Robin Williams

Robin McLaurin Williams was an American actor and comedian known for his improvisational skills and the wide variety of spontaneous comedic and dramatic characters he portrayed. Regarded as one of the greatest comedians of all time, he achieved wide acclaim across stand-up comedy, television, and feature films. Over his career, he received an Academy Award, two Primetime Emmy Awards, six Golden Globe Awards, five Grammy Awards, and two Screen Actors Guild Awards, as well as the Cecil B. DeMille Award in 2005.

Williams was born on July 21, 1951, in Chicago, Illinois. His father was a senior executive at Ford, and his mother was a former model; he also had two older half-brothers. A quiet child initially, Williams overcame his shyness through involvement in high school drama departments. After graduating from Redwood High School in California in 1969, he briefly studied political science at Claremont Men's College before dropping out to pursue acting. He studied theater at the College of Marin and later earned a full scholarship to the Juilliard School in 1973, where he studied in the Advanced Program alongside Christopher Reeve before leaving in 1976.

In 1976, Williams began performing stand-up comedy in the San Francisco Bay Area before moving to Los Angeles to perform at venues such as the Comedy Store and the L.A. Improv. He made his television debut on a revival of Laugh-In in 1977. Williams reached widespread fame after being cast as the alien Mork on the sitcom Happy Days, which led to the spin-off series Mork & Mindy (1978–1982). The show became a major success, establishing him as a national star and accommodating his physical comedy and dialogue improvisations.

Williams made his starring film debut in Popeye (1980). Throughout the 1980s and 1990s, he built a dramatic and comedic career with leading roles in films such as The World According to Garp (1982) and Moscow on the Hudson (1984). He received Academy Award nominations for his performances in Good Morning, Vietnam (1987), Dead Poets Society (1989), and The Fisher King (1991), and won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for Good Will Hunting (1997).

In addition to his dramatic roles, Williams starred in popular feature comedies, family films, and psychological thrillers, including Awakenings (1990), Hook (1991), Toys (1992), Mrs. Doubtfire (1993), Jumanji (1995), The Birdcage (1996), Flubber (1997), Patch Adams (1998), Insomnia (2002), One Hour Photo (2002), RV (2006), and the Night at the Museum series. He also provided voice work for animated features such as Aladdin (1992), Robots (2005), Happy Feet (2006), and Happy Feet Two (2011).

In his final years, Williams was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease and experienced severe depression, anxiety, and increasing paranoia. He died by suicide on August 11, 2014, at the age of 63. An autopsy revealed diffuse Lewy body disease, which professionals stated was consistent with dementia with Lewy bodies. His death was followed by a wave of tributes honoring his life and work.