Robin McLaurin Williams (July 21, 1951 – August 11, 2014) was an American actor and comedian. He was famous for his ability to create and perform a wide range of characters, often making them up on the spot. He is considered one of the greatest comedians in history. Williams won many awards, including an Academy Award, two Primetime Emmy Awards, six Golden Globe Awards, five Grammy Awards, and two Screen Actors Guild Awards. In 2005, he received the Cecil B. DeMille Award.

Williams was born in Chicago. He began doing stand-up comedy in San Francisco and Los Angeles in the mid-1970s. He released several comedy albums, including Reality … What a Concept in 1980. He became well-known for playing the alien Mork in the TV show Mork & Mindy (1978–1982). His first major film role was in Popeye (1980). He won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his role in Good Will Hunting (1997). He was also nominated for Oscars for his performances in Good Morning, Vietnam (1987), Dead Poets Society (1989), and The Fisher King (1991).

Williams appeared in several critically praised dramas, such as The World According to Garp (1982), Moscow on the Hudson (1984), Awakenings (1990), and World's Greatest Dad (2009). He also starred in psychological thrillers like Insomnia (2002) and One Hour Photo (2002). His comedy and family films included Toys (1992), The Birdcage (1996), Patch Adams (1998), Hook (1991), Mrs. Doubtfire (1993), Jumanji (1995), Jack (1996), Flubber (1997), RV (2006), and the Night at the Museum series (2006–2014). He also provided voices for animated films like Aladdin (1992), Robots (2005), Happy Feet (2006), and Happy Feet Two (2011).

In his later years, Williams faced serious mental health challenges, including depression. His wife said he had been diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease and experienced depression, anxiety, and paranoia. An autopsy found that he had a type of brain disease called diffuse Lewy body disease, which is linked to dementia with Lewy bodies. After his death, many people honored him with tributes.

Early life and education

Robin McLaurin Williams was born on July 21, 1951, at St. Luke's Hospital in Chicago, Illinois. His father, Robert Fitzgerald Williams (1906–1987), was a senior executive in Ford's Lincoln-Mercury Division. His mother, Laurie McLaurin (1922–2001), was a former model from Jackson, Mississippi. Her great-grandfather was Anselm J. McLaurin, a Mississippi senator and governor. Williams had two older half-brothers: a paternal half-brother named Robert (also known as Todd) and a maternal half-brother named McLaurin. His mother practiced Christian Science, but Williams was raised in his father's Episcopal faith. During a 2001 television interview on Inside the Actors Studio, Williams said his mother was an important early influence on his sense of humor. He often tried to make her laugh to gain her attention.

Williams attended public elementary school at Gorton Elementary School in Lake Forest and later Deer Path Junior High School. He described himself as a quiet child who did not overcome his shyness until joining his high school drama department. Friends remembered him as very funny. In late 1963, when Williams was 12, his father was transferred to Detroit. The family lived in a 40-room farmhouse on 20 acres (8 hectares) in suburban Bloomfield Hills, Michigan. Williams attended the private all-boys school, Detroit Country Day School. He excelled academically, served as class president, and was on the school's wrestling team. However, he was sometimes bullied for his weight and often played alone at home.

With both parents working, Williams was partly raised by the family's maid, who became his main companion. When Williams was 16, his father took early retirement, and the family moved to Tiburon, California. Williams then attended Redwood High School in nearby Larkspur. He described the school as "Gestalt." He joined the drama club and became involved in theater, which sparked his interest in the arts and entertainment. At graduation in 1969, classmates voted him "Most Likely Not to Succeed" and "Funniest." After high school, Williams enrolled at Claremont Men's College in Claremont, California, to study political science. He later dropped out to pursue acting. Williams studied theater for three years at the College of Marin, a community college in Kentfield, California. His drama professor, James Dunn, said Williams's talent became clear when he was cast in the musical Oliver! as Fagin. He often improvised during performances, making cast members laugh. Dunn once called his wife after a late rehearsal to say Williams "was going to be something special."

In 1973, Williams earned a full scholarship to the Juilliard School (Group 6, 1973–1976) in New York City. He was one of 20 students accepted into the freshman class. Williams and Christopher Reeve were the only two students accepted into the school's Advanced Program by John Houseman that year. His classmates included William Hurt and Mandy Patinkin. According to biographer Jean Dorsinville, Franklyn Seales and Williams were roommates at Juilliard. Reeve described Williams as a student who wore tie-dyed shirts with tracksuit bottoms and spoke quickly. He said Williams had so much energy that he seemed "like an untied balloon that had been inflated and immediately released."

Williams and Reeve had a class in dialects taught by Edith Skinner, a leading voice and speech teacher. Skinner was surprised by Williams's ability to instantly perform in many accents. Their primary acting teacher was Michael Kahn, who called Williams a "human dynamo." While Williams was known for being funny, Kahn said his antics were similar to stand-up comedy. Later, Williams silenced critics with his well-received performance as an old man in Tennessee Williams's Night of the Iguana. Reeve wrote that Williams "simply was the old man" and called their friendship "brothers from another mother."

During the summers of 1974 to 1976, Williams worked as a busboy at The Trident in Sausalito, California. He left Juilliard during his junior year in 1976, following Houseman's suggestion that the school had nothing more to teach him. Gerald Freedman, another of his teachers, called Williams a "genius" and said the school's conservative and classical style of training did not suit him. To those who knew him, it was no surprise that Williams left.

Career

Robin Williams started doing stand-up comedy in the San Francisco Bay Area in 1976. His first performance was at the Holy City Zoo, a comedy club in San Francisco. He worked there as a bartender before becoming a comedian. In the 1960s, San Francisco was known for rock music, the hippie movement, drug use, and changes in attitudes about relationships. By the late 1970s, Williams helped lead a new wave of comedy in the city, which critics called a "comedy renaissance." Williams later said he learned about "drugs and happiness" during this time, but he also noted that many smart people were affected negatively. He moved to Los Angeles and performed at comedy clubs, including the Comedy Store. In 1977, a television producer named George Schlatter saw him perform and invited him to appear on a revival of the show Laugh-In. The show aired later that year and marked Williams's first appearance on television. That same year, he performed at the L.A. Improv for Home Box Office. Although the Laugh-In revival was not successful, it helped Williams begin his television career. He continued performing at clubs like the Roxy to keep his improvisation skills strong. Williams also performed in London at a club called the Fighting Cocks.

David Letterman, who knew Williams for almost 40 years, remembered seeing him perform at the Comedy Store in Hollywood. Letterman, who was already a well-known comedian, said Williams's arrival was "like a hurricane" and that he felt his own chances in show business were at risk. Williams's first credited role in a movie was a small part in Can I Do It… 'Til I Need Glasses? (1977). His first starring role was as Popeye in the 1980 film Popeye, where he showed the acting skills he had developed through his television work. The film did not do well financially, but his performance was not to blame.

After the Laugh-In revival and appearing on The Richard Pryor Show on NBC, Williams was cast by Garry Marshall as Mork in the 1978 Happy Days episode "My Favorite Orkan." He was chosen as a last-minute replacement for another actor and impressed the producer by sitting on his head during the audition. As Mork, Williams made up much of his dialogue and physical comedy, speaking in a high, nasal voice. His performance was so impressive that television executives signed him to a contract within four days.

Mork's popularity led to a spin-off television sitcom called Mork & Mindy, which co-starred Pam Dawber and ran from 1978 to 1982. The show was written to allow Williams to improvise freely. Unlike Happy Days, which was set in the 1950s, Mork & Mindy took place in Boulder, Colorado, in the present day. At its peak, the show had 60 million viewers each week and helped make Williams a "superstar." Critics described him as "a man and a child, buoyant, rubber-faced, an endless gusher of ideas."

Mork became a cultural icon, appearing on posters, coloring books, and lunch boxes. Mork & Mindy was so successful in its first season that Williams was on the cover of Time magazine on March 12, 1979. The cover photo, taken by Michael Dressler, showed Williams in two different poses: one humorous and one thoughtful. This photo was later displayed in the National Portrait Gallery in the Smithsonian Institution after Williams's death. He also appeared on the cover of Rolling Stone on August 23, 1979, photographed by Richard Avedon.

With his success on Mork & Mindy, Williams reached a wider audience through his stand-up comedy in the late 1970s and throughout the 1980s. He performed three HBO comedy specials: Off The Wall (1978), An Evening with Robin Williams (1983), and A Night at the Met (1986). Williams won a Grammy Award for Best Comedy Album for his 1979 live performance at the Copacabana in New York City, titled Reality … What a Concept.

Williams played the lead character in The World According to Garp (1982), which he said had a strong core but lacked some on-screen madness. Critic Roger Ebert noted that Williams's performance as Garp balanced his cheerful energy with the chaos around him. He also had smaller roles in less successful films, such as The Survivors (1983) and Club Paradise (1986).

In an interview in 1986, Williams said he preferred being a character actor rather than the main star of a film. He explained that he did not enjoy the pressure of carrying a story and that he wanted to play supporting roles. However, he later said these smaller roles did not help his film career.

In 1986, Williams co-hosted the 58th Academy Awards. The following year, he appeared in a sketch comedy special called Carol, Carl, Whoopi and Robin (1987), acting alongside Carol Burnett, Carl Reiner, and Whoopi Goldberg. He was a regular guest on talk shows like The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson and Late Night with David Letterman, appearing 50 times on the latter. Williams's breakthrough film role was in Good Morning, Vietnam (1987), directed by Barry Levinson. He played Adrian Cronauer, a radio host who entertained soldiers during the Vietnam War. Williams improvised most of his lines and created voice impressions of famous people like Walter Cronkite and Richard Nixon. Producer Mark Johnson said they let the cameras roll, and Williams created something new for every take.

Williams appeared in an off-Broadway production of Waiting for Godot in 1988, acting alongside Steve Martin. Many of his later roles were in comedies with emotional depth, such as Mrs. Doubtfire (1993) and Patch Adams (1998). Critics noted the wide variety of roles Williams played. In Dead Poets Society (1989), he played a teacher whose final scene inspired many people. His performance as a therapist in Good Will Hunting (1997) affected real-life therapists. In Awakenings (1990), he played a doctor based on Oliver Sacks, who later called Williams's mind a "form of genius." In Hook (1991), Williams played an adult Peter Pan, though he had to lose 25 pounds for the role.

Personal life

Robin Williams married actress Valerie Velardi in 1978. Before this, he lived with comedian, writer, and actress Elayne Boosler. Velardi and Williams met in 1976 when he worked as a bartender at a tavern in San Francisco. Their son, Zachary Pym, was born in 1983. Velardi and Williams divorced in 1988.

It was reported that Williams began a relationship with Zachary’s nanny, Marsha Garces, in 1986. However, Velardi said in a 2018 documentary that the relationship with Garces started after Williams and Velardi separated. On April 30, 1989, Williams married Garces, who was six months pregnant with their first child. They had two children: Zelda Rae (born 1989) and Cody Alan (born 1991). In 2008, Garces filed for divorce, citing irreconcilable differences. Their divorce was finalized in 2010.

In 2011, Williams married graphic designer Susan Schneider. They remained married until his death. They lived in a house in Sea Cliff, San Francisco, California. Williams once said, “My children give me a great sense of wonder. Just to see them develop into these extraordinary human beings.”

In New York City, Williams was part of the West Side YMCA runners club. In 1975, he ran a 10K race in Central Park in 34:21 minutes. His favorite books included The Foundation Trilogy by Isaac Asimov and The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis. He later shared The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe with his children.

Williams enjoyed playing pen-and-paper role-playing games and video games. His daughter, Zelda, was named after Princess Zelda from the video game series The Legend of Zelda. Williams sometimes performed at entertainment trade shows.

Williams was a fan of anime and collectible figures. His daughter described him as a “figurine hoarder.” One of his favorite figures was Deunan Knute from the 2004 anime film Appleseed. He also liked the 2004 anime film Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence.

Williams became a dedicated cyclist, partly as a substitute for drugs. He collected many bicycles and became a fan of professional road cycling. He often attended events like the Tour de France. In 2016, his children donated 87 of his bicycles to support the Challenged Athletes Foundation and Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation.

Williams was raised as an Episcopalian. In a comedy routine, he joked about his religion, saying, “I have that idea of Chicago Protestant, Episcopal—Catholic light: half the religion, half the guilt.” He also described himself as an “honorary Jew.”

In 1986, Williams helped start Comic Relief USA with Whoopi Goldberg and Billy Crystal. This annual HBO event raised $80 million by 2014 to help the homeless. Williams supported literacy, women’s rights, and veterans through benefit appearances. He performed for U.S. troops in 13 countries, reaching about 90,000 soldiers. After his death, the USO thanked him for his service to the military.

Williams and his second wife, Marsha Garces, founded the Windfall Foundation to support charities. In 1999, he sang in a music video for the charity Children’s Promise, which featured celebrities covering the Rolling Stones’ song “It’s Only Rock ‘n Roll (But I Like It).”

After the 2010 Canterbury earthquake, Williams donated all proceeds from his Christchurch performance to help rebuild the city. Half went to the Red Cross, and half went to the mayoral building fund. Williams also supported St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital and performed for troops in Iraq and Afghanistan.

During the late 1970s and early 1980s, Williams struggled with cocaine addiction. He was friends with comedian John Belushi, who died of a drug overdose in 1982. Belushi’s death and the birth of his son, Zak, inspired Williams to get sober. He later said, “Was it a wake-up call? Oh yeah, on a huge level.” He turned to cycling to help with his depression.

In 2003, Williams began drinking heavily again while filming The Big White in Alaska. In 2006, he entered a rehabilitation center in Oregon for substance abuse. Later, he admitted he failed to stay sober but never used cocaine again. In 2014, he entered a treatment center in Minnesota for alcoholism.

In March 2009, Williams was hospitalized for heart problems. He postponed his one-man tour for surgery to replace his aortic valve, repair his mitral valve, and correct his irregular heartbeat. The surgery took place on March 13, 2009, at the Cleveland Clinic.

Williams’s publicist, Mara Buxbaum, said he had severe depression before his death. His wife, Susan Schneider, noted he was sober but had early-stage Parkinson’s disease, which he did not publicly share. An autopsy showed he had diffuse Lewy bodies, a condition linked to Parkinson’s, which may have contributed to his depression.

In an essay published in Neurology two years after his death, Schneider wrote that doctors described the severity of Williams’s Lewy body disease as among the worst they had seen. His symptoms began in October 2013 and included fear, anxiety, insomnia, memory loss, paranoia, and delusions. Schneider said, “Robin was losing his mind and he was aware of it… He kept saying, ‘I just want to reboot my brain.’”

Death

Robin Williams died at his home in Paradise Cay, California, on August 11, 2014. The main cause of his death was suicide by hanging, which occurred alongside Lewy body dementia (LBD) and other health issues. His wife, Susan Schneider, described LBD as "the terrorist inside my husband's brain." She explained that LBD, not depression, caused his brain to fail. She noted that society often struggles to talk about brain diseases like LBD in the same way it discusses depression, even though depression can be a symptom of LBD and is linked to brain changes, not just mental health. Medical experts had difficulty identifying the cause of his illness before eventually diagnosing him with Parkinson’s disease.

The Lewy Body Dementia Association (LBDA) explained that the term "diffuse Lewy body dementia" used in Williams’s autopsy report refers to the same condition as "diffuse Lewy body disease," which is the root cause of the illness. The term "Lewy body dementia" includes both Parkinson’s disease dementia (PDD) and dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB). LBDA spokesperson Dennis Dickson stated that Williams experienced depression, anxiety, and paranoia, which can occur in both PDD and DLB. In DLB, Lewy bodies are spread throughout the brain, as was the case with Robin Williams. Professor Ian G. McKeith, who studies Lewy body dementias, confirmed that Williams’s symptoms and autopsy results matched DLB. His body was cremated at Monte’s Chapel of the Hills in San Anselmo, and his ashes were scattered over San Francisco Bay on August 21, 2014.

After his death, media outlets shared messages of respect written by his family and friends, including Susan Schneider, Marsha Garces Williams, Zelda Williams, and Russell Brand. Many artists and celebrities honored him on social media. President Barack Obama released a statement shortly after Williams’s death.

At the time of his death, Williams had planned to appear as a guest in a final Monty Python stage show in London but canceled due to severe depression. The show’s home video was later dedicated to him.

During the opening of International Youth Day at the United Nations, Assistant Secretary General Thomas Gass quoted a line from Dead Poets Society: "Dare to look at things in a different way!" Fans honored Williams on social media by reenacting scenes from Dead Poets Society.

In the days following his death, Disney Channel, Disney XD, and Disney Junior aired Aladdin without commercials for a week, ending each broadcast with a drawing of the Genie. Broadway’s lights were turned off on August 14, and the cast of Aladdin performed a sing-along of "Friend Like Me," a song originally performed by Williams.

Fans created memorials at his Hollywood Walk of Fame star and at locations from his career, such as the bench in Boston’s Public Garden from Good Will Hunting, the home in San Francisco used in Mrs. Doubtfire, and the sign in Keene, New Hampshire, from Jumanji.

During the 66th Primetime Emmy Awards, Billy Crystal honored Williams, calling him "the brightest star in our comedy galaxy." Talk show hosts like David Letterman, Conan O’Brien, Seth Meyers, Jimmy Kimmel, and Jimmy Fallon shared highlights of Williams’s comedy career on their shows.

On September 9, 2014, PBS aired a one-hour special about Williams’s life. Later that month, family members and celebrities honored him in San Francisco. The British band Iron Maiden dedicated a song titled "Tears of a Clown" to Williams on their 2015 album, which discusses his battle with depression and suicide.

In 2016, a tunnel on Highway 101 near the Golden Gate Bridge was named the "Robin Williams Tunnel." In 2017, a park in San Francisco was renamed "Robin Williams Meadow." In 2018, HBO released a documentary titled Robin Williams: Come Inside My Mind, directed by Marina Zenovich. A biography written by David Itzkoff, titled Robin, was published in 2018.

In 2020, a documentary titled Robin’s Wish was released, focusing on Williams’s struggle with LBD. In 2022, Williams was inducted into a hall of fame at the National Comedy Center. In 2025, a controversy arose over AI-generated videos of Williams, with his daughter Zelda asking people to stop sharing such videos, stating they were not what he would have wanted.

Recognition and legacy

Robin Williams was a famous comedian and actor who changed the way people thought about comedy. His work set a high standard for what comedians could achieve, and many people wanted to become comedians because of him.

Williams first became known for his work as a stand-up comedian and on television. Later, he became famous for acting in serious and meaningful films. Many people in the entertainment industry and the public called him a "national treasure."

Williams's energy and ability to improvise on stage inspired a new generation of comedians. He often included personal topics in his comedy, such as his experiences with drug and alcohol addiction and depression. Media scholar Derek A. Burrill said that Williams's honesty about his life made him an important figure in pop culture.

Williams created a unique and flexible style of comedy that many people tried to copy. For example, Jim Carrey imitated him, and his performances helped the comedy scene in San Francisco grow. Young comedians admired how he could change his character quickly, such as acting like a child one moment and a wise philosopher the next. Judd Apatow said Williams's fast-paced, creative style influenced other comedians, but no one could copy it exactly.

Williams's acting in films also inspired other actors. Director Chris Columbus, who worked with him in Mrs. Doubtfire, said watching Williams perform was a special experience. Alyssa Rosenberg of The Washington Post noted that Williams's film roles showed a wide range of characters, helping people grow in their understanding of different stories.

Williams admitted that he struggled with drug and alcohol use early in his career due to the stress of performing. He said he avoided using drugs or alcohol while on stage but sometimes performed when he was still tired from the previous day. During a time when he used cocaine, he said it made him feel nervous while performing.

Williams once described the life of a stand-up comedian as challenging. Some critics, like Vincent Canby, worried that his performances were so intense they might lead to breakdowns. His biographer, Emily Herbert, said his style was so energetic and unpredictable that it sometimes felt difficult to understand. Williams explained that he developed a fast-paced style to keep audiences engaged, especially in bars where people expected quick humor.

Williams believed that the changing world provided endless ideas for his comedy. He often used free association to keep his routines fresh. However, some comedians accused him of using their jokes, which he denied. Whoopi Goldberg said that reusing jokes is common among comedians. To avoid similar accusations, Williams stopped attending other comedians' performances.

In a 1992 interview, Williams said he worried about losing his balance between work and personal life. He said he feared becoming dull or losing his ability to express himself. He credited his father for helping him build confidence and encouraging him to speak openly about important topics.

Williams was influenced by other comedians like Jonathan Winters, Peter Sellers, Nichols and May, and Lenny Bruce. He admired their ability to entertain audiences with clever humor. He also respected Jay Leno's quick wit and Sid Caesar's performances.

Jonathan Winters was a major influence on Williams, who admired his creativity and ability to make anything seem funny. Williams said Winters showed him that comedy could be free-form and flexible.

In a 2002 interview, Williams said Peter Sellers was an important influence, especially his ability to play many different characters in films like Dr. Strangelove. He also cited Dudley Moore and Peter Cook as influences.

Williams was inspired by Richard Pryor's courage to share personal stories about his life, including drug and alcohol use. Williams included similar topics in his own performances, calling it a way to release his emotions and energy.

Acting credits and accolades

Throughout his career, Williams received many awards. He won an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his role in Good Will Hunting (1997). He also earned six Golden Globe Awards, including Best Actor in a Musical or Comedy Movie for his roles in Good Morning, Vietnam (1987), The Fisher King (1991), and Mrs. Doubtfire (1993). He received a Special Golden Globe Award for Best Vocal Performance in a Movie for his role as Genie in Aladdin (1992) and the Golden Globe Cecil B. DeMille Award in 2005. In addition, Williams was honored with two Primetime Emmy Awards, two Screen Actors Guild Awards, and five Grammy Awards.

Discography

• Reality … What a Concept (Casablanca, 1979)
• Throbbing Python of Love (Casablanca, 1983)
• A Night at the Met (Columbia, 1986)
• Live 2002 (Columbia, 2002)
• Weapons of Self Destruction (Sony Music, 2009)