Robin Williams
Acting
- Born:
- 1951-07-21
- Died:
- 2014-08-11
- Place of birth:
- Chicago, Illinois, USA
Biography
Robin McLaurin Williams (July 21, 1951 – August 11, 2014) was an American actor and comedian. Known for his improvisational skills and the wide variety of characters he created on the spur of the moment and portrayed on film, in dramas and comedies alike, he is regarded as one of the greatest comedians of all time. He received numerous accolades including an Academy Award, two Primetime Emmy Awards, six Golden Globe Awards, two Screen Actors Guild Awards, and five Grammy Awards. Williams began performing stand-up comedy in San Francisco and Los Angeles during the mid-1970s, and released several comedy albums including Reality ... What a Concept in 1980. He rose to fame playing the alien Mork in the ABC sitcom Mork & Mindy (1978–1982). He received his first leading film role in Popeye (1980). Williams went on to win the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for Good Will Hunting (1997). His other Oscar-nominated roles were for Good Morning, Vietnam (1987), Dead Poets Society (1989), and The Fisher King (1991). Williams starred in the critically acclaimed dramas The World According to Garp (1982), Moscow on the Hudson (1984), Dead Poets Society (1989), Awakenings (1990), Patch Adams (1998), Insomnia (2002), One Hour Photo (2002), and World's Greatest Dad (2009). He also starred in family films such as Hook (1991), Mrs. Doubtfire (1993), Jumanji (1995), Jack (1996), Flubber (1997), RV (2006), and the Night at the Museum trilogy (2006–2014). He lent his voice to the animated films Aladdin (1992), Robots (2005), Happy Feet (2006), and its 2011 sequel. Williams was found dead at his home in Paradise Cay, California, in August 2014, at the age of 63. At the time of his suicide, he had been diagnosed with Parkinson's disease. According to his widow, Williams had experienced depression, anxiety, and increasing paranoia. His autopsy found "diffuse Lewy body disease" and Lewy body dementia professionals said his symptoms were consistent with dementia with Lewy bodies.
Known For
Filmography
Hook: Never, Never Ending
Peter Asher: Everywhere Man
Soccer's American Dream
Stand-Up: The Laughing Therapy
Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story
Love Has Won: The Cult of Mother God
Once Upon a Studio
A Life in Ten Pictures: Robin Williams
Commitment to Life
Dark Side of Comedy
The Hall: Honoring the Greats of Stand-Up
The Animograph, or I Was Born in a Shoebox
Superstar: Robin Williams
Superstar
History of the Sitcom
A Life in Ten Pictures
Return to Sweethaven: A Look Back With Robin And The Altmans
Robin's Wish
The Paley Center Salutes Law & Order: SVU
The Top Ten Revealed
Robin Williams: Come Inside My Mind
Too Hip for the Room: The Righteous Reign of Lord Buckley
Robin Williams: Behind Closed Doors
Koko: The Gorilla Who Talks to People
Another Take on… Mrs. Doubtfire
Behind Closed Doors with Natalie Morales
Thank You, Del: The Story of the Del Close Marathon
Absolutely Anything
Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb
Robin Williams - Live Across Australia
A Merry Friggin' Christmas
3 Still Standing
Altman
The Angriest Man in Brooklyn
All About Ann: Governor Richards of the Lone Star State
Boulevard
Kelly Clarkson's Cautionary Christmas Music Tale
Comic Relief Zero
The Face of Love
The Crazy Ones
The Butler
The Big Wedding
Richard Pryor: Omit the Logic
Radioman
Persistence of Vision
Reflecting on a Journey: Good Will Hunting 15 Years Later
Final Cut: Ladies and Gentlemen
Inside Comedy
Happy Feet Two
Wilfred
Classic TV Bloopers Uncensored
Who Is Harry Nilsson (And Why Is Everybody Talkin' About Him?)
2Everything2Terrible2: Tokyo Drift
Louie
Robin Williams: Weapons of Self Destruction
Monkey Mischief
Old Dogs
SpongeBob's Truth or Square
Believe: The Eddie Izzard Story
The Jay Leno Show
World's Greatest Dad
Shrink
Alan Carr: Chatty Man
Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian
Starz Inside: Ladies or Gentlemen
We Are Most Amused
Johnny Carson Celebrates Christmas
The Bonnie Hunt Show
Dreams with Sharp Teeth
The Madness and Misadventures of Munchausen
History of the Joke
Comic Relief: The Greatest... and the Latest
August Rush
Cannes: All Access
Fog City Mavericks
Mr. Warmth: The Don Rickles Project
The Pixar Story
License to Wed
Shrink Rap
Elton 60: Live At Madison Square Garden
Certifiably Jonathan
The Graham Norton Show
Night at the Museum
Comic Relief 2006
Happy Feet
Man of the Year
Barry Sonnenfeld: The Kosher Cowboy
JoJo: The Pop Princess
RV Nation: The Culture of Road Warriors
RV Nation: The Culture of Road Warriors
Robin Williams: A Family Affair
Everyone's Hero
VH1 Rock Honors
RV
The Night Listener
Sit Down Comedy with David Steinberg
Earth to America
The Big White
Emmanuel's Gift
Romanekian
The Aristocrats
Mind of Mencia
Robots
Nos Bastidores de Hollywood
The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson
Noel
The Final Cut
The Tour Baby
Parkinson
House of D
Richard Pryor: I Ain't Dead Yet, #*%$#@!!
The Ellen DeGeneres Show
Can't Buy Me Lunch: Another Look at The Rutles
Celebrities Uncensored
Real Time with Bill Maher
Jimmy Kimmel Live!
Death to Smoochy: Bloopers & Outtakes
Death to Smoochy: Behind the Scenes Documentary
Life with Bonnie
One Hour Photo
Robin Williams: Live on Broadway
American Idol
Insomnia
Death to Smoochy
The 1st 13th Annual Fancy Anvil Awards Show Program Special: Live in Stereo
Intimate Portrait: Pam Dawber
America: A Tribute to Heroes
Good Day Live
A.I. Artificial Intelligence
The Firesign Theatre: Weirdly Cool
Anatomy of a Scene
The Beatles Revolution
Chuck Jones: Extremes and In-Betweens - A Life in Animation
Making Jumanji: The Realm of Imagination
Lions and Monkeys and Pods... Oh My!: The Special Effects of 'Jumanji'
Bicentennial Man
The Early Show
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit
Jakob the Liar
Teen Choice Awards
SpongeBob SquarePants
Billy Connolly: Erect for 30 Years
Get Bruce!
Patch Adams
George Martin: In My Life
Junket Whore
What Dreams May Come
L.A. Doctors
Hollywood Squares
Whose Line Is It Anyway?
Parkinson
Deconstructing Harry
Good Will Hunting
Flubber
The View
Fathers' Day
Great Minds Think for Themselves
Hamlet
The Secret Agent
Clive Anderson All Talk
Jack
The Daily Show
Nichols and May: Take Two
Aladdin and the King of Thieves
The Birdcage
Jumanji
Aladdin on Ice
Comic Relief VII
To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything! Julie Newmar
Nine Months
The First 100 Years: A Celebration of American Movies
In the Wild: Dolphins With Robin Williams
The World of Jim Henson
In Search of Dr. Seuss
Friends
Inside the Actors Studio
Sesame Street | All-Star 25th Birthday: Stars and Street Forever!
Being Human
But... Seriously
Comic Relief VI
Mrs. Doubtfire
Sesame Street's 25th Birthday: A Musical Celebration
Late Night with Conan O'Brien
Late Show with David Letterman
A Tribute to Sam Kinison
Homicide: Life on the Street
An Evening with Lily Tomlin and Friends
A Spinal Tap Reunion: The 25th Anniversary London Sell-Out
Toys
Aladdin
Terry Wogan's Friday Night
The Larry Sanders Show
The Tonight Show with Jay Leno
FernGully: The Last Rainforest
A Wish for Wings That Work
Charlie Rose
The Fisher King
Shakes the Clown
Dead Again
Rabbit Ears - The Fool and the Flying Ship
Hook
Awakenings
AN EVENING WITH: FRIENDS OF THE ENVIRONMENT
Cadillac Man
Comic Relief '90
The Earth Day Special
The Simpsons
Saturday Night Live: 15th Anniversary
Whoopi Goldberg Presents: Billy Connolly
I'm from Hollywood
Dead Poets Society
Back to Neverland
Comic Relief III
Free to Be... a Family
The Adventures of Baron Munchausen
LIVE with Kelly and Mark
Rabbit Ears - Pecos Bill
Portrait of a White Marriage
An All-Star Toast to the Improv
Good Morning, Vietnam
Dear America: Letters Home from Vietnam
Sacrée soirée
Superstars and their Moms
Biography
Carol, Carl, Whoopi and Robin
Citizen Steve
Jonathan Winters: On the Ledge
The Best of Comic Relief
Barbra Streisand: One Voice
Max Headroom's Giant Christmas Turkey
The Young Comedians All-Star Reunion
Robin Williams: An Evening at the Met
Seize the Day
Club Paradise
American Masters
Bob Goldthwait: Don't Watch This Show
Comic Relief
The Best of Times
Super Duper Bloopers
Bridge School Benefit Concert 1986
Richard Lewis: I'm In Pain
Moscow on the Hudson
The Stars Salute the U.S. Olympic Team
The Survivors
An Evening with Robin Williams
E.T. and Friends: Magical Movie Visitors
Catch A Rising Star: 10th Anniversary Special
The Mork & Mindy / Laverne & Shirley / Fonz Hour
The Tale of the Frog Prince
Faerie Tale Theatre
The World According to Garp
Wogan
I Love Liberty
Night of 100 Stars
Late Night with David Letterman
The Billy Crystal Comedy Hour
Popeye
Andy Kaufman Plays Carnegie Hall
Out of the Blue
Rona Barrett Looks at 1978
Sitcom: The Adventures of Garry Marshall
Robin Williams: Off the Wall
Mork & Mindy
Sorority '62
The 2nd Annual HBO Young Comedians Show
The Richard Pryor Show
Laugh-In
Can I Do It Till I Need Glasses?
Eight Is Enough
Saturday Night Live
Happy Days
Film '72
Great Performances
Sesame Street
The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson
Tony Awards
The Oscars
Today
Golden Globe Awards
Untitled Nathan Lane Documentary