History Creator / RobinWilliams

'''Son:''' ''Popeye'' wasn't good for anyone! Who are you kidding?

Towards the end of his life, Williams fought depression and was eventually diagnosed with Parkinson's disease in 2014. He tragically hanged himself in his Paradise Cay home on August 11 of that year. An autopsy revealed he really had [[https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/lewy-body-dementia/symptoms-causes/syc-20352025 diffuse Lewy body dementia]], [[https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/how-lewy-body-dementia-gripped-robin-williams1/ an even nastier condition]] which was misdiagnosed as Parkinson's, and was likely an aggravating factor in his depression.[[note]]Lewy body dementia is related to Alzheimer's.[[/note]] He was 63 years old.

Born in UsefulNotes/{{Chicago}}, he grew up in the city's northern suburbs and the suburbs of UsefulNotes/{{Detroit}} before graduating high school in Southern California. He began his performing career studying drama at the Juilliard School in UsefulNotes/NewYorkCity. At Juilliard, he demonstrated a gift for accents[=/=]dialects and amazed everyone by showing that he could turn off his dynamo energy and fully disappear into a character. He left before graduating after his instructors, some of the leading actors of their generation, told him they had nothing more to teach him. While at Juilliard, he was roommates with Creator/ChristopherReeve, with whom he became fast friends and the two swore to each other they'd support each other through thick and thin[[note]]it was Williams who helped Reeve find the will to live after becoming paralyzed and unhesitatingly offered to cover Reeve's medical expenses[[/note]]. Somewhat ironically, considering his reputation as a MotorMouth, he supported himself during his studies by busking as a mime in Central Park.

--> "I've had women come up to me saying 'Don't wear fur!' And I say, 'Lady, it's me! I'm a fuckin' chia pet!'"

* AndIMustScream: Creator/BillyCrystal noted in one biographical special, ''Come Inside My Mind'', that Robin's diagnosis with Parkinson's (later discovered to be Lewy body disease) caused this for his friend. His wife put it more pointedly in a paper:
-->'''Susan Schneider Williams:''' Robin was losing his mind and he was aware of it. Can you imagine the pain he felt as he experienced himself disintegrating?

* DeadpanSnarker: When he wasn't chewing scenery, he was usually tossing out caustic one-liners and dry remarks. Or [[TakeAThirdOption tossing out witty remarks while chewing scenery]].

* FriendToAllChildren: He got along great with kids and became very close with many of his child co-stars, particularly the Lost Boys in ''Film/{{Hook}}'' and Mara Wilson and Lisa Jakob while making ''Film/MrsDoubtfire''.

* {{Irony}}: Known as a MotorMouth, he also spent time as a mime. He actually spent his weekends while attending Juliard doing mime performances on the steps of the New York Metropolitan Museum of Art in order to make money.

* SelfDeprecation: Did this a lot in his stand-up and interviews.

* ThrowItIn: Known for fighting with directors over how far he can vary from the script. Often it came down to "One good take done straight, then you can have fun." As such, all of his works feature at least some ad-libbing on his part, and guessing where he went off-script makes for a fun game.

* FriendToAllChildren: He got along great with kids and became very close with many of his child co-stars, particularly the Lost Boys in ''Film/Hook'' and Mara Wilson and Lisa Jakob while making ''Film/MrsDoubtfire''.

After ''Mork and Mindy'' was cancelled, Robin still struggled on the big screen, through ''Film/TheWorldAccordingToGarp'', ''Film/MoscowOnTheHudson'', ''Film/TheBestOfTimes'', and the ''very'' poorly-received ''Film/ClubParadise''. It wasn't until ''Film/GoodMorningVietnam'' that people started taking this comic seriously, and he got his first Academy Award nomination for Best Actor. He was nominated again for ''Film/DeadPoetsSociety'' two years later, and yet again for ''Film/TheFisherKing'' two years after that. He didn't win for any of them. He continued to churn out classic roles, like a grown-up Literature/PeterPan in ''Film/{{Hook}}'', the Genie in ''WesternAnimation/{{Aladdin}}'' (which helped establish the CelebrityVoiceActor as the "star" of an animated film) and the title role in ''Film/MrsDoubtfire''. Williams was cast as the older Alan Parrish in 1995's ''Film/{{Jumanji}}''. In 1996, he starred in the Creator/FrancisFordCoppola dramedy ''Film/{{Jack|1996}}'' and starred alongside Creator/NathanLane in the hit comedy ''Film/TheBirdcage''. In 1997, he finally won his rightfully-deserved Oscar for ''Film/GoodWillHunting''. After that, he went through a period of overly-maudlin films such as ''Film/WhatDreamsMayCome'', ''Film/PatchAdams'', ''Film/JakobTheLiar'' and ''Film/BicentennialMan''.

* TheAlcoholic: He was open about his struggles with alcohol and drugs and joked about it frequently in his stand-up.

* LargeHam: Perhaps most noticeable when he appeared as the bit character Osric in Creator/KennethBranagh's ''Film/{{Hamlet}}''.

** Creator/KevinConroy, who was one of his roommates at Juilliard, has described in interviews how Robin would spend hours in the middle of the night practicing accents and developing new characters. It got to the point where Kevin would often mistakenly believe there was actually a group of people in the room with Robin, when he was actually alone.

!!Like any celebrity, Robin has been parodied or caricatured a lot in popular media:

** In a "Celebrity Series/{{Jeopardy}}" sketch from 2000! Robin is played by Creator/JimmyFallon, who does a pretty good voice impression. (When Williams died, Fallon, who by then was hosting ''Series/TheTonightShow'', did a tribute to him on the show that aired the night after, including excerpts of Williams' first ''Tonight Show'' appearance in TheSeventies.)
** Robin actually engaged in some self-mockery in a 1986 episode he hosted in a sketch where he played himself as a Shakespearean actor who can't stop going into his improvisational routines, enraging Creator/WilliamShakespeare himself. In another skit, Dana Carvey played his hyperactive son years in the future.

* Non-parody example: In NBC's MadeForTVMovie ''Behind the Camera: The Unauthorized Story of Mork & Mindy'', Robin was portrayed by Chris Diamantopoulos, who did an uncanny vocal impersonation.

* MoneyDearBoy: His starring in the ''Series/TheCrazyOnes'' and a large number of low budget films towards the end of his life was primarily because of financial reasons.

** A "Celebrity Jeopardy" sketch in 2000. Robin is played by Creator/JimmyFallon, who does a pretty good voice impression. (When Williams died, Fallon, who by then was hosting ''Series/TheTonightShow'', did a tribute to him on the show that aired the night after, including excerpts of Williams' first ''Tonight Show'' appearance in TheSeventies.)

[[AC:WebMedia]]

Born in UsefulNotes/{{Chicago}}, he grew up in the city's northern suburbs and the suburbs of UsefulNotes/{{Detroit}} before graduating high school in Southern California. He began his performing career studying drama at the Juilliard School in UsefulNotes/NewYorkCity. At Juilliard, he demonstrated a gift for accents[=/=]dialects and amazed everyone by showing that he could turn off his dynamo energy and fully disappear into a character. He left before graduating after his instructors, some of the leading actors of their generation, told him they had nothing more to teach him. While at Juilliard, he was roommates with Creator/ChristopherReeve, with whom he became fast friends and the two swore to each other they'd support each other through thick and thin[[note]]it was Williams who helped Reeve find the will to live after becoming paralyzed and Williams unhesitatingly offered to cover his friend's medical expenses[[/note]]. Somewhat ironically, considering his reputation as a motormouth, he supported himself during his studies by busking as a mime in Central Park.

[[caption-width-right:350:"[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G2e_M06YDyY Seize the day!]]"]]

* EveryoneWentToSchoolTogether: He graduated from high school alongside future Seattle Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll, and attended Juilliard with Creator/ChristopherReeve and Creator/KevinConroy.

Towards the end of his life, Williams fought depression and was eventually diagnosed with Parkinson's disease in 2014. He tragically hanged himself in his Paradise Cay home on August 11 of that year. An autopsy revealed he really had [[https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/lewy-body-dementia/symptoms-causes/syc-20352025 diffuse Lewy body dementia]], [[https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/how-lewy-body-dementia-gripped-robin-williams1/ an even nastier condition]] which may have been misdiagnosed as Parkinson's, and was likely an aggravating factor in his depression.[[note]]Lewy body dementia is related to Alzheimer's.[[/note]] He was 63 years old.

After ''Mork and Mindy'' was cancelled, Robin still struggled on the big screen, through ''Film/TheWorldAccordingToGarp'', ''Film/MoscowOnTheHudson'', ''Film/TheBestOfTimes'', and the ''very'' poorly-received ''Film/ClubParadise''. It wasn't until ''Film/GoodMorningVietnam'' that people started taking this comic seriously, and he got his first Academy Award nomination for Best Actor. He was nominated again for ''Film/DeadPoetsSociety'' two years later, and yet again for ''Film/TheFisherKing'' two years after that. He didn't win for any of them. He continued to churn out classic roles, like a grown-up Literature/PeterPan in ''Film/{{Hook}}'', the Genie in ''WesternAnimation/{{Aladdin}}'' (which helped establish the CelebrityVoiceActor as the "star" of an animated film) and the title role in ''Film/MrsDoubtfire''. Williams was cast as the older Alan Parrish in 1995's ''Film/{{Jumanji}}''. In 1996, he starred in the Creator/FrancisFordCoppola dramedy ''Film/{{Jack|1996}}'' and starred alongside Nathan Lane in the hit comedy ''Film/TheBirdcage''. In 1997, he finally won his rightfully-deserved Oscar for ''Film/GoodWillHunting''. After that, he went through a period of overly-maudlin films such as ''Film/WhatDreamsMayCome'', ''Film/PatchAdams'', ''Film/JakobTheLiar'' and ''Film/BicentennialMan''.

* Actor Jamie Costa performed as Robin in a 2021 short film depicting Williams in 1982, learning of the death of John Belushi. Costa's performance was widely praised, although Zelda Williams understandably took umbrage at fans constantly spamming her with links to the short: "Jamie is SUPER talented, this isn’t against him, but y’all spamming me an impression of my late Dad on one of his saddest days is weird." Noting the distress it had caused her, Costa subsequently removed the video.

* JustForFun/OneOfUs: He was a huge fan of ''Anime/NeonGenesisEvangelion''. During ''Film/OneHourPhoto'', his character gives a young boy a stock model of one of the EVA units; the model was from Williams' own collection. He also lobbied for the role of Gendo Ikari in the ''Anime/RebuildOfEvangelion'' movies. And, of course, he named his daughter [[Franchise/TheLegendOfZelda Zelda]].

* BigNameFan: Of [[MechaShow mecha anime]], which he religiously watched and even collected a huge amount of robot figures.

** A bit from ''Weapons of Self-Destruction'' has him recall the time his GPS told him to make a right turn [[SuicideDare while he was in the middle of driving over a bridge]]. Quite the FunnyAneurysmMoment these days, but at the time it was merely yet another joke mocking one of his {{Box Office Bomb}}s.

After ''Mork and Mindy'' was cancelled, Robin still struggled on the big screen, through ''Film/TheWorldAccordingToGarp'', ''Film/MoscowOnTheHudson'', and the ''very'' poorly-received ''Film/ClubParadise''. It wasn't until ''Film/GoodMorningVietnam'' that people started taking this comic seriously, and he got his first Academy Award nomination for Best Actor. He was nominated again for ''Film/DeadPoetsSociety'' two years later, and yet again for ''Film/TheFisherKing'' two years after that. He didn't win for any of them. He continued to churn out classic roles, like a grown-up Literature/PeterPan in ''Film/{{Hook}}'', the Genie in ''WesternAnimation/{{Aladdin}}'' (which helped establish the CelebrityVoiceActor as the "star" of an animated film) and the title role in ''Film/MrsDoubtfire''. Williams was cast as the older Alan Parrish in 1995's ''Film/{{Jumanji}}''. In 1996, he starred in the Creator/FrancisFordCoppola dramedy ''Film/{{Jack|1996}}'' and starred alongside Nathan Lane in the hit comedy ''Film/TheBirdcage''. In 1997, he finally won his rightfully-deserved Oscar for ''Film/GoodWillHunting''. After that, he went through a period of overly-maudlin films such as ''Film/WhatDreamsMayCome'', ''Film/PatchAdams'', ''Film/JakobTheLiar'' and ''Film/BicentennialMan''.

* YiddishAsASecondLanguage: He used a lot of Yiddish in his comedy, both because the words sounded funny and he could sneak profanity and obscenity past TV censors. On ''Series/MorkAndMindy'', it got to the point where Creator/{{ABC}} had to hire a Yiddish-speaking censor expressly to monitor what he was saying. Later on, so did ''an entire country''!

* JustForFun/OneOfUs: He was a huge fan of ''Anime/NeonGenesisEvangelion''. During ''Film/OneHourPhoto'', his character gives a young boy a stock model of one of the EVA units; the model was from Williams' own collection. He also lobbied for the role of Gendo Ikari in the ''Anime/RebuildOfEvangelion'' movies.

* OddFriendship: With Creator/ChristopherReeve, who he met at Juilliard, and a more mismatched but [[TrueCompanions deeply close]] pair you would never find. One of the first times anyone got Reeve to laugh after his injury came when a bearded Eastern European doctor barged into the hospital room and started jabbering in an indecipherable accent about all the rectally invasive procedures they were going to perform on Reeve - who then burst out laughing when he realized it was Robin. Reeve later said it was the first time he realized he'd be okay and attributed support from Robin and his wife to helping him.

* OddFriendship: With Creator/ChristopherReeve, who he met at Juilliard, and a more mismatched but [[TrueCompanions deeply close]] pair you would never find. One of the first times anyone got Reeve to laugh after his injury came when a bearded Eastern European doctor barged into the hospital room and started jabbering in an indecipherable accent about all the rectally invasive procedures they were going to perform on Reeve - who then burst out laughing when he realized it was Robin.

Robin [=McLaurin=] Williams (July 21, 1951 – August 11, 2014) was an American actor and comedian of stage and screen. Born in UsefulNotes/{{Chicago}}, he grew up in Chicago's northern suburbs and the suburbs of UsefulNotes/{{Detroit}} before graduating high school in Southern California. He began his performing career studying drama at the Juilliard School in UsefulNotes/NewYorkCity. At Juilliard, he demonstrated a gift for accents[=/=]dialects and amazed everyone by showing that he could turn off his dynamo energy and fully disappear into a character. He left before graduating after his instructors, some of the leading actors of their generation, told him they had nothing more to teach him. While at Juilliard, he was roommates with Creator/ChristopherReeve, with whom he became fast friends and the two swore to each other they'd support each other through thick and thin[[note]]it was Williams who helped Reeve find the will to live after becoming paralyzed and Williams unhesitatingly offered to cover his friend's medical expenses[[/note]]. Somewhat ironically, considering his reputation as a motormouth, he supported himself during his studies by busking as a mime in Central Park.

Towards the end of his life, Williams fought depression and was eventually diagnosed with Parkinson's disease in 2014. He tragically hanged himself in his Paradise Cay home on August 11. An autopsy revealed he really had [[https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/lewy-body-dementia/symptoms-causes/syc-20352025 diffuse Lewy body dementia]], [[https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/how-lewy-body-dementia-gripped-robin-williams1/ an even nastier condition]] which may have been misdiagnosed as Parkinson's, and was likely an aggravating factor in his depression.[[note]]Lewy body dementia is related to Alzheimer's.[[/note]] He was 63 years old.

Robin [=McLaurin=] Williams (July 21, 1951 – August 11, 2014) was an American actor and comedian born in Chicago, Illinois.

He began his performing career studying drama at the Juilliard School, where he demonstrated a gift for accents[=/=]dialects and amazed everyone by showing that he could turn off his dynamo energy and fully disappear into a character. He left before graduating after his instructors, some of the leading actors of their generation, told him they had nothing more to teach him. While at Juilliard, he was roommates with Creator/ChristopherReeve, with whom he became fast friends and the two swore to each other they'd support each other through thick and thin[[note]]it was Williams who helped Reeve find the will to live after becoming paralyzed and Williams unhesitatingly offered to cover his friend's medical expenses[[/note]]. Somewhat ironically, considering his reputation as a motormouth, he supported himself during his studies by busking as a mime in Central Park.