Robin Williams Biography, Education, Career,

Who is Robin Williams?

An American actor and comedian, Robin Williams rose to stardom in the late 1970s and became well-known all over the world for his work. Robin was born in Chicago, Illinois, on July 21, 1951, and grew up in a well to do family with his parents, Robert and Laurie.

He first spent one year at Claremont College before transferring to Juilliard School in 1973 to pursue a degree in Theatre Arts, where he later worked with Christopher Reeve, who was his classmate.

Williams played Popeye in the 1980 film of the same name, which was his first significant screen role. After that, he went on to appear in a variety of movies, some of which include Mrs. Doubtfire (1993), Good Will Hunting (1997), and Jumanji (1995). He was honored with a number of accolades, including the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role, as well as the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his performance in the film Good Will Hunting.

Early life

Robin Williams was a popular standup comedian, actor, and voice actor for animated characters. He was also recognized for his improv humor and his classic appearances in films. He was the child of Robert Fitzgerald Williams and Laurie McLaurin and was born on July 21, 1951, in the city of Chicago, Illinois. He had a brother named Robert Jr., who was his elder brother, and a brother named McLaurin Smith, who was his younger brother.

His mother had a successful career as a model, while his father held a high management position at Ford Motor Company. He came from a diverse background that included the United Kingdom, Wales, Germany, France, and Ireland. After he became an adult, he often made jokes about his family tree.

When he was still a little child, his family uprooted and relocated to the state of Michigan. After moving there, he enrolled at the Detroit Country Day School, where he was able to achieve tremendous success in both the academic and the athletic fields. However, due to the fact that he was timid and had a more introverted personality, he was always the target of bullying in school.

When he was a young adult, he enrolled in Redwood High School, from where he ultimately received his certification in the year 1969. He was often cracking jokes and making people laugh, which earned him a lot of popularity among his fellow students.

Since he was a little boy, he has had a passion for performing, and in 1973, he was awarded a full scholarship to study acting at the prestigious Juilliard School in New York City. During that school year, John Houseman invited just two students to participate in the Advanced Program; he was one of those students. Christopher Reeves and William Hurt were among his classmates in his class.

Career

In the history of humor, Robin Williams will always be remembered as a legendary figure. In the 1970s, he started his career as a standup comedian, and he went on to become one of the most well-liked performers in the history of the world. His comic talent was unsurpassed, and with his one-of-a-kind and outrageous brand of humor, he made millions of people across the globe laugh out loud.

It was in 1977, while he was playing at the Comedy Club in Los Angeles that he was noticed by the TV producer George Schlatter, who requested him to participate in a revival of the program that he had created called ‘Laugh-In.’

In late 1977, he made his first TV appearance, where he expanded on his standup routines. It was during this initial performance that a great number of people saw for the first time Williams’ outstanding comic style, which would later come to define Williams’ famous stature in the world of entertainment.

His act consisted of some of the same absurd characters and circumstances that he used in future appearances, yet, he freely confessed that he had difficulty with some jokes that were not successful with the crowd. Despite this early setback, it was obvious that this young comedian had a lot of potentials to reach greatness.

He tried out for the part of Mork, the Alien, on Happy Days, which was a very popular show. He had no idea that this particular audition would turn out to be one of the defining events of his whole professional life.

During the course of the audition, when he was requested to take a seat, Robin Williams went above and beyond to ensure that he would leave a lasting impression on those who were there.

Following that, he proceeded to deliver an outstanding performance, which not only rocketed him to instant recognition but also established him as one of the most iconic performers in Hollywood.

Robin played the role of Mork, an alien from the planet Ork, in the first season of the American comedy “Mork & Mindy,” which debuted on television in 1978. Because of the tremendous popularity of the program, he has become a well-known personality in the comedy world.

The program lasted all the way up to 1982. In 1979, Robin performed his standup comedy routine for the first time in front of a live audience at the Copacabana in New York City under the title “Reality What a Concept”. This performance was later published as an album, which helped him win a Grammy Award for best comedy recording.

It was the first time the Grammy Award had ever been presented to someone for their standup comedy performance, and it cemented Robin’s position as one of the most legendary comedians in the history of the entertainment industry.

Although he made his film debut in 1977 with the comic film Can I Do It ‘Till I Need Glasses?, he didn’t get his first major break until 1980 with ‘Popeye,’ in which he portrayed Popeye the Sailor Man.

Soon after, he was cast in a number of other films, including the 1984 comedy-drama “Moscow on the Hudson,” for which he was considered a candidate for the Golden Globe Award in the category of Best Actor.

Robin Williams plays the role of Adrian Conquer, a radio DJ who is broadcasting for the Armed Forces Radio Service, in the military comedy film “Good Morning Vietnam,” which was released in 1987. His role made the soldiers laugh with his quick wit, improvisational talents, and impersonations of renowned actors and actresses.

Because of his performance in this role, he gained widespread recognition not only in the United States but also in other parts of the world. The movie made a lot of money at the box office. It made $123 million around the world, and Williams was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role.

In 1989, he had a leading role in the drama film Dead Poets Society, which depicted the story of an English teacher at a prestigious private school who uses poetry and literature to motivate and encourage his students.

The performance given by Williams received a great deal of acclaim, both from the reviewers and the audience members who saw it; in fact, many people consider it to be one of Williams’ most outstanding performances.

In the comedy film ‘Mrs. Doubtfire’ (1993), one of his most famous roles, he played a male who pretends to be a woman so that he may spend more time with the children he shares with his ex-wife.

This film is widely regarded as one of the funniest comedies of all time.

The year 1997 was a fortunate one for him since he had the chance to act in the excellent movie ‘Good Will Hunting,’ in which he plays the part of a psychiatrist who counsels a disturbed but tremendously bright young man. This role brought him a lot of success and recognition. His performance in the film earned him a lot of praise.

His career continued to be successful far into the new century, with roles in films such as “One Hour Photo” (2002), “Robots” (2005), “License to Wed” (2007), and “Old Dogs” (2009).

After that, he had been experiencing depression, and in addition to that, he was having difficulties with alcoholism. He passed away unexpectedly in 2014, and some of his films, including “Merry Friggin’ Christmas” and “Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb,” were set to be released after his death.

Education

Well-known actor and comedian Robin Williams was raised in the Northern California. He graduated from Redwood High School before opting to pursue an acting career. After completing his high school studies and earning his diploma, Robin made the decision to continue his study at the College of Marin in Kentfield.

Robin attended the College of Marin, where he studied both political science and theater. He was highly devoted to his studies and put in a lot of effort to obtain a grasp of the various types of comedy acts he was interested in learning.

After graduating from high school, Robin was accepted into the elite Julliard School in New York City, which would prove to be a defining moment in his life. At this institution, Robin would meet his longtime friend and future actor, Christopher Reeve.

Christopher Reeve would go on to play the role of Superman. While attending Julliard, Robin worked with renowned professor John Houseman to polish his acting skills. Houseman established in Robin the values of devotion and craftsmanship, which he carried with him throughout his career. As teachers and students, they became close friends who stayed close until Houseman died in 1988.

Relationship

Valerie Velardi was Robin Williams’s first wife, and they tied the knot in June of 1978. In 1976, the pair first met with one another in a pub in San Francisco, California, where Williams was employed as a bartender at the time. After a marriage that lasted a decade, Williams and Velardi parted ways in 1988 and officially ended their relationship.

Zackary Pym Williams, their only child, was born on April 11, 1983. After their divorce, Valerie and Zack stayed close to Robin throughout his life and joined him on several occasions, including the Robots film premiere in 2005.

Marsha Garces, with whom he was in a relationship from 1989 until 2010, and Susan Schneider, with whom he was in a relationship from 2011 until the time of his death in 2014, were the two women with whom Williams was in a relationship after his divorce.

He has three kids from these marriages: Zelda Rae (born in 1989), Cody Alan (born in 1991), and Zachary Pym (born in 1983). Even after the divorce, he maintained friendships with both of his ex-wives and continued to have a strong connection with his children from each of his marriages. His relationships with his children and each of his spouses were extraordinarily tight.

Facts

· During the time that he was working on his first comedy, Robin Williams struggled with drug addiction. As a result, he continued to struggle with substance abuse and alcoholism for more than 20 years. His third wife was the one who revealed that Robin Williams had committed suicide in their San Francisco residence.

· Williams first appeared in films like “Popeye” and “The World According to Garp” when he was just starting out in the industry. Robin Williams was also nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actor.

· His performance as a teacher in the film “Dead Poets Society” earned him a second nomination for an Academy Award in the same year.

· In 1997, he was awarded the Academy Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role for his performance as a therapist in the film “Good Will Hunting,” which served as an inspiration for many therapists working in the real world.

· An audience member almost had a hernia from laughing so hard at his comments on “Inside the Actors Studio” when he discussed certain comedic moments he had to do.

· Robin Williams struggled with Lewy body dementia throughout his life and ultimately took his own life as a result of the condition.

· Together with Whoopi Goldberg and Billy Crystal, he organized a charity event to benefit those who were homeless and collected a significant amount of money. Together, they established Comic Relief in the United States. In 2014, around $80 million were raised for the benefit of the underprivileged and needy.

· Throughout his career as both an actor and a standup comedian, Robin Williams has been honored with a total of five Grammy Awards, six Golden Globe Awards, two Emmy Awards, and two Screen Actors Guild Awards.