New Orleans, Louisiana.[4] His father, Robert Fitzgerald Williams (September 10, 1906 – October 18, 1987) was a senior executive at Ford Motorship in charge of the Midwest area. He was of English, Welsh and Irish descent on his father's side, and of French descent on his mother's side.[5] Williams was raised in the Episcopal Church, though his mother practiced Christian Science.[6][7] He grew up in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, where he was a student at the Detroit Country Day School,[8] and Marin County, California, where he attended the public Redwood High School. Williams also attended Claremont McKenna College (then called Claremont Men's College) for four years.[citation needed] He had two half-brothers: Todd (who died August 14, 2007) and McLaurin.[9]

Williams has described himself as a quiet child whose first imitation was of his grandmother to his mother. He did not overcome his shyness until he became involved with his high-school drama department.[10]

In 1973, Williams was one of only 20 students accepted into the freshman class at the Juilliard School, and one of only two students to be accepted by John Houseman into the Advanced Program at the school that year, the other being Christopher Reeve.[11] In his dialects class, Williams had no trouble mastering all dialects quickly. Williams left Juilliard in 1976.

Television career[]

After appearing in the cast of the short-lived The Richard Pryor Show on NBC, Williams was cast by Garry Marshall as the alien Mork in the hit TV series "Happy Days".[12] As Mork, Williams improvised much of his dialogue and devised plenty of rapid-fire verbal and physical comedy, speaking in a high, nasal voice. Mork's appearance was so popular with viewers that it led to a spin-off hit television sitcom, Mork and Mindy, which ran from 1978 to 1982. Although playing the same character as in his appearance in Happy Days, the show was set in the present day, in Boulder, Colorado, instead of the late '50s in Milwaukee. Mork was an extremely popular character, featured on posters, coloring books, lunchboxes, and other merchandise.

Starting in the late 1970s and throughout the 1980s, Williams began to reach a wider audience with his standup comedy, including three HBO comedy specials, Off The Wall (1978), An Evening with Robin Williams (1982), and Robin Williams: Live at the Met (1986). Also in 1986, Williams reached an ever wider audience to exhibit his style at the 58th Academy Awards show; noting the Hollywood writers' strike that year he commented that the Hollywood writer... "is the only man in the world that can blow smoke up his own ass." As a result, Williams had never hosted the Academy Awards again.[citation needed]

His stand-up work has been a consistent thread through his career, as is seen by the success of his one-man show (and subsequent DVD) Robin Williams Live on Broadway (2002). He was voted 13th on Comedy Central's list "100 Greatest Stand-ups of All Time" in 2004.[13]

After some encouragement from his friend Whoopi Goldberg, he was set to make a guest appearance in the 1991 Star Trek: The Next Generation episode, "A Matter of Time", but he had to cancel due to a scheduling conflict;[14] Matt Frewer took his place as a time-traveling con man, Professor Berlingoff Rasmussen.

Williams also appeared on an episode of the American version of Whose Line Is It Anyway? (Season 3, Episode 9: November 16, 2000). During a game of "Scenes from a Hat", the scene "What Robin Williams is thinking right now" was drawn, and Williams stated "I have a career. What the hell am I doing here?"[15]

Cinema career[]

Most of Williams' acting career has been in film, although he has given some performances on stage as well (notably as Estragon in a production of Waiting for Godot with Steve Martin). His performance in Good Morning, Vietnam (1987) got Williams nominated for an Academy Award. Many of his roles have been comedies tinged with pathos.

His role as the Genie in the animated film Aladdin was instrumental in establishing the importance of star power in voice actor casting. Williams also used his voice talents in Fern Gully, as the holographic Dr. Know in the 2001 feature A.I. Artificial Intelligence, the 2005 animated feature Robots, the 2006 Academy Award winning Happy Feet, and an uncredited vocal performance in 2006's Everyone's Hero. Furthermore, he was the voice of The Timekeeper, a former attraction at the Walt Disney World Resort about a time-traveling robot who encounters Jules Verne and brings him to the future.

In 1998, he won an Oscar as Best Supporting Actor for his role as a psychologist in Good Will Hunting.[16] However, by the early 2000s, he was thought by some to be typecast in films such as Patch Adams (1998) and Bicentennial Man (1999) that critics complained were excessively maudlin.[citation needed]

Williams also starred in dramatic films, which earned him two subsequent Academy Award nominations: First for playing an English teacher in Dead Poets Society (1989), and later for playing a troubled homeless man in The Fisher King (1991);[16] that same year, he played an adult Peter Pan in the movie Hook. Other acclaimed dramatic films include Awakenings (1990) and What Dreams May Come (1998). In the 2002 dramatic thriller Insomnia, Williams portrays a writer/killer on the run from a sleep-deprived Los Angeles policeman (played by Al Pacino) in rural Alaska. And also in 2002, in the psychological thriller One Hour Photo, Williams played an emotionally disturbed photo development technician who becomes obsessed with a family for whom he has developed pictures for a long time. In 2006 Williams starred in The Night Listener, a thriller about a radio show host who realizes he has developed a friendship with a child who may or may not exist.

He was known for his improvisational skills and impersonations. His performances frequently involve impromptu humor designed and delivered in rapid-fire succession while on stage. According to the Aladdin DVD commentary, most of his dialogue as the Genie was improvised.

In 2006, he starred in five movies including Man of the Year and was the Surprise Guest at the 2006 Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards. He appeared on an episode of Extreme Makeover: Home Edition that aired on January 30, 2006.

At one point, he was in the running to play the Riddler in Batman Forever until director Tim Burton dropped the project. Earlier, Williams had been a strong contender to play the Joker in Batman. He had expressed interest in assuming the role in The Dark Knight, the sequel to 2005's Batman Begins,[17] although the part of the Joker was played by Heath Ledger, who went on to win, posthumously, the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor.

He was portrayed by Chris Diamantopoulos in the made-for-TV biopic Behind the Camera: The Unauthorized Story of Mork & Mindy (2005), documenting the actor's arrival in Hollywood as a struggling comedian.

Disputes with Disney[]

In gratitude for his success with the Disney/Touchstone film Good Morning, Vietnam, Robin Williams voiced the Genie in the Disney animated film Aladdin for SAG scale pay ($75,000), on condition that his name or image not be used for marketing, and his (supporting) character not take more than 25% of space on advertising artwork, since Toys was scheduled for release one month after Aladdin's debut. The studio went back on the deal on both counts, especially in poster art by having the Genie in 25% of the image, but having other major and supporting characters portrayed considerably smaller. Disney's Hyperion book, Aladdin: The Making Of An Animated Film, listed both of Williams' characters "The Peddler" and "The Genie" ahead of main characters, but was forced to refer to him only as "the actor signed to play the Genie".[18]

Williams and Disney had a bitter falling-out, and as a result Dan Castellaneta voiced the Genie in The Return of Jafar, the Aladdin animated television series, and had recorded his voice for Aladdin and the King of Thieves. When Jeffrey Katzenberg was fired from Disney and replaced by former 20th Century Fox production head Joe Roth (whose last act for Fox was greenlighting Williams' film Mrs. Doubtfire), Roth arranged for a public apology to Williams by Disney. Williams agreed to perform in Hollywood Pictures' Jack, directed by Francis Ford Coppola, and even agreed to voice the Genie again for the King Of Thieves sequel (for considerably more than scale), replacing all of Castellaneta's dialogue.[19]

When Williams re-teamed with Doubtfire director Chris Columbus for 1999's Bicentennial Man, Disney asked that the budget be cut by approximately $20 million, and when the film was released on Christmas Day, it flopped at the box office. Williams blamed Disney's marketing and the loss of content the film had suffered due to the budget cuts. As a result, Williams was again on bad terms with Disney, and Castellaneta was once again recruited to replace him as Genie in the Kingdom Hearts video game series and the House of Mouse TV series. The DVD release for Aladdin has no involvement whatsoever from Williams in the bonus materials, although some of his original recording sessions can be seen.

Robin Williams had recently made peace with the Walt Disney Company and in 2009 agreed to be inducted into the Disney Hall of Fame, designated as a Disney Legend.[20]

Stand-up career[]

Robin Williams had done a number of stand-up comedy tours since the early 1970s. Some of his most notable tours include An Evening With Robin Williams (1982), Robin Williams: At The Met (1986) and Robin Williams LIVE on Broadway (2002). The latter broke many long held records for a comedy show. In some cases, tickets were sold out within thirty minutes of going on sale.

After a six-year break, in August 2008 Williams announced a brand new 26-city tour titled "Weapons of Self Destruction". He was quoted as saying that this was his last chance to make cracks at the expense of the current Bush Administration, but by the time the show was staged only a few minutes covered that subject. The tour started at the end of September 2009, finishing in New York on December 3, and was the subject of an HBO special on December 8, 2009.[21]

Controversy[]

Williams was accused of stealing material from other comics to the extent that David Brenner claims that he confronted Williams personally and threatened him with bodily harm if he heard Williams utter another one of his jokes.[22]

Personal life[]

Robin Williams' first marriage was to Valerie Velardi on June 4, 1978, with whom he has one child, Zachary Pym (Zak) (born April 11, 1983). During Williams' first marriage, he was involved in an extramarital relationship with Michelle Tish Carter, a cocktail waitress whom he met in 1984. She sued him in 1986, claiming that he did not tell her he was infected with the herpes simplex virus before he embarked on a sexual relationship with her in the mid-1980s, during which, she said, he transmitted the virus to her. The case was settled out of court.[23]

On April 30, 1989, he married Marsha Garces, his son's nanny who was already several months pregnant with his child. They have two children, Zelda Rae (born July 31, 1989) and Cody Alan (born November 25, 1991). However, in March 2008, Garces filed for divorce from Williams, citing irreconcilable differences.[24]

During the late 1970s and early 1980s, Williams had an addiction to cocaine; he has since quit. Williams was a close friend and frequent partier alongside John Belushi. He said the death of his friend and the birth of his son prompted him to quit drugs: "Was it a wake-up call? Oh yeah, on a huge level. The grand jury helped, too."[16]

On August 9, 2006, Williams checked himself in to a substance-abuse rehabilitation center (located in Newberg, Oregon), later admitting that he was an alcoholic.[25] His publicist delivered the announcement:

"After 20 years of sobriety, Robin Williams found himself drinking again and has decided to take proactive measures to deal with this for his own well-being and the well-being of his family. He asks that you respect his and his family's privacy during this time. He looks forward to returning to work this fall to support his upcoming film releases."[26]

On August 20, 2007, Williams' elder brother, Robert Todd Williams, died of complications from heart surgery performed a month earlier.[27]

Williams was a member of the Episcopal Church. He has described his denomination in a comedy routine as "Catholic Lite — same rituals, half the guilt."[28]

While studying at Juilliard, Williams befriended Christopher Reeve. They had several classes together in which they were the only students, and they remained good friends for the rest of Reeve's life. Williams visited Reeve after the horse riding accident that rendered him a quadriplegic, and cheered him up by pretending to be an eccentric Russian doctor (similar to his role in Nine Months). Williams claimed that he was there to perform a colonoscopy. Reeve stated that he laughed for the first time since the accident and knew that life was going to be okay.[11]

Williams lived in San Francisco.[29]

Williams married his third wife, graphic designer Susan Schneider, on October 22, 2011, in St. Helena, California. The two lived at their house in Sea Cliff, San Francisco, California.

Williams said, "My children give me a great sense of wonder. Just to see them develop into these extraordinary human beings." In May 2019, Zak Williams and his fiancée Olivia June announced the birth of their son, McLaurin "Mickey" Clement Williams, Robin's first grandchild. McLaurin was Robin's middle name. Cody Williams and his fiancée were married on July 21, 2019, on what would have been Williams's 68th birthday.

Health[]

Williams was hospitalized in March 2009 due to heart problems. He postponed his one-man tour in order to undergo surgery to replace his aortic valve.[30][31] The surgery was successfully completed on March 13, 2009, at the Cleveland Clinic.[32][33]

Other interests[]

File:Robin Williams 2008.jpg

Williams speaking at the 2008 BBC World Debate

Williams was an avid enthusiast of games (even naming his daughter after Princess Zelda from The Legend of Zelda video game series),[34] enjoying pen-and-paper role-playing games and online video games, recently playing Warcraft 3, Day of Defeat, Half-Life,[35] and the first-person shooter Battlefield 2 as a sniper.[36] On January 6, 2006, he performed live at Consumer Electronics Show during Google's keynote.[37] In the 2006 E3, on the invitation of Will Wright, he demonstrated the creature editor of Spore while simultaneously commenting on the creature's look: "This will actually make a platypus look good."[38] He also complimented the game's versatility, comparing it to Populous and Black & White. Later that year, he was one of several celebrities to participate in the Worldwide Dungeons & Dragons Game Day.[39]

Williams had gone on record as a fan of the anime series Neon Genesis Evangelion, and incorporated a scene referencing it in One Hour Photo where he purchased a model kit from it as a gift.

A fan of professional road cycling, he was a regular on the US Postal and Discovery Channel Pro Cycling team bus and hotels during the years Lance Armstrong dominated the Tour de France.[40] He owns over 50 bicycles.[41]

He also enjoyed rugby union and was a big fan of former All Black, Jonah Lomu.[42]

Williams was a supporter of eco-friendly vehicles. He drived a Toyota Prius,[43] and was on the waiting list for an Aptera 2 Series electric vehicle.[44]

Charity work[]

Williams and his former wife, Marsha, founded the Windfall Foundation, a philanthropic organization to raise money for many different charities. Williams devotes much of his energy doing work for charities, including the Comic Relief fund-raising efforts. In December 1999, he sang in French on the BBC-inspired music video of international celebrities doing a cover of the Rolling Stones' "It's Only Rock & Roll" for the charity Children's Promise.[45]

Williams has performed with the USO for U.S. troops stationed in Iraq and Afghanistan.[46]

Death[]

On August 11, 2014, at his home in Paradise Cay, California, Williams committed suicide by hanging. His body was cremated at Monte's Chapel of the Hills in San Anselmo, and his ashes were scattered over San Francisco Bay the next day.

The final autopsy report, released in November 2014, concluded that he "died of asphyxia due to hanging". Neither alcohol nor illegal drugs were involved, and prescription drugs present in his body were at therapeutic levels. The report also noted that Williams had been suffering from depression and anxiety. An examination of his brain tissue suggested Williams suffered from "diffuse Lewy body dementia". Describing the disease as "the terrorist inside my husband's brain", his widow Susan Schneider Williams said that "however you look at it—the presence of Lewy bodies took his life", referring to his previous diagnosis of Parkinson's. She revealed that in the year before his death Williams had experienced a sudden and prolonged spike in fear and anxiety, depression, and insomnia, which worsened in severity to include memory loss, paranoia, and delusions. Medical experts struggled to determine a cause, and eventually diagnosed him with Parkinson's disease.

The Lewy Body Dementia Association (LBDA) clarified the distinction between the term used in the autopsy report, "diffuse Lewy body dementia"—which is more commonly called "diffuse Lewy body disease" and refers to the underlying disease process—and the umbrella term "Lewy body dementia"—which encompasses both Parkinson's disease dementia (PD) and dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB). According to LBDA spokesperson Dennis Dickson, "The report confirms he experienced depression, anxiety, and paranoia, which may occur in either Parkinson's disease or dementia with Lewy bodies. ... In early PD, Lewy bodies are generally limited in distribution, but in DLB, the Lewy bodies are spread widely throughout the brain, as was the case with Robin Williams."Ian G. McKeith, professor and researcher of Lewy body dementias, commented that Williams's symptoms and autopsy findings were explained by DLB.

Tributes[]

A fan-made tribute to Williams at the San Francisco Pacific Heightshome used for Mrs. Doubtfire(August 2014)

Williams's death instantly became global news. The entertainment world, friends, and fans responded to his death through social and other media outlets. His wife, Susan Schneider, said: "I lost my husband and my best friend, while the world lost one of its most beloved artists and beautiful human beings. I am utterly heartbroken." His daughter Zelda Williams responded to his death by saying the "world is forever a little darker, less colorful and less full of laughter in his absence".

President Barack Obama released a statement upon Williams's death:

Williams was scheduled to be the "Blackmail" special guest for the final night of Monty Python's ten-date stage shows in London one month before his death—with one of his friends, Monty Python's Eric Idle—but cancelled, stating he was "suffering from severe depression" at the time. When the show was released on video, it was dedicated to Williams.

At the United Nations Headquarters on August 12, 2014, Robin Williams was celebrated during the opening of the International Youth Day. In the presence of U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki Moon, Assistant Secretary General Thomas Gass paid tribute to Williams by standing on the pulpit of the ECOSOC Chamber and quoting Keating's lines from the 1989 film Dead Poets Society: "Dare to look at things in a different way!" Several fans similarly paid tribute to Williams on social media with photo and video reenactments of Dead Poets Society's "O Captain! My Captain!" scene.

Shortly after his death, Disney Channel, Disney XD, and Disney Junior all aired the original Aladdincommercial-free over the course of a week, with a dedicated drawing of the genie at the end of each airing before the credits. In honor of his theater work, the lights of Broadway were darkened for the evening of August 14, 2014. That night, the cast of the Aladdin musical honored Williams by having the audience join them in a sing-along of "Friend Like Me", an Oscar-nominated song originally sung by Williams in the 1992 film Aladdin.


The Los Angeles Theatre honors Williams on their marquee.

Fans of Williams created makeshift memorials at his star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and at locations from his television and film career, such as the bench in Boston's Public Garden featured in Good Will Hunting; the Pacific Heights, San Francisco, home used in Mrs. Doubtfire; the sign for Parrish Shoes in Keene, New Hampshire, where parts of Jumanji were filmed; and the Boulder, Colorado, home used for Mork & Mindy.

During the 66th Primetime Emmy Awards on August 25, 2014, close friend and fellow comedian Billy Crystal presented a tribute to Williams, referring to him as "the brightest star in our comedy galaxy". Afterwards, some of Williams's best comedy moments were shown, including his first ever The Tonight Show appearance, indicating his great life in making people laugh. Talk show hosts including David Letterman, Conan O'Brien, Seth Meyers, Jimmy Kimmel, and Jimmy Fallon paid tribute to Williams on their respective shows.

On September 9, 2014, PBS aired a one-hour special devoted to his career, and on September 27, 2014, dozens of leading stars and celebrities held a tribute in San Francisco to celebrate his life and career.

British heavy metal band Iron Maiden dedicated a song to Williams, titled "Tears of a Clown", on their 2015 album The Book of Souls. The song looks into his depression and suicide, as well as how he attempted to hide his condition from the public.

A tunnel, painted with a rainbow, on Highway 101north of the Golden Gate Bridge was officially named the "Robin Williams Tunnel" on February 29, 2016.

In 2017, Sharon Meadow in San Francisco's Golden Gate Park, the home of the annual Comedy Day, was renamed Robin Williams Meadow.

In 2018, HBO produced a documentary about his life and career. Directed by Marina Zenovich, the film, Robin Williams: Come Inside My Mind, was also screened at the Sundance Film Festival. That same year, a mural of Robin Williams was created on Market Street, in San Francisco. Work on a book biography was begun by New York Times writer David Itzkoff in 2014, and was published in 2018, entitled simply Robin.

In August 2020, Vertical Entertainment released a trailer for a new documentary, Robin's Wish, exploring Williams's battle with Lewy body dementia. The film, directed by Tylor Norwood, was digitally released on September 1, 2020.

Filmography[]

Year Film Role Notes
1977 Can I Do It 'Till I Need Glasses? Himself
1980 Popeye Popeye
1982 The World According to Garp T.S. Garp
1983 The Survivors Donald Quinelle
1984 Moscow on the Hudson Vladimir Ivanov Nominated — Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy
1986 Seize the Day Tommy Wilhelm
Club Paradise Jack Moniker
The Best of Times Jack Dundee
1987 Good Morning, Vietnam Adrian Cronauer Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy
Nominated — Academy Award for Best Actor
Nominated — BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role
Nominated — American Comedy Award for Funniest Actor in a Motion Picture (Leading Role)
1988 The Adventures of Baron Munchausen King of the Moon Credited as Ray D. Tutto
Nominated — American Comedy Award for Funniest Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture
Portrait of a White Marriage Air Conditioning Salesman uncredited
Rabbit Ears: Pecos Bill Narrator Voice
1989 Dead Poets Society John Keating Nominated — Academy Award for Best Actor
Nominated — BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role
Nominated — Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Drama
I'm from Hollywood Himself
1990 Awakenings Dr. Malcolm Sayer Nominated — Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Drama
National Board of Review Award for Best Actor (Tied with Robert DeNiro for Awakenings)
Cadillac Man Joey O'Brien
Back to Neverland Himself
1991 Hook Peter Banning / Peter Pan
The Fisher King Parry Golden Globe Award for Best Actor - Motion Picture Musical or Comedy
Nominated — Academy Award for Best Actor
Nominated — Saturn Award for Best Actor
Dead Again Doctor Cozy Carlisle
"Rabbit Ears: The Fool and the Flying Ship" Narrator Voice
1992 Toys Leslie Zevo Nominated — Saturn Award for Best Actor
Aladdin Genie/Merchant Voice
Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actor
Special Golden Globe Award (for his vocal work)
MTV Movie Award for Best Comedic Performance
The Timekeeper The Timekeeper
FernGully: The Last Rainforest Batty Koda Voice
Shakes the Clown Mime Class Instructor
1993 Mrs. Doubtfire Daniel Hillard/Mrs. Doubtfire Golden Globe Award for Best Actor - Motion Picture Musical or Comedy
American Comedy Award for Funniest Actor in a Motion Picture (Leading Role)
MTV Movie Award for Best Comedic Performance
Nominated — MTV Movie Award for Best Male Performance
Being Human Hector
1994 In Search of Dr. Seuss Father
1995 Aladdin and the King of Thieves Genie Voice
Jumanji Alan Parrish Nominated — Saturn Award for Best Actor
Nominated — Blimp Award for Favorite Movie Actor
To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything! Julie Newmar John Jacob Jingleheimer Schmidt
Nine Months Dr. Kosevich Nominated — American Comedy Award for Funniest Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture
1996 Hamlet Osric
The Secret Agent The Professor
Jack Jack Powell Nominated — Blimp Award for Favorite Movie Actor
The Birdcage Armand Goldman Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture
Nominated — MTV Movie Award for Best Comedic Performance
Nominated — MTV Movie Award for Best On-Screen Duo (Shared with Nathan Lane)
1997 Good Will Hunting Sean Maguire Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor
Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role
Nominated — Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor – Motion Picture
Nominated — Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture
Nominated — Satellite Award for Best Supporting Actor – Motion Picture
Flubber Professor Philip Brainard Blockbuster Entertainment Award for Favorite Actor/Actress - Family
Nominated — Blimp Award for Favorite Movie Actor
Deconstructing Harry Mel/Harry's Character
Fathers' Day Dale Putley
1998 Patch Adams Hunter "Patch" Adams Nominated — Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy
Nominated — American Comedy Award for Funniest Actor in a Motion Picture (Leading Role)
Nominated — Satellite Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy
Junket Whore Himself
What Dreams May Come Chris Nielsen
1999 Bicentennial Man Andrew Martin Nominated — Blockbuster Entertainment Award for Favorite Actor - Comedy
Nominated — Blimp Award for Favorite Movie Actor
Jakob the Liar Jakob Heym/Narrator
Get Bruce Himself
2000 Model Behavior Faremain
2001 A.I. Artificial Intelligence Dr. Know voice
2002 The Rutles 2: Can't Buy Me Lunch Hans Hänkie
Insomnia Walter Finch Nominated — Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actor
Death to Smoochy 'Rainbow' Randolph Smiley
One Hour Photo Seymour 'Sy' Parrish Saturn Award for Best Actor
Nominated — Broadcast Film Critics Association Award for Best Actor
Nominated — Online Film Critics Society Award for Best Actor
Nominated — Satellite Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Drama
2004 Noel Charlie Boyd/The Priest
House of D Pappass
The Final Cut Alan W. Hakman
2005 The Big White Paul Barnell
Robots Fender Voice
Nominated — Blimp Award for Favorite Voice from an Animated Feature
The Aristocrats Himself
2006 Man of the Year Tom Dobbs
Night at the Museum Theodore Roosevelt
Happy Feet Ramon/Lovelace (voice)
Everyone's Hero Napoleon Cross (voice)
RV Bob Munro
The Night Listener Gabriel Noone
2007 License to Wed Reverend Frank
August Rush Maxwell "Wizard" Wallace
2009 Shrink Holden
World's Greatest Dad Lance Clayton
Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian Theodore Roosevelt
Old Dogs Dan Rayburn
2010 Wedding Banned[47] John Fischer
2011 Happy Feet 2 Ramon/Lovelace Voices
2013 The Big Wedding Father Monighan Justin Zackham
The Butler Dwight D. Eisenhower Lee Daniels
The Face of Love Roger Arie Posin
2014 Boulevard Nolan Mack Dito Montiel
The Angriest Man in Brooklyn Henry Altmann Phil Alden Robinson
A Merry Friggin' Christmas Mitch Tristram Shapeero Posthumous release
Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb Theodore "Teddy" Roosevelt &

The Garuda Artifact

Shawn Levy
2015 Absolutely Anything Dennis the Dog (voice) Terry Jones

Television[]

Year Title Role Notes
1977 The Richard Pryor Show Himself Writer
"Man with Bad Arm," "John Brownstein, Defense Attorney/Archeologist/Shopper," "Himself," "Himself/Titanic Survivor/Voice of Gun"
Laugh-In
Eight is Enough Episode: "The Return of Auntie V"
1978 Happy Days Mork Episode: My Favorite Orkan
America 2-Night Jason Shine Episodes: "Jason Shine" and "Olfactory Distosis Telethon"
1978–1982 Mork & Mindy Mork Appeared in 92 episodes
Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Television Series Musical or Comedy (Won in 1979, Nominated in 1980)
Nominated — Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor – Comedy Series
1979 Happy Days Mork Episode: "Mork Returns"
Out of the Blue Episode: "Random's Arrival"
1981 Saturday Night Live Himself Host/Various
1982 The Billy Crystal Comedy Hour Himself Episode: #1.1
Faerie Tale Theatre Frog/Prince Robin Episode: "Tale of the Frog Prince"
SCTV Network 90 Various Episode: "Jane Eyrehead"
1984 Saturday Night Live Himself Host/Various
Pryor's Place Gaby Episode: "Sax Education"
1986 Saturday Night Live Himself Host/Various
The Max Headroom Show Himself Episode: "Max Headroom's Giant Christmas Turkey"
1988 Saturday Night Live Himself Host/Various
Wogan Himself
1991 Wogan Himself
A Wish For Wings That Work The Kiwi Voice (Credited as Sudy Nim)
1992 The Larry Sanders Show Himself Episode: "Hank's Contract"
1994 Homicide: Life on the Streets Robert Ellison Episode: "Bop Gun"
Nominated — Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actor – Drama Series
Live & Kicking Himself
The Larry Sanders Show Himself Episode: "Montana"
Nyhetsmorgon Himself Episode: "Filmen 'Mrs. Doubtfire' svensk premiär"
In the Wild Himself Episode: "In the Wild: Dolphins with Robin Williams"
1995 Primer Plano Himself
1996 American Masters Himself Episode: "Take Two: Mike Nichols and Elaine May"
Primer Plano
1996 Friends Tomas Uncredited
HBO First Look Himself Episode: "Fathers Day"
1998 Nyhetsmorgon Himself/Sean Maguire Episode: "Filmen 'Good Will Hunting"
Hollywood Squares Himself Guest appearance
Noel's House Party Himself Episode: #8.10
1999 L.A. Doctors Hugo Kinsley Episode: "Just Duet"
2000 Whose Line Is It Anyway? (U.S. TV series) Himself Episodes: #3.4 and #3.9
2002 Comedy Central Canned Ham Himself Episode: "Death to Smoochy"
Leute heute Himself
Supermarket Sweep Himself
2003 Player$ Himself Episodes: "E3 03, Playa;" "Players Halloweenie Televizzie"
Freedoom: A History of Us Josiah Quincy/Ulysses S. Grant/Missouri Farmer/Wilbur Wright/Orville Wright Episodes: "Wake Up America," "A War to End Slavery," "Liberty for All," and "Safe for Democracy"
Life With Bonnie Kevin Powalski Episode: "Psychic"
2004 This Hour Has 22 Minutes Himself
2005 Just For Laughs Himself
2006 Extreme Makeover: Home Edition Himself
Mind of Mencia Himself Episode: "That's F**king Historical"
Getaway Himself Episode: #15.15
2008 American Idol: The Search for a New Superstar Ivan "Bob" Poppanoff the "Russian Idol"/Himself Episodes: "Idol Gives Back" and "Live Results Show: One Contestant Eliminated"
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Merrit Rook Episode: "Authority"
Nominated — Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actor – Drama Series
2009 SpongeBob SquarePants Himself Episode: "Truth or Square"
TV Land Moguls Himself Episode: "The 80s"
2010 Alan Carr Chatty Man Himself class="wikitable sortable" 2012 Wilfred Dr. Eddy / Himself Episode: "Progress"
Louie Himself Episode: "Barney/Never"
2013–2014 The Crazy Ones Simon Roberts 22 episodes

Discography[]

Williams sings a version of "Come Together" with Bobby McFerrin on In My Life, a Beatles tribute album produced by George Martin. He also sings "A Mi Manera (My Way)", on the Happy Feet soundtrack. For the 1992 soundtrack of Aladdin he sang the songs "Friend Like Me" and "Prince Ali". For the 1993 soundtrack of Mrs. Doubtfire, and the film, he sings a rendition of a fragment of Gioachino Rossini's "Largo al factotum" from The Barber of Seville.

Williams appeared in the music video of Bobby McFerrin's hit song "Don't Worry, Be Happy".[48]

  • Reality...What a Concept (1979)
  • Throbbing Python of Love (1983)
  • A Night at the Met (1986)
  • Pecos Bill (1988)
  • Live 2002 (2002)
  • Weapons of Self-Destruction (2010)

DVDs and videos[]

  • An Evening with Robin Williams (1982, VHS)
  • Robin Williams: Live at the Met (1986, VHS)
  • Robin Williams: Live on Broadway (2002)
  • Robin Williams: Weapons of Self Destruction (2010)

References[]

  1. Thomas, Mike (2002-02-24). "A nose for laughs". Chicago Sun-Times. Retrieved 2009-12-14. 
  2. McMullen, Marion (2002-10-05). "Article: WEEKEND TV: STAR PROFILE.(Features)". Coventry Evening Telegraph. Retrieved 2009-12-14. 
  3. Sources conflict. The print biographies The Life and Humor of Robin Williams: A Biography and Robin Williams: A Biography give his birth year as 1952. The Robin Williams Scrapbook also gives a birth year as 1952, as does Encyclopedia Britannica. Williams refers to himself as being "55" in an interview published July 4, 2007. Monk, Katherine (2007-07-04). "Marriage 101 with Robin Williams". StarPhoenix.  He also verifies his date of birth as July 21, 1951 in a fansite interview: Stuurman, Linda. RWF talks with Robin Williams: Proost!, May 25, 2008.
  4. "If Robin Williams' comedies are inspired by his life no wonder he's been in therapy". Sunday Herald. 1999-03-14. Retrieved 2009-12-14. 
  5. "People News". www.monstersandcritics.com. 
  6. Gristwood, Sarah (1998-06-18). "Bobbin' Robin". Mail & Guardian Online. Archived from the original on October 4, 2006. Retrieved 2007-12-26. 
  7. Topel, Fred (2007-07-03). "Robin Williams on License to Wed". CanMag. Retrieved 2007-12-26. 
  8. "Detroit Country Day: Frequently Asked Questions". Dcds.edu. Retrieved 2010-08-29. 
  9. McLellan, Dennis (2007-08-18). "R. Todd Williams, 69; winery founder, comic's brother" (PDF). Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2008-02-10. 
  10. "Robin Williams: 'The Night Listener'". Terry Gross (host). Fresh Air from WHYY. National Public Radio. 2006-08-03.
  11. 11.0 11.1 Reeve, Christopher (1998). Still Me. New York: Random House. pp. 167–172. ISBN 978-067945235-5. 
  12. "Happy Days - Richie Meets Mork". YouTube. Retrieved 2010-08-29. 
  13. "Comedy Central Presents: 100 Greatest Stand-Ups of All Time". Internet Movie Database. Retrieved 2007-12-26. 
  14. "Biography for Robin Williams". Internet Movie Database. Retrieved 2008-04-13. 
  15. "Episode 9". Whose Line Is It Anyway?. 2000-11-16.
  16. 16.0 16.1 16.2 "Robin Williams". James Lipton (host). Inside the Actors Studio. Bravo. 2001-06-10. No. 710, season 7.
  17. Otto, Jeff (2006-06-26). "Robin Williams, Joker?". IGN. Retrieved 2007-12-26. 
  18. "DISNEY'S GOT A BRAND-NEW BAGHDAD". Entertainment Weekly. 1992-09-04. Retrieved 2007-03-16. 
  19. Hill, Jim (2000). "Be Careful What You Wish For". Jim Hill Media. Retrieved 2008-03-15.  Unknown parameter |month= ignored (help)
  20. "2009 Disney Legends Award Recipients to Be Honored During D23 Expo in Anaheim". PR Newswire. 2009-09-01. Retrieved 2009-09-01. 
  21. robinwilliams.com
  22. Richard Zoglin (2008). Comedy at the Edge. Bloomsbury USA. ISBN 978-1-58234-624-3. 
  23. Hoffman, Jan (1992-08-09). "THE SEXES; Pillow Talk". The New York Times. Retrieved 2007-12-26. 
  24. Garchik, Leah (2008-03-27). "Robin Williams' wife files for divorce after nearly 19 years". The San Francisco Chronicle. 
  25. "Robin Williams Comes Clean on 'GMA' - ABC News". Abcnews.go.com. 2006-10-02. Retrieved 2010-08-29. 
  26. "Robin Williams Enters Rehab for Alcohol". People. August 9, 2005. Retrieved 2007-04-28. 
  27. http://www.newsdaily.com/stories/tre5247lm-us-williams/
  28. Johnson, Caitlin A. (2007-07-03). "A "License" to Laugh". CBS News. Retrieved 2009-03-27. 
  29. Friday Night with Jonathan Ross, July 2, 2010
  30. "Robin Williams in South Florida hospital". The Miami Herald. 2009-03-04. Retrieved 2009-03-04. [dead link]
  31. Jones, Kenneth."Robin Williams' Spring Broadway Bow Postponed Due to Heart Surgery", playbill.com, March 5, 2009
  32. "Robin Williams's Heart Surgery Called a Success". 
  33. "Robin Williams' heart surgery goes 'extremely well'". CNN. 2009-03-23. Retrieved 2010-05-22. 
  34. "Robin Williams Jokes About Playing Call of Duty Online". 1up.com. Retrieved 2010-08-29. 
  35. Interview at Pro-HL.com
  36. "Mork & Me". The Archies. 2005-12-05. 
  37. "Engadget.com". Engadget.com. Retrieved 2010-08-29. 
  38. "Robin Williams plays Spore". Video.google.com. Retrieved 2010-08-29. 
  39. "Dungeons and Dragons Game Day at London Dungeon". Viewlondon.co.uk. Retrieved 2010-08-29. 
  40. Murphy, Brian. "Tour de Lance: 100 percent pure". ESPN. Retrieved 2007-06-29. 
  41. "Robin Williams Archive". Bike Forums. 2002-06-17. Retrieved 2010-08-29. 
  42. "Robin Williams Tickets". Ticketsnow.com. Retrieved 2010-08-29. 
  43. [1][dead link]
  44. "Exclusive: Aptera 2e - Article". RoadandTrack.com. 2009-02-11. Retrieved 2010-08-29. 
  45. "Stones cover enters festive race". BBC NEWS. 1999-12-10. 
  46. Bronstein, Phil (2005-02-09). "Good Morning, Iraq". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved 2009-09-04. 
  47. World Entertainment News Network. "Williams rekindles failed marriage on film", San Francisco Chronicle, August 28, 2009. Retrieved August 29, 2009.
  48. "Bobby McFerrin Homepage". Bobbymcferrin.com. Retrieved 2010-08-29. 

Bibliography[]

  • Jay David (1999). The Life and Humor of Robin Williams: A Biography. New York: Quill. ISBN 978-068815245-1. 
  • Andy Dougan (1999). Robin Williams: A Biography. Thunder's Mouth Press. ISBN 978-156025213-9. 
  • Stephen J. Spignesi (1997). The Robin Williams Scrapbook. Secaucus, NJ: Carol Pub. ISBN 978-080651891-6. 

External links[]

  1. REDIRECT Template:Academy Awards hosts

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