Early life
Williams was born in Chicago, Illinois. His mother, Laura (ne Smith, 19222001), was a former model from New Orleans, Louisiana. His father, Robert Fitzgerald Williams (September 10, 1906 October 18, 1987) was a senior executive at Lincoln-Mercury Motorship in charge of the Midwest area. Williams was raised in the Episcopal Church, though his mother practiced Christian Science. He grew up in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, where he was a student at the Detroit Country Day School, 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.
He has two half-brothers: Todd (who died August 14, 2007) and McLaurin.
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.
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. 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”. 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 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 has never hosted the Academy Awards again.
His standup 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.
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; 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?”
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, for example The Birdcage and Mrs. Doubtfire.
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.
Williams has also starred in dramatic films, which got 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); 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 1998, he won an Oscar as Best Supporting Actor for his role as a psychologist in Good Will Hunting. 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. 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 is 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, 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”.
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.
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 has 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.
Stand-up career
Robin Williams has 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.
Controversy
Robin Williams gained a reputation for 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.
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.
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.
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 says 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.”
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. 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.”
On August 20, 2007, Williams’ elder brother, Robert Todd Williams, died of complications from heart surgery performed a month earlier.
Williams is a member of the Episcopal Church. He has described his denomination in a comedy routine as “Catholic Lite ; same rituals, half the guilt.”
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.
Health
Williams was hospitalized in March 2009 due to heart problems. Williams postponed his one-man tour in order to undergo surgery to replace his aortic valve. The surgery was successfully completed on March 13, 2009, at the Cleveland Clinic.
Other interests
Williams speaking at the 2008 BBC World Debate
Williams is an avid enthusiast of games (even naming his daughter after Princess Zelda from The Legend of Zelda video game series), enjoying pen-and-paper role-playing games and online video games, recently playing Warcraft 3, Day of Defeat, Half-Life, and the first-person shooter Battlefield 2 as a sniper. On January 6, 2006, he performed live at Consumer Electronics Show during Google’s keynote. 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.” 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.
Williams has 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 purchases 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. He owns over 50 bicycles.
He also enjoys rugby union and is a big fan of former All Black, Jonah Lomu.
Williams is a supporter of eco-friendly vehicles. He currently drives a Toyota Prius, but is on the waiting list to be an early adopter of the Aptera 2-series electric vehicle.
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.
Williams has performed with the USO for U.S. troops stationed in Iraq and Afghanistan.
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
1988
The Adventures of Baron Munchausen
King of the Moon
Credited as Ray D. Tutto
Portrait of a White Marriage
Air Conditioning Salesman
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
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
Dead Again
Doctor Cozy Carlisle
“Rabbit Ears: The Fool and the Flying Ship”
Narrator
Voice
1992
Toys
Leslie Zevo
voice
Aladdin
Genie/Merchant
Voice
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
Being Human
Hector
1994
In Search of Dr. Seuss
Father
1995
Aladdin and the King of Thieves
Genie
Voice
Jumanji
Alan Parrish
To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything! Julie Newmar
John Jacob Jingleheimer Schmidt
Nine Months
Dr. Kosevich
1996
Hamlet
Osric
The Secret Agent
The Professor
Jack
Jack Powell
The Birdcage
Armand Goldman
Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture
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
Flubber
Professor Philip Brainard
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
Junket Whore
Himself
What Dreams May Come
Chris Nielsen
1999
Bicentennial Man
Andrew Martin
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 Hnkie
Insomnia
Walter Finch
Death to Smoochy
‘Rainbow’ Randolph Smiley
One Hour Photo
Sy Parrish
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
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
John Fischer
In development
2011
Happy Feet 2 in 3D
Ramon/Lovelace
Voice role
Filming
Television
Year
Title
Role
Notes
1977
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”
19791982
Mork & Mindy
Mork
Appeared in 92 episodes
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
1992
The Larry Sanders Show
Himself
Episode: “Hank’s Contract”
1994
Homicide: Life on the Streets
Robert Ellison
Episode: “Bop Gun”
Live & Kicking
Himself
The Larry Sanders Show
Himself
Episode: “Montana”
Nyhetsmorgon
Himself
Episode: “Filmen ‘Mrs. Doubtfire’ svensk premir”
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 Anyways?
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”
2009
SpongeBob SquarePants
Himself
Episode: “Truth or Square”
TV Land Moguls
Himself
Episode: “The 80s”
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 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”.
Reality…What a Concept (1979)
Throbbing Python of Love (1983)
A Night at the Met (1986)
Pecos Bill (1988)
Live 2002 (2002)
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: Raul’s House 2 (2009)[citation needed]
Robin Williams: Weapons of Self Destruction (TBA)
References
^ Thomas, Mike (2002-02-24). “A nose for laughs”. Chicago Sun-Times. http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_product=CSTB&p_theme=cstb&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&p_topdoc=1&p_text_direct-0=0F360C3C1592F9AE&p_field_direct-0=document_id&p_perpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D&s_trackval=GooglePM. Retrieved 2009-12-14.
^ McMullen, Marion (2002-10-05). “Article: WEEKEND TV: STAR PROFILE.(Features)”. Coventry Evening Telegraph. http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-92577025.html. Retrieved 2009-12-14.
^ 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. http://www.canada.com/saskatoonstarphoenix/news/lifestyle/news/lifestyle/story.html?id=8b777192-8e77-464d-b8da-0cb90be40901&k=1045. 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.
^ “If Robin Williams’ comedies are inspired by his life no wonder he’s been in therapy”. Sunday Herald. 1999-03-14. http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/smgpubs/access/70123882.html?dids=70123882:70123882&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&type=current&date=Mar+14,+1999&author;=&pub=Sunday+Herald&desc=If+Robin+Williams’+comedies+are+inspired+by+his+life+no+wonder+he’s+been+in+therapy&pqatl=google. Retrieved 2009-12-14.
^ Gristwood, Sarah (1998-06-18). “Bobbin’ Robin”. Mail & Guardian Online. http://www.chico.mweb.co.za/mg/art/film/9806/980618-robin.html. Retrieved 2007-12-26.
^ Topel, Fred (2007-07-03). “Robin Williams on License to Wed”. CanMag. http://www.canmag.com/nw/8218-license-to-wed-robin-williams. Retrieved 2007-12-26.
^ Detroit Country Day: Frequently Asked Questions
^ McLellan, Dennis (2007-08-18). “R. Todd Williams, 69; winery founder, comic’s brother” (pdf). Los Angeles Times. http://www.toadhollow.com/pdf/memorial/ToddLATimesObit.pdf. Retrieved 2008-02-10.
^ “Robin Williams: ‘The Night Listener'”. Terry Gross (host). Fresh Air from WHYY. National Public Radio. 2006-08-03.
^ a b Reeve, Christopher (1998). Still Me. New York: Random House. pp. 167172. ISBN 978-067945235-5.
^ YouTube – Happy Days – Richie Meets Mork
^ “Comedy Central Presents: 100 Greatest Stand-Ups of All Time”. Internet Movie Database. http://us.imdb.com/title/tt0429332/. Retrieved 2007-12-26.
^ “Biography for Robin Williams”. Internet Movie Database. http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000245/bio. Retrieved 2008-04-13.
^ “Episode 9”. Whose Line Is It Anyway?. 2000-11-16.
^ a b c “Robin Williams”. James Lipton (host). Inside the Actors Studio. Bravo. 2001-06-10. No. 710, season 7.
^ Otto, Jeff (2006-06-26). “Robin Williams, Joker?”. IGN. http://au.movies.ign.com/articles/714/714752p1.html. Retrieved 2007-12-26.
^ “DISNEY’S GOT A BRAND-NEW BAGHDAD”. Entertainment Weekly. 1992-09-04. http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,312562,00.html. Retrieved 2007-03-16.
^ Hill, Jim (April 2000). “Be Careful What You Wish For”. Jim Hill Media. http://jimhillmedia.com/blogs/jim_hill/archive/2000/12/31/312.aspx. Retrieved 2008-03-15.
^ “2009 Disney Legends Award Recipients to Be Honored During D23 Expo in Anaheim”. PR Newswire. 2009-09-01. http://news.prnewswire.com/ViewContent.aspx?ACCT=109&STORY;=/www/story/09-01-2009/0005086237. Retrieved 2009-09-01.
^ robinwilliams.com
^ Richard Zoglin (2008). Comedy at the Edge. Bloomsbury USA. ISBN 978-1582346243.
^ Hoffman, Jan (1992-08-09). “THE SEXES; Pillow Talk”. The New York Times. http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9E0CE2DF153FF93AA3575BC0A964958260. Retrieved 2007-12-26.
^ Robin Williams’ wife files for divorce after nearly 19 years
^ http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/story?id=2515796
^ “Robin Williams Enters Rehab for Alcohol”. People. August 9, 2005. http://www.people.com/people/article/0,26334,1224730,00.html. Retrieved 2007-04-28.
^ http://www.newsdaily.com/stories/tre5247lm-us-williams/
^ Johnson, Caitlin A. (2007-07-03). “A “License” to Laugh”. CBS News. http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/07/03/earlyshow/leisure/boxoffice/main3011495.shtml. Retrieved 2009-03-27.
^ “Robin Williams in South Florida hospital”. The Miami Herald. 2009-03-04. http://www.miamiherald.com/news/breaking-news/story/933065.html. Retrieved 2009-03-04.
^ Jones, Kenneth.”Robin Williams’ Spring Broadway Bow Postponed Due to Heart Surgery”,playbill.com, March 5, 2009
^ “Robin Williams’s Heart Surgery Called a Success”. http://www.peop/le.com/people/article/0,,20267281,00.html.
^ “Robin Williams’ heart surgery goes ‘extremely well'”. http://edition.cnn.com/2009/SHOWBIZ/Movies/03/23/robin.williams.health/.
^ http://www.1up.com/do/newsStory?cId=3177150
^ Interview at Pro-HL.com
^ “Mork & Me”. The Archies. 2005-12-05. http://thearchies.blogspot.com/2005/12/mork-me.html.
^ Engadget.com
^ Robin Williams plays Spore
^ Dungeons and Dragons Game Day at London Dungeon, ViewLondon.co.uk
^ Murphy, Brian. “Tour de Lance: 100 percent pure”. ESPN. http://espn.go.com/page2/s/murphy/020729.html. Retrieved 2007-06-29.
^ http://www.bikeforums.net/archive/index.php/t-10161.html
^ http://www.ticketsnow.com/Robin-Williams-Tickets.html
^ http://www.granvilleonline.ca/gr/features/2008/11/12/toyota-prius-hybrid-2009
^ http://www.roadandtrack.com/article.asp?section_id=10&article_id=7651
^ “Stones cover enters festive race”. BBC NEWS. 1999-12-10. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/558252.stm.
^ “Good Morning, Iraq”. San Francisco Chronicle. 2005-02-09. http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2005/02/09/DDG5AB3TBJ38.DTL. Retrieved 2009-09-04.
^ World Entertainment News Network. “Williams rekindles failed marriage on film”, San Francisco Chronicle, August 28, 2009. Retrieved August 29, 2009.
^ Bobby McFerrin Homepage
“Road Trip with Robin”
“Robin Williams mimic ends ‘fraud'” (BBC News)
“Robin Williams’ impersonator stopped” (AskMen.com)
“Robin Williams Enters Rehab”, August 9, 2006 (Access Hollywood)
Lovece, Frank, New York Newsday (April 27, 2006)
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
Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: Robin Williams
Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Robin Williams
Robin Williams at the Internet Broadway Database
Robin Williams at the Internet Movie Database
Robin Williams at the TCM Movie Database
Robin Williams at TV.com
Robin Williams at Yahoo! Movies
Awards for Robin Williams
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Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor
John Gielgud (1981) Louis Gossett, Jr. (1982) Jack Nicholson (1983) Haing S. Ngor (1984) Don Ameche (1985) Michael Caine (1986) Sean Connery (1987) Kevin Kline (1988) Denzel Washington (1989) Joe Pesci (1990) Jack Palance (1991) Gene Hackman (1992) Tommy Lee Jones (1993) Martin Landau (1994) Kevin Spacey (1995) Cuba Gooding, Jr. (1996) Robin Williams (1997) James Coburn (1998) Michael Caine (1999) Benicio del Toro (2000)
Complete list (19361940) (19411960) (19611980) (19812000) (2001-present)
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Primetime Emmy Award for Individual Performance in a Variety or Music Program
Harvey Korman / Brenda Vaccaro (1974) Jack Albertson / Cloris Leachman (1975) Chevy Chase / Vicki Lawrence (1976) Tim Conway / Rita Moreno (1977) Tim Conway / Gilda Radner (1978) George Hearn (1985) Whitney Houston (1986) Robin Williams (1987) Robin Williams (1988) Linda Ronstadt (1989) Tracey Ullman (1990) Billy Crystal (1991) Billy Crystal (1992) Dana Carvey (1993) Tracey Ullman (1994) Barbra Streisand (1995) Tony Bennett (1996) Bette Midler (1997) Billy Crystal (1998) John Leguizamo (1999) Eddie Izzard (2000)
Complete list: (19742000) (2001resent)
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Golden Globe Award for Best Actor Motion Picture Musical or Comedy
Dudley Moore (1981) Dustin Hoffman (1982) Michael Caine (1983) Dudley Moore (1984) Jack Nicholson (1985) Paul Hogan (1986) Robin Williams (1987) Tom Hanks (1988) Morgan Freeman (1989) Grard Depardieu (1990) Robin Williams (1991) Tim Robbins (1992) Robin Williams (1993) Hugh Grant (1994) John Travolta (1995) Tom Cruise (1996) Jack Nicholson (1997) Michael Caine (1998) Jim Carrey (1999) George Clooney (2000)
Complete List (19501960) (19611980) (19812000) (2001resent)
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Golden Globe Award for Best Actor Television Series Musical or Comedy
Flip Wilson (1970) Carroll O’Connor (1971) Redd Foxx (1972) Jack Klugman (1973) Alan Alda (1974) Alan Alda (1975) Henry Winkler (1976) Henry Winkler (1977) Robin Williams (1978) Alan Alda (1979) Alan Alda (1980) Alan Alda (1981) Alan Alda (1982) John Ritter (1983) Bill Cosby (1984) Bill Cosby (1985) Bruce Willis (1986) Dabney Coleman (1987) Michael J. Fox/Judd Hirsch/Richard Mulligan (1988) Ted Danson (1989)
Complete List (1970-1989) (1990resent)
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Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role
Martin Landau (1994) Ed Harris (1995) Cuba Gooding, Jr. (1996) Robin Williams (1997) Robert Duvall (1998) Michael Caine (1999) Albert Finney (2000)
Complete list (1994-2000) (2001-present)
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MTV Movie Award for Best Comedic Performance
Billy Crystal (1992) Robin Williams (1993) Jim Carrey (1994) Jim Carrey (1995) Jim Carrey (1996) Jim Carrey (1997) Jim Carrey (1998) Adam Sandler (1999) Adam Sandler (2000) Ben Stiller (2001) Reese Witherspoon (2002) Mike Myers (2003) Jack Black (2004) Dustin Hoffman (2005) Steve Carell (2006) Sacha Baron Cohen (2007) Johnny Depp (2008) Jim Carrey (2009)
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Hosts of the Academy Awards ceremonies
Johnny Carson (1981) Johnny Carson (1982) Liza Minnelli / Dudley Moore / Richard Pryor / Walter Matthau (1983) Johnny Carson (1984) Jack Lemmon (1985) Alan Alda / Jane Fonda / Robin Williams (1986) Chevy Chase / Goldie Hawn / Paul Hogan (1987) Chevy Chase (1988) None (1989) Billy Crystal (1990) Billy Crystal (1991) Billy Crystal (1992) Billy Crystal (1993) Whoopi Goldberg (1994) David Letterman (1995) Whoopi Goldberg (1996) Billy Crystal (1997) Billy Crystal (1998) Whoopi Goldberg (1999) Billy Crystal (2000)
Complete List (19291940) (19411960) (19611980) (19812000) (2001-present)
Persondata
NAME
Williams, Robin
ALTERNATIVE NAMES
Williams, Robin McLaurim
SHORT DESCRIPTION
Academy Award-winning American actor and comedian
DATE OF BIRTH
1952-7-21
PLACE OF BIRTH
Chicago, Illinois, United States
DATE OF DEATH
PLACE OF DEATH
Categories: 1951 births | Living people | Actors from California | Actors from Chicago, Illinois | 20th-century American Episcopalians | 21st-century American Episcopalians | American film actors | American impressionists (entertainers) | American stand-up comedians | American television actors | American voice actors | Best Musical or Comedy Actor Golden Globe (film) winners | Best Musical or Comedy Actor Golden Globe (television) winners | Best Supporting Actor Academy Award winners | MTV Movie Award winners | Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture Screen Actors Guild Award winners | California Democrats | People self-identifying as alcoholics | Grammy Award winners | Juilliard School alumni | People from Marin County, CaliforniaHidden categories: Wikipedia indefinitely semi-protected biographies of living people | All articles with unsourced statements | Articles with unsourced statements from November 2009