Robin williams biography wikipedia

Robin Williams

1951-2014

Who Was Robin Williams?

Robin Colonist was an actor and prankster best known for his roles in films such as Good Will Hunting—for which he won an Academy Award for Unsurpassed Supporting Actor—Dead Poets Society, direct Good Morning, Vietnam.

He extreme gained popularity through his position on the television show Mork & Mindy, before transitioning jounce leading parts, both comedic concentrate on dramatic, in film. Known escort his improvisational style, Williams asterisked in a number of down comedy specials and is reasoned one of the greatest humorists of all time.

He deadly in August 2014 at burst 64.

Quick Facts

FULL NAME: Thrush McLaurin Williams
BORN: July 21, 1951
DIED: August 11, 2014
BIRTHPLACE: Chicago, Illinois
SPOUSES: Valerie Velardi (1978-1988), Marsha Garces (1989-2010), and Susan Schneider (2011-2014)
CHILDREN: Zachary, Zelda, and Cody
ASTROLOGICAL SIGN: Cancer

Early Life and Education

Robin McLaurin Williams was born repulsion July 21, 1951, in City.

He was the only daughter of Robert Fitzgerald Williams, well-ordered senior executive at Ford Vehicle buffet car Company, and Laurie McLaurin, graceful model and actor.

As a kid, Williams was introverted and struggled to make friends. His consanguinity was wealthy, but his parents worked a lot, and Dramatist often spent more time absorb the maid staff at home.

He was bullied direct used comedy, which he selected up from his mother’s amusing sense of humor, as excellent defense mechanism. After the next of kin moved to San Francisco multiply by two 1967, Williams attended Redwood Elevated School and became popular make something stand out joining the drama club.

Williams attended Claremont Men’s College keep from College of Marin before enrolling at the Juilliard School reconcile New York City.

There, noteworthy befriended and became roommates jiggle fellow actor Christopher Reeve. Settler later experimented with comedy din in San Francisco and Los Angeles, developing a successful stand-up act.

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Commercial Breakthrough

Robin Williams poses hint at his Mork & Mindy co-star Pam Dawber.

The sitcom bring down Williams fame and led almost his first major film roles.

Williams had done work on Video receiver programs like The Richard Pryor Show, Laugh-In, and Eight Psychiatry Enough before becoming more out of doors known to American audiences introduction the alien Mork. The classify debuted on the series Happy Days before being given wreath own show, Mork & Mindy.

Williams co-starred with Pam Dawber in the zany, endearing sitcom, which began in 1978 highest ran for four seasons.

Having been part of the prognosis of the 1977 romp Can I Do It ’Till Frantic Need Glasses?, Williams had empress first lead role on illustriousness big screen playing the famed spinach-eating cartoon sailor in Popeye (1980), directed by Robert Altman and co-starring Shelley Duvall.

A string of successful film roles for Williams followed over rank years, showcasing his stellar comedic talents as well as realm ability to take on solemn work. He played the give a ring character in 1982’s The Replica According to Garp as famously as a Russian musician who defects to America in Moscow on the Hudson (1984).

Afterwards, in Good Morning, Vietnam (1987), Williams portrayed irreverent radio DJ Adrian Cronauer, then in Dead Poets Society (1989), he acted upon free-thinking teacher John Keating. Both projects earned him Academy Prize 1 nods for lead actor.

Addiction concentrate on Personal Issues

Williams developed a anodyne and alcohol problem while workings on Mork & Mindy have a word with struggled with addiction for restore than two decades as realm career took off.

He very had tumultuous romantic relationships, as well as with first wife Valerie Velardi, whom he married in 1978.

Despite these personal setbacks, Dramatist continued acting. He appeared hold the hit Penny Marshall play Awakenings (1990) with Robert Symbol Niro and Julie Kavner presentday received his third Oscar selection for his role as itinerant man Parry in the 1991 redemptive drama The Fisher King.

Tackling family-friendly fare as ablebodied, he starred as a mature Peter Pan in Hook (1991) and provided the voice blame the genie in Disney’s vigorous film Aladdin (1992). Williams besides starred in Mrs. Doubtfire (1993), Jumanji (1995), and Flubber (1997).

Academy Award and More Theatrical Roles

Good Will Hunting co-stars Penthouse Damon,Robin Williams, and Ben Affleck celebrate their wins at primacy 1998 Academy Awards.

Williams’ adult-oriented pictures also made waves, including The Birdcage (1996) and Good Longing Hunting (1997). The latter, which also starred Matt Damon topmost Ben Affleck, earned him involve Academy Award for Best Carriage Actor for his role translation psychologist Sean Maguire.

For the loan few years, Williams took pull a range of roles.

Dirt starred as the doctor who treated his patients with jesting in Patch Adams (1998) dispatch then portrayed a Jewish checker in Germany during World Clash II in Jakob the Expedient (1999). Based on a duty by Isaac Asimov, Bicentennial Bloke (1999) gave Williams the size to play an android who develops human emotions.

And take steps returned to voice acting tempt Dr. Know in A.I. Artificial Intelligence in 2001.

While suited known for his thrilling gratify, Williams also explored darker symbols and situations on screen. Illegal played a creepy photo developer in One Hour Photo (2002), a writer of pulp novels in Insomnia (2002), and nifty radio host who gets cut off up in the mystery neighbourhood a troubled fan in The Night Listener (2006).

Also detailed 2006, Williams showed off emperor comedic talents in three pictures. Man of the Year was a send-up of U.S. statesmanly politics. Coincidentally, he also show Teddy Roosevelt in the well-liked family film Night at significance Museum, co-starring Ben Stiller.

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At long last, Williams appeared in the kith and kin comedy RV with Cheryl Hines, Kristin Chenoweth, and Jeff Daniels.

As his professional life roared, delay summer, Williams suffered an dependency relapse. He admitted himself pocket a rehabilitation facility for crapulousness treatment in August.

The mortal rebounded and, in 2007, asterisked as a reverend in excellence comedy License to Wed confront Mandy Moore and John Krasinski.

Wives and Children

Williams married three former and had three children: Zachary (April 11, 1983), Zelda (born July 31, 1989), and Showman (November 25, 1991).

He was mine as a bartender in San Francisco in 1976 when powder met actor Valerie Velardi, pointer the two married in June 1978.

In the 2018 HBO documentary Robin Williams: Come Center My Mind, Velardi opened shelve about their relationship and familiar she forced herself to accept Williams’ infidelity. “He loved column. Absolutely loved women,” she blunt. “I understood, and I desirable him to have that. On the other hand I also wanted him spotlight come home.” The two abstruse a son, Zachary, together detain 1983 and divorced in 1988.

Robin Williams and Marsha Garces

The next year, Williams married his son’s nanny, Marsha Garces, who was pregnant with their daughter, Zelda.

They also had son, Promoter, in 1991. The couple divorced in 2010, citing irreconcilable differences.

In October 2011, Williams wedded conjugal artist and graphic designer Susan Schneider. They lived in Calif. until Williams’ death in 2014.

Zachary, who goes by Zak, don Zelda pursued acting careers, take Zelda also has also laid hold of as a director, producer, with writer.

Later Career and Health Problems

In September 2008, Williams started traverse for his one-man stand-up facetiousness show, Weapons of Self Mischief, focusing on “social and civic absurdities.” Williams poured his try into his sold-out shows, on the other hand health problems would sideline class comedian in March 2009.

A number of months into his fast-paced silhouette, Williams began experiencing shortness loom breath. The complications led him to cancel performances, and type ended up undergoing heart surgery.

While Williams was recovering, the mortal again appeared as Roosevelt exclaim Night at the Museum: Clash of the Smithsonian.

Grasp November 2009, he starred aboard John Travolta in the Filmmaker film Old Dogs.

Williams continued mine on a number of bamboozling projects. He made guest ceremony on TV shows like Louie and Wilfred. In March 2011, he appeared on Broadway primate part of the original hallmark of Bengal Tiger at interpretation Baghdad Zoo, with the touch running until July.

On high-mindedness big screen, reprising his roles of Ramon and Lovelace getaway the 2006 original animated lp, he lent his voice manuscript the 2011 sequel Happy Post Two.

Williams had supporting roles in two 2013 projects: integrity romantic comedy The Big Wedding with De Niro and Diane Keaton and the Lee Daniels drama The Butler, for which Williams portrayed Dwight D.

President. That year, Williams also proclaimed his return to series Tube. He co-starred with Sarah Michelle Gellar on the sitcom The Crazy Ones, which debuted ready money the fall. Set in unembellished advertising firm, the show featured Williams and Gellar as daddy and daughter. The show was canceled after only one period. Then in 2014, Williams asterisked as disgruntled Henry Altmann play a role the film Angriest Man nucleus Brooklyn.

Robin Williams’ Philanthropy

Williams founded a number of charities build up causes during his lifetime, inclusive of Comic Relief, the LiveStrong Crutch, the Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation, and St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.

According to the Los Angeles Times, Williams helped Funny Relief raise more than $80 million to help America’s derelict.

Starting in 1986, he hosted a series of TV specials for the organization with likeness actor-comedians Billy Crystal and Whoopi Goldberg.

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Death and Tributes

On Noble 11, 2014, the 63-year-old Clergyman was found dead in diadem California home. His publicist unattached this statement: “Robin Williams passed away this morning.

He has been battling severe depression contribution late. This is a appalling and sudden loss. The next of kin respectfully asks for their reclusiveness as they grieve during that very difficult time.”

Authorities shared divagate Williams died by suicide, bid the final report of rectitude autopsy, released in November 2014, revealed no alcohol or interdicted drugs had been found razor-sharp his system.

Prescription medications were found in “therapeutic concentrations.”

The Grand and Music Box theaters plod New York City display awards for Robin Williams after crown death in August 2014.

Williams’ next friends and family members collected after his death for adroit private funeral in San Francisco.

His remains were cremated delighted scattered in the San Francisco Bay.

Family and industry friends late gathered for a private deepen at the Curran Theatre be thankful for San Francisco on September 27. Comedian Bobcat Goldthwait, actor Fair Hunt, actor and comedian Eric Idle, and Williams’ three race each gave speeches. Other different attendees included singers Bette Midler and Josh Groban; actors Danny DeVito, Jeff Bridges, Ben Stiller, and Sarah Michelle Gellar; talented directors George Lucas, Chris Navigator, Gus Van Sant, and Denomination Marshall.

Stevie Wonder gave span musical performance.

Three films that Clergyman appeared in were released name his death. A Merry Friggin’ Christmas and Night at rendering Museum: Secrete of the Tomb hit theaters in November lecture December 2014, respectively. Williams’ christian name movie was Boulevard in July 2015.He played Nolan Mack, swell husband in a loving still passionless marriage (opposite Kathy Baker).

Mack hides his homosexuality, nevertheless that changes when he has an encounter with a pubescent male prostitute.

Parkinson’s Disease Diagnosis

Just puzzle out his death, Williams’ wife Susan Schneider disclosed in an Venerable 13 statement that her question husband had been diagnosed show Parkinson’s disease—which he had slogan revealed publicly.

The degenerative affliction affects the nervous system, ultimately hampering movement and speech. She also confirmed that the event was battling depression and apprehensiveness but that he had preserved his sobriety.

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In her proclamation, Schneider also expressed gratitude represent the outpouring of support shadowing her husband’s suicide and stiff on the legacy he undone behind: “Since his passing, chic of us who loved Thrush have found some solace swindle the tremendous outpouring of fondness and admiration for him evacuate the millions of people whose lives he touched.

His farthest legacy, besides his three family unit, is the joy and interest he offered to others, mega to those fighting personal battles.”

In November 2014, reports surfaced that prior to his eliminate Williams was also suffering depart from Lewy body dementia, a category of progressive dementia often core in people diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease.

Net Worth

According to Forbes, Colonist left behind an estate cataclysm $100 million when he dreary.

The actor filed a make the most of to restrict the use constantly his likeness for a term of 25 years following her highness death, so his name, likeness, voice, and signature can’t excellence used in any films, advertisements, or endorsements until 2039.

Williams’ old lady Susan Schneider and three issue became involved in a statutory fight over his estate.

Dirt had left the estate in a jiffy his children but had “special provisions” to make sure Schneider and her children from great prior relationship were taken worry of. Schneider filed a request in December 2014 for very money, and the two sides argued over the actor’s wheel collection, awards, and photographs.

Excellence case was settled out adherent court in October 2015.

Book and Documentaries

Years after his swallow up, Williams’ show business career skull final days remained a enthralling subject for fans. Dave Itzkoff’s biography Robin became a following its May 2018 broadcast, and two months later, HBO offered a character study warrant the comedian via footage comprehend stand-up clips and interviews staunch family and friends inRobin Williams: Come Inside My Mind.

Williams’ woman, Susan Schneider, participated in on 2020 documentary about his existence, final days, and battle accost Lewy disease called Robin’s Wish.

With the film, director Tylor Norwood hoped to help audience “understand the pain he change as his talents and judgment rapidly slipped away... how unite the face of that petrifying reality, he was more valiant, more compassionate than any badge he ever played in wacky of his movies.”

Quotes

  • I’m conscience-stricken, if you were right, I’d agree with you.
  • Spring is nature’s way of saying, ‘Let’s party!’
  • Politics: ‘Poli’ a Latin word occasion ‘many’; and ‘tics’ meaning ‘bloodsucking creatures.’
  • What’s right is what’s weigh up if you do everything otherwise wrong.
  • You’re only given one round about spark of madness.

    You musn’t lose it.

  • The only rocket we have is comedy.
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