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Robin Williams was a beloved and iconic figure in the world of entertainment. Known for his exceptional talent in comedy, acting, and improvisation, he captivated audiences around the globe with his unmatched energy and lightning-fast wit. Williams’ extraordinary career spanned over four decades, during which he touched the hearts of millions through his performances in film, television, and stand-up comedy. However, behind his infectious smile and contagious laughter, Williams battled personal demons that ultimately led to his tragic and untimely death. In this essay, we will explore the life, career, and legacy of the one-of-a-kind entertainer that was Robin Williams.
1951-2014
Who Was Robin Williams?
Robin Williams was an actor and comedian best known for his roles in films such as Good Will Hunting—for which he won an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor—Dead Poets Society, and Good Morning, Vietnam. He first gained popularity through his role on the television show Mork & Mindy, before transitioning into leading parts, both comedic and dramatic, in film. Known for his improvisational style, Williams starred in a number of stand-up comedy specials and is considered one of the greatest humorists of all time. He died in August 2014 at age 64.
Quick Facts
FULL NAME: Robin 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 on July 21, 1951, in Chicago. He was the only child of Robert Fitzgerald Williams, a senior executive at Ford Motor Company, and Laurie McLaurin, a model and actor.
As a child, Williams was introverted and struggled to make friends. His family was wealthy, but his parents worked a lot, and Williams often spent more time with the maid staff at his home. He was bullied and used comedy, which he picked up from his mother’s witty sense of humor, as a defense mechanism. After the family moved to San Francisco in 1967, Williams attended Redwood High School and became popular after joining the drama club.
Williams attended Claremont Men’s College and College of Marin before enrolling at the Juilliard School in New York City. There, he befriended and became roommates with fellow actor Christopher Reeve. Williams later experimented with comedy in San Francisco and Los Angeles, developing a successful stand-up act.
Commercial Breakthrough
Williams had done work on TV programs like The Richard Pryor Show, Laugh-In, and Eight Is Enough before becoming more widely known to American audiences as the alien Mork. The character debuted on the series Happy Days before being given his own show, Mork & Mindy. Williams co-starred with Pam Dawber in the zany, endearing sitcom, which began in 1978 and ran for four seasons.
Having been part of the cast of the 1977 romp Can I Do It ’Till I Need Glasses?, Williams had his first lead role on the big screen playing the famous 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 the years, showcasing his stellar comedic talents as well as his ability to take on serious work. He played the title character in 1982’s The World According to Garp as well as a Russian musician who defects to America in Moscow on the Hudson (1984). Later, in Good Morning, Vietnam (1987), Williams portrayed irreverent radio DJ Adrian Cronauer, then in Dead Poets Society (1989), he played free-thinking teacher John Keating. Both projects earned him Academy Award nods for lead actor.
Addiction and Personal Issues
Williams developed a drug and alcohol problem while working on Mork & Mindy and struggled with addiction for more than two decades as his career took off. He also had tumultuous romantic relationships, including with first wife Valerie Velardi, whom he married in 1978.
Despite these personal setbacks, Williams continued acting. He appeared in the hit Penny Marshall drama Awakenings (1990) with Robert De Niro and Julie Kavner and received his third Oscar nomination for his role as homeless man Parry in the 1991 redemptive drama The Fisher King. Tackling family-friendly fare as well, he starred as a grown-up Peter Pan in Hook (1991) and provided the voice of the genie in Disney’s animated film Aladdin (1992). Williams also starred in Mrs. Doubtfire (1993), Jumanji (1995), and Flubber (1997).
Academy Award and More Dramatic Roles
Williams’ adult-oriented films also made waves, including The Birdcage (1996) and Good Will Hunting (1997). The latter, which also starred Matt Damon and Ben Affleck, earned him an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his role as psychologist Sean Maguire.
For the next few years, Williams took on a range of roles. He starred as the doctor who treated his patients with humor in Patch Adams (1998) and then portrayed a Jewish man in Germany during World War II in Jakob the Liar (1999). Based on a work by Isaac Asimov, Bicentennial Man (1999) gave Williams the opportunity to play an android who develops human emotions. And he returned to voice acting as Dr. Know in A.I. Artificial Intelligence in 2001.
While best known for his thrilling humor, Williams also explored darker characters and situations on screen. He played a creepy photo developer in One Hour Photo (2002), a writer of pulp novels in Insomnia (2002), and a radio host who gets caught up in the mystery surrounding a troubled fan in The Night Listener (2006).
Also in 2006, Williams showed off his comedic talents in three films. Man of the Year was a send-up of U.S. presidential politics. Coincidentally, he also portrayed Teddy Roosevelt in the popular family film Night at the Museum, co-starring Ben Stiller. Finally, Williams appeared in the family comedy RV with Cheryl Hines, Kristin Chenoweth, and Jeff Daniels.
As his professional life roared, that summer, Williams suffered an addiction relapse. He admitted himself to a rehabilitation facility for alcoholism treatment in August. The actor rebounded and, in 2007, starred as a reverend in the comedy License to Wed with Mandy Moore and John Krasinski.
Wives and Children
Williams married three times and had three children: Zachary (April 11, 1983), Zelda (born July 31, 1989), and Cody (November 25, 1991).
He was working as a bartender in San Francisco in 1976 when he met actor Valerie Velardi, and the two married in June 1978. In the 2018 HBO documentary Robin Williams: Come Inside My Mind, Velardi opened up about their relationship and admitted she forced herself to allow Williams’ infidelity. “He loved women. Absolutely loved women,” she said. “I understood, and I wanted him to have that. But I also wanted him to come home.” The two had a son, Zachary, together in 1983 and divorced in 1988.
The following year, Williams married his son’s nanny, Marsha Garces, who was pregnant with their daughter, Zelda. They also had son, Cody, in 1991. The couple divorced in 2010, citing irreconcilable differences.
In October 2011, Williams married artist and graphic designer Susan Schneider. They lived in California until Williams’ death in 2014.
Zachary, who goes by Zak, and Zelda pursued acting careers, and Zelda also has also worked as a director, producer, and writer.
Later Career and Health Problems
In September 2008, Williams started touring for his one-man stand-up comedy show, Weapons of Self Destruction, focusing on “social and political absurdities.” Williams poured his energy into his sold-out shows, but health problems would sideline the comedian in March 2009. Several months into his fast-paced tour, Williams began experiencing shortness of breath. The complications led him to cancel performances, and he ended up undergoing heart surgery.
While Williams was recovering, the actor again appeared as Roosevelt in Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian. In November 2009, he starred alongside John Travolta in the Disney film Old Dogs.
Williams continued working on a number of different projects. He made guest appearances on TV shows like Louie and Wilfred. In March 2011, he appeared on Broadway as part of the original cast of Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo, with the show running until July. On the big screen, reprising his roles of Ramon and Lovelace from the 2006 original animated film, he lent his voice to the 2011 sequel Happy Feet Two.
Williams had supporting roles in two 2013 projects: the romantic comedy The Big Wedding with De Niro and Diane Keaton and the Lee Daniels drama The Butler, for which Williams portrayed Dwight D. Eisenhower. That year, Williams also announced his return to series TV. He co-starred with Sarah Michelle Gellar on the sitcom The Crazy Ones, which debuted in the fall. Set in an advertising firm, the show featured Williams and Gellar as father and daughter. The show was canceled after only one season. Then in 2014, Williams starred as disgruntled Henry Altmann in the film Angriest Man in Brooklyn.
Robin Williams’ Philanthropy
Williams supported a number of charities and causes during his lifetime, including Comic Relief, the LiveStrong Foundation, the Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation, and St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.
According to the Los Angeles Times, Williams helped Comic Relief raise more than $80 million to help America’s homeless. Starting in 1986, he hosted a series of TV specials for the organization with fellow actor-comedians Billy Crystal and Whoopi Goldberg.
Death and Tributes
On August 11, 2014, the 63-year-old Williams was found dead in his California home. His publicist released this statement: “Robin Williams passed away this morning. He has been battling severe depression of late. This is a tragic and sudden loss. The family respectfully asks for their privacy as they grieve during this very difficult time.”
Authorities shared that Williams died by suicide, and the final report of the autopsy, released in November 2014, revealed no alcohol or illegal drugs had been found in his system. Prescription medications were found in “therapeutic concentrations.”
Williams’ closest friends and family members gathered after his death for a private funeral in San Francisco. His remains were cremated and scattered in the San Francisco Bay.
Family and industry friends later gathered for a private tribute at the Curran Theatre in San Francisco on September 27. Comedian Bobcat Goldthwait, actor Bonnie Hunt, actor and comedian Eric Idle, and Williams’ three children each gave speeches. Other notable attendees included singers Bette Midler and Josh Groban; actors Danny DeVito, Jeff Bridges, Ben Stiller, and Sarah Michelle Gellar; and directors George Lucas, Chris Columbus, Gus Van Sant, and Penny Marshall. Stevie Wonder gave a musical performance.
Three films that Williams appeared in were released after his death. A Merry Friggin’ Christmas and Night at the Museum: Secrete of the Tomb hit theaters in November and December 2014, respectively. Williams’ last movie was Boulevard in July 2015.He played Nolan Mack, a husband in a loving yet passionless marriage (opposite Kathy Baker). Mack hides his homosexuality, but that changes when he has an encounter with a young male prostitute.
Parkinson’s Disease Diagnosis
Just after his death, Williams’ wife Susan Schneider disclosed in an August 13 statement that her late husband had been diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease—which he had not revealed publicly. The degenerative disease affects the nervous system, eventually hampering movement and speech. She also confirmed that the actor was battling depression and anxiety but that he had maintained his sobriety.
In her statement, Schneider also expressed gratitude for the outpouring of support following her husband’s suicide and touched on the legacy he left behind: “Since his passing, all of us who loved Robin have found some solace in the tremendous outpouring of affection and admiration for him from the millions of people whose lives he touched. His greatest legacy, besides his three children, is the joy and happiness he offered to others, particularly to those fighting personal battles.”
In November 2014, reports surfaced that prior to his death Williams was also suffering from Lewy body dementia, a type of progressive dementia often found in people diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease.
Net Worth
According to Forbes, Williams left behind an estate of $100 million when he died. The actor filed a deed to restrict the use of his likeness for a period of 25 years following his death, so his name, photo, voice, and signature can’t be used in any films, advertisements, or endorsements until 2039.
Williams’ wife Susan Schneider and three children became involved in a legal fight over his estate. He had left the estate to his children but had “special provisions” to make sure Schneider and her children from a prior relationship were taken care of. Schneider filed a petition in December 2014 for more money, and the two sides argued over the actor’s bicycle collection, awards, and photographs. The case was settled out of court in October 2015.
Book and Documentaries
Years after his death, Williams’ show business career and final days remained a captivating subject for fans. Dave Itzkoff’s biography Robin became a best-seller following its May 2018 publication, and two months later, HBO offered a character study of the comedian via footage of stand-up clips and interviews with family and friends in Robin Williams: Come Inside My Mind.
Williams’ widow, Susan Schneider, participated in another 2020 documentary about his life, final days, and battle with Lewy disease called Robin’s Wish. With the film, director Tylor Norwood hoped to help viewers “understand the pain he felt as his talents and faculties rapidly slipped away… how in the face of that terrifying reality, he was more heroic, more compassionate than any character he ever played in any of his movies.”
Quotes
- I’m sorry, if you were right, I’d agree with you.
- Spring is nature’s way of saying, ‘Let’s party!’
- Politics: ‘Poli’ a Latin word meaning ‘many’; and ‘tics’ meaning ‘bloodsucking creatures.’
- What’s right is what’s left if you do everything else wrong.
- You’re only given one little spark of madness. You musn’t lose it.
- The only weapon we have is comedy.
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In conclusion, Robin Williams was a remarkable actor, comedian, and philanthropist, whose talents and charisma left an indelible mark on the entertainment industry and the lives of countless individuals. His ability to seamlessly transition between comedic and dramatic roles showcased his versatility and immense talent as an actor. Beyond his performances, Williams was a beacon of light, using his fame and fortune to support numerous charitable causes and bring attention to important social issues. Despite battling his own personal demons, he was able to touch the lives of millions of people with his wit, humor, and genuine kindness. The loss of Robin Williams will forever be felt, but his legacy will continue to inspire generations to come, reminding us to cherish our loved ones, spread joy wherever we can, and never underestimate the power of laughter.
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