Robin Williams

Who is Robin Williams?

Robin Williams was an American actor and comedian who made the whole world laugh at his wonderful skylarking acts. His quirky expressions, charming clumsiness, and innocent yet witty dialogues in the film always made the audiences happy. He initially began his career as a stand-up comedian where he found success. Eventually, he was seen on television doing comedy shows. This made him more famous and he finally entered the world of cinema. For his amazing performances, he was honoured with various prestigious awards.

Bio

Robin McLaurin Williams was born on 21 July 1951 in Chicago. He was born as one of the three sons to Robert Fitzgerald Williams who was a senior executive in Lincoln-Mercury Division and Laurie McLaurin who was a former model. He was of the cancer zodiac sign.

Education/Early Life of Robin Williams

Robin Williams’s family moved to Michigan when he was a young kid. There he attended Detroit Country Day School. He was a very good student and also played sports. After that, he studied Redwood High School and graduated from there at 1969. He used to entertain his friends by telling jokes and making them laugh. Likewise, for his further studies he attended Claremont Men’s College to study politics, but he dropped out from that college and showed interest in acting. So, he decided to pursue his career in acting. He then enrolled in Juilliard School in New York City in 1973 and won a full scholarship.

Nationality and Physical Stats

Robin Williams was of American nationality. He was of English, French, German, Irish, Scottish, and Welsh ancestry. Besides, he stood 5 feet 5 inches and 7 inches (170cm/1.70m) tall and weighed 77kg (170lbs). He body was average body type with blue coloured eyes.

Personal Life of Robin Williams

Robin Williams married Valarie Velardi in 1978 with whom he had a son. Their marriage was broken in 1998. He then married to Marsha Garces in 1989 and had two children together. They also ended up taking a divorce in 2008. His third marriage was with Susan Schneider in 2011.

Besides, Robin was an alcoholic and drug addict. He always had a problem with this and also suffered from depression. His hands were also on charity where he used to be part of different organizations and helped the needy people.

Death

Robin Williams committed suicide on August 11, 2014, by hanging at his home. The final autopsy report stated that he died of asphyxia due to hanging. He was suffering from anxiety and depression which led him to step this decision.

Career

Stand-Up Comedy

Robin Williams started his career as a stand-up comedian during 1970s. He gave his first performance at the Holy City Zoo, a comedy club in San Francisco. He then moved to Los Angeles and performed stand-up at different clubs. His performance in ‘The Comedy Store’ was also noticed by a TV producer George Schlatter. He then cast Robin in his revival show ‘Laugh-In’. Though this show failed, Robin made into his television career. He was also cast in HBO comedy special show where he performed his stand-up comedy. The shows were ‘Off The Wall’ in 1978, ‘An Evening with Robin Williams’ in 1983 and ‘A Night at the Met’ in 1986.

Television

Robin Williams stepped in the acting field from his debut television series ‘Mork and Mindy’ which aired on NBC from 1978 to 1982. It featured Robin as Mork which was a huge success and made him a popular figure in comedy. He also appeared as a comedian in an episode of ‘Out of the Blue’ in 1979. He also appeared in a night live television sketch comedy show Saturday Night Live in 1981, 1986 and 1988. Williams was then cast in an animated TV series ‘Mork and Mindy/Laverne and Shirley/ Fonz Hour’ where he voiced role for Mork character. Likewise, he starred in an educational children’s TV series ‘Sesame Street’ in 1991. This show wan till 2012.

Moreover, he appeared in many shows and series during his television career. He also appeared in the television film ‘The Rutles 2: Can’t Buy Me Lunch’ as Hans. He also was part of an animated comedy television series ‘SpongeBob Square Pant’ in 2009. Before his death, he was the part of the series ‘The Crazy Ones’ as Simon Roberts from 2013 to 2014.

Robin Williams Films

Robin Williams made his big-screen debut in 1977 with the comedy movie, ‘Can I Do It ‘Till I Need Glasses?’ He received his breakthrough role in 1980 when he cast as Popeye the Sailor Man in ‘Popeye.’ More roles soon followed him and he became cast in many films. Some of them include ‘The World According to Garp’ in 1982, ‘The Survivors’ in 1983, ‘Moscow on the Hudson’ on 1984, ‘The Best of Times’ in 1986 and ‘Good Morning Vietnam’ in 1987. In this film ‘Good Morning Vietnam’ he played the role of a radio DJ on Armed Forces Radio Service, Adrian Cronauer. Similarly, he appeared in the drama film ‘Dead Poets Society’ in 1989 which was about the story of an English teacher in a conservative academy who inspires his students by teaching them poetry. The movie attained a huge hit.

Likewise, Robin’s most memorable comedy films were ‘Mrs. Doubtfire’ in 1993 in which he pretends to be a woman so that he can be closer to the kids he has with his ex-wife. In 1997, he starred in the movie ‘Good Will Hunting.’ He portrayed the role of Sean Maguire, as a therapist who counsels a troubled yet hugely talented young man. The movie won him many accolades.

Furthermore, during the 2000’s he performed in various movies like ‘A.I Artificial Intelligence’ in 2001 ‘One Hour Photo’ in 2002, ‘Noel’ in 2004, ‘Robots’ in 2005, ‘License to Wed’ in 2007, and ‘Old Dogs’ in 2009. He was also cast in ‘The Butler’ in 2013 as Dwight D. Eisenhower. His last movie before his death was ‘Absolutely Anything’ where he lent his voice to the character Terry Jones. This film released in 2015.

Achievements

Robin Williams had been nominated in 42 awards, winning 18 of them for his contributions and association in the entertainment industry.

More

Throughout his career, Robin Williams starred in many films, television and video games. He was a successful man who always brought a laugh from his wonderful skylarking acting. He left behind an estate estimated at $100 million.