Posting this story harkens me back to Erma Bombeck’s famous quote “There is a thin line that separates laughter and pain, comedy and tragedy, humor and hurt.”…..as this tale is a very bittersweet one about one of my favorite all-time comedian and entertainer….who in my opinion was talented like no other throughout history…..as his story is about a man who had the uncanny ability to make everyone who crossed his path laugh with prolonged “belly laughs” that carried on for sustained periods of time….who could also make you cry at “the drop of a hat” while touching your deepest emotions…..for Robin Williams was truly a genuinely gifted person…..as his life reflected how thin the line is between genius and insanity. It has always been my opinion that I was completely satisfied with being blessed at being just above average and normal…..cuz I have always felt that exceptional talents also carry exceptional expectations from one’s self and others close to them…. along with mental challenges with not being able to always perform at the level of one’s talents and expectations. The expectations from being a genius many times drive those so talented closer to the line of pain, tragedy and hurt. Robin Williams was truly genius in his natural gifts and talents….. and his ability to share those talents so easily and naturally eventually resulted in his crossing the line closely shared with comedy and tragedy….but during the times of laughter, humor and comedy…..this genius brought tremendous joy to the world and his fans like me. The truth be known, I never saw any piece depicting Robin William’s talent that didn’t bring great joy to me…..cuz he could really touch my “laughter and enjoyment meter”, which almost pinged into the “hysterically funny” zone…..which is why we are at ImaSportsphile are so delighted to tell his story and document it with video footage descriptive of his true genius and talent…..as we hope you enjoy his story as much as we are honored to tell it…..Long live Robin Williams!!!
Comedy – 1951 To 2014 – Biography Channel Documentary – “Robin Williams Best American Actor and Comedian”
Robin McLaurin Williams (July 21, 1951 – August 11, 2014) was an American actor and comedian….who was known for his improvisational skills….and the wide variety of characters he created on the spur of the moment…..which he portrayed on film, in dramas and comedies alike….as he is regarded as one of the greatest comedians of all time.
Comedy & Talk Shows – 2005 – Regis and Kelly Live – With Guest Robin Williams
Williams began performing stand-up comedy in San Francisco and Los Angeles during the mid-1970’s…..and rose to fame playing the alien Mork in the ABC sitcom Mork & Mindy from 1978 to 1982. After his first leading film role in Popeye in 1980, he starred in several critically and commercially successful films….which included The World According to Garp in 1982)…. Moscow on the Hudson in 1984…..Good Morning, Vietnam in 1987…..Dead Poets Society in1989…..Awakenings in 1990…..The Fisher King in 1991…. Patch Adams in 1998….One Hour Photo in 2002….and World’s Greatest Dad in 2009…..along with box office successes such as Hook in 1991…..Aladdin in 1992…..Mrs. Doubtfire in 1993….Jumanji in 1995…..The Birdcage in 1996….. Good Will Hunting in 1997…..and the Night at the Museum trilogy from 2006 to 2014. He was nominated for four Academy Awards….while winning Best Supporting Actor for Good Will Hunting. He also received two Primetime Emmy Awards, six Golden Globe Awards, two Screen Actors Guild Awards and five Grammy Awards.
Comedy & Movies – 2021 – WatchMojo.com Presents – “Top 10 Unscripted Robin Williams Moments That Were Left in the Movie”
Robin McLaurin Williams was born at St. Luke’s Hospital in Chicago, Illinois, on July 21, 1951…..as his father, Robert Fitzgerald Williams, was a senior executive in Ford’s Lincoln-Mercury Division….and his mother, Laurie McLaurin, was a former model from Jackson, Mississippi…..whose great-grandfather was Mississippi senator and governor Anselm J. McLaurin. Williams had two older half-brothers: a paternal half-brother, Robert and a maternal half-brother, McLaurin. While his mother was a practitioner of Christian Science, Williams was raised in his father’s Episcopal faith. During a television interview on Inside the Actors Studio in 2001, Williams credited his mother as an important early influence on his humor….as he tried to make her laugh to gain attention.
Comedy – 1977 – Live Stand Up Comedy – “The Mind Of Robin Williams”
Williams attended public elementary school in Lake Forest at Gorton Elementary School and middle school at Deer Path Junior High School. He described himself as a quiet child who did not overcome his shyness until he became involved with his high school drama department…..while his friends recall him as very funny. In late 1963, when Williams was 12, his father was transferred to Detroit…..when the family lived in a 40-room farmhouse on 20 acres in suburban Bloomfield Hills, Michigan….where he was a student at the private Detroit Country Day School…..wherein he excelled in school….and was on the school’s wrestling team….while being elected class president.
Comedy – 1982 T0 2013 – Best of Humans Special Collection – “The Best of Robin Williams & Billy Crystal Together”
As both his parents worked, Williams was partially raised by the family’s maid….who was his main companion. When he was 16, his father took early retirement and the family moved to Tiburon, California….when following their move, Williams attended Redwood High School in nearby Larkspur. At the time of his graduation in 1969, he was voted “Most Likely Not to Succeed” and “Funniest” by his classmates. After high school graduation, Williams enrolled at Claremont Men’s College in Claremont, California, to study political science….but dropped out to pursue acting….when he studied theatre for three years at the College of Marin, a community college in Kentfield, California. According to the College of Marin’s drama professor, James Dunn, the depth of the young actor’s talent became evident when he was cast in the musical Oliver! as Fagin. Williams often improvised during his time in the drama program, leaving cast members in hysterics. Dunn called his wife after one late rehearsal to tell her Williams “was going to be something special”.
Comedy – 1976 – “Robin Williams: The Early Years” – Training Video Clips – Starring Robin Williams and Featuring Jack Ford and Carolyn Dunn
In 1973, Williams attained a full scholarship to the Juilliard School (Group 6, 1973–1976) in New York City….where he was one of 20 students accepted into the freshman class….and he and Christopher Reeve were the only two accepted by John Houseman into the Advanced Program at the school that year…..plus, William Hurt and Mandy Patinkin were also classmates. According to biographer Jean Dorsinville, Franklyn Seales and Williams were roommates at Juilliard. Reeve remembered his 1st impression of Williams when they were new students at Juilliard saying “He wore tie-dyed shirts with tracksuit bottoms and talked a mile a minute. I’d never seen so much energy contained in one person. He was like an untied balloon that had been inflated and immediately released. I watched in awe as he virtually caromed off the walls of the classrooms and hallways. To say that he was ‘on’ would be a major understatement.” Williams and Reeve had a class in dialects taught by Edith Skinner…..who Reeve said was one of the world’s leading voice and speech teachers…..and according to Reeve, Skinner was bewildered by Williams and his ability to instantly perform in many different accents. Their primary acting teacher was Michael Kahn…..who was “equally baffled by this human dynamo”. Williams already had a reputation for being funny ….but Kahn criticized his antics as simple stand-up comedy…..however in a later production, Williams silenced his critics with his well-received performance as an old man in Tennessee Williams’s Night of the Iguana. Reeve wrote, “He simply was the old man. I was astonished by his work and very grateful that fate had thrown us together.”…..as the two remained close friends until Reeve’s death in 2004…..for their friendship was like “brothers from another mother”, according to Williams’s son Zak.
Comedy – 1976 T0 2013 – Special Recorded Compilation of Robin Williams Career Works – “Robin Williams: Strictly Revolutionary Tribute Mix”
During the summers of 1974, 1975, and 1976, Williams worked as a busboy at The Trident in Sausalito, California. He left Juilliard during his junior year in 1976 at the suggestion of Houseman…..who said there was nothing more Juilliard could teach him. Gerald Freedman, another of his teachers at Juilliard, said Williams was a “genius”…..and that the school’s conservative and classical style of training did not suit him….as no one was surprised that he left.
Comedy & Animation – 1991 – The Making of Disney Animated Film “Aladdin” – Robin Williams Nails the Audition
Williams began performing stand-up comedy in the San Francisco Bay Area in 1976…..when he gave his 1st performance at the Holy City Zoo, a comedy club in San Francisco…..where he worked his way up from tending bar. In the 1960’s, San Francisco was a center for a rock music renaissance, hippies, drugs and a sexual revolution….when in the late 1970’s, Williams helped lead its “comedy renaissance”, writes critic Gerald Nachman. Williams says he found out about “drugs and happiness” during that period….while adding that he saw “the best brains of my time turned to mud”.
Comedy & Olympics – 1976 – Montreal Olympics Women’s Gymnastics Special – “Robin Williams Interviews Nadia Comăneci After Her Perfect 10”
Comedy & News – 2014 – ABC News Special – “Robin Williams and Christopher Reeve’s Secret Pact Made At Julliard School To Support One Another No Matter What”
Comedy – 1977 To 2010 – Special – “Best of Robin Williams Stand Up Comedy Collection”
Williams moved to Los Angeles and continued performing stand-up at clubs, including The Comedy Store…..where in 1977, he was seen by TV producer George Schlatter…..who asked him to appear on a revival of his show Laugh-In. The show aired in late 1977 and was his debut TV appearance…..then later that year, Williams also performed a show at the L.A. Improv for Home Box Office. While the Laugh-In revival failed, it led Williams into his television career….when he continued performing stand-up at comedy clubs such as the Roxy to help keep his improvisational skills sharp….and while in England, Williams performed at The Fighting Cocks.
Comedy – 1977 – Live At The Roxy – Robin Williams: Stand Up Routine –“A Little Spark of Madness”
Comedy – 1978 – Live on CBC with Peter Gzowsk – Robin Williams: “On Ethnic Stereotypes in Comedy”
Comedy & Talk Shows – Live on the Don Lane Show – Robin Williams: First Time in Australia
With his success on Mork & Mindy, Williams began to reach a wider audience with his stand-up comedy…..which started in the late 1970’s and throughout the 1980’s…..while including three HBO comedy specials Off The Wall in 1978…..An Evening with Robin Williams in 1983…..and A Night at the Met in 1986. Williams won a Grammy Award for Best Comedy Album for the recording of his 1979 live show at the Copacabana in New York, Reality … What a Concept.
Comedy – 1978 – HBO On Location Presents – Robin Williams Live at the Roxy – “Off The Wall”
Comedy – 1983 – HBO On Location Presents – Robin Williams Live at the Great American Music Hall – “An Evening With Robin Williams”
Comedy – 1983 – HBO On Location Presents – Robin Williams Live at the Metropolitan Opera – “Robin Williams: Live at the Met”
Comedy – 1979 – Comedy Album Side 1 + 2 – Robin Williams: “Wow…Reality, What A Concept”
David Letterman, who knew Williams for nearly 40 years, recalls seeing him 1st perform as a new comedian at The Comedy Store in Hollywood….where Letterman and other comedians had already been doing stand-up. “He came in like a hurricane”, said Letterman…..who said he then thought to himself, “Holy crap, there goes my chance in show business.”
Comedy & Talk Show – 1983 – Late Show With David Letterman – Guest Robin Williams: “On Fatherhood And Trying To Learn To Play Saxophone”
Comedy & Talk Show – 1993 – Late Show With David Letterman – Guest Robin Williams Takes Over The Show
Comedy & Talk Show – 1996 – Late Show With David Letterman – Guest Robin Williams on His Movie Birdcage + His Trip To Japan Eating Deadly Blowfish
Comedy & Talk Show – 2000 – Late Show With David Letterman – Guest Robin Williams on Letterman’s Post Heart Surgery
Comedy & Talk Show – 2005 – Late Show With David Letterman – Guest Robin Williams on the Passing of Longtime Friend Christopher Reeves + Kids
Comedy & Talk Show – 2006 – Late Show With David Letterman – Guest Robin Williams on Alcoholism and Rehabilitation
Comedy & Talk Show – 2009 – Late Show With David Letterman – Guest Robin Williams on His Recent Heart Bypass Surgery
Comedy & Talk Show – 2010 – Late Show With David Letterman – Guest Robin Williams on the Animals of Australia
Comedy & Talk Show – 2011 – Late Show With David Letterman – Guest Robin Williams on the Academy Awards
Comedy & Talk Show – 2012 – Late Show With David Letterman – Guest Robin Williams on Politics + Joe Biden’s Hooker Experience + Comedy Icon Award
Comedy & Talk Show – 2013 – Late Show With David Letterman – Guest Robin Williams on Mrs. Doubtfire Anniversary + His Children + His HBO Stand Up Specials
Comedy & Talk Show – 2014 – Late Show With David Letterman – “David Letterman Remembers Robin Williams”
Williams said that, partly due to the stress of performing stand-up, he started using drugs and alcohol early in his career. He further said that he neither drank nor took drugs while on stage….but occasionally performed when hung over from the previous day. During this period he was using cocaine….but he said it made him paranoid when performing on stage. Williams once described the life of stand-up comedians as follows: “It’s brutal man. They burn out. It takes its toll. If you’re on the road, it is even more brutal. You gotta come back down to mellow your ass out, and then performing takes you back up. They flame out because it comes and goes. Suddenly they’re hot, and then somebody else is hot. Sometimes they get very bitter. Sometimes they just give up. Sometimes they have a revival thing and they come back again. Sometimes they snap. The pressure kicks in. You become obsessed and then you lose that focus that you need.”
Comedy – 2004 – Special – “Robin Williams Rare, Exclusive Performance: Stand-Up at Al-Asad, Iraq”
Comedy – 2004 – Live on Stage – Robin Williams at Spirits in Toronto Canada
Comedy – 2003 – Live on Stage – Robin Williams at the Bagram Civic Center in Afghanistan
Some, such as the critic Vincent Canby, were concerned that his monologues were so intense that it seemed as though at any minute his “creative process could reverse into a complete meltdown”. His biographer, Emily Herbert, described his “intense, utterly manic style of stand-up [which sometimes] defies analysis … [going] beyond energetic, beyond frenetic … [and sometimes] dangerous … because of what it said about the creator’s own mental state”.
Comedy & Talk Show – 2002 – The Charlie Rose Show – “An Hour with Robin Williams”
Comedy & Talk Show – 2009 To 2013 – The Late Late Show With Craig Ferguson – Featuring Guest Robin Williams in 5 Appearances – “Chlamydia, Your Dad Is Here”
Williams felt secure that he would not run out of ideas….as the constant change in world events would keep him supplied. He also explained that he often used free association of ideas while improvising in order to keep the audience interested. The competitive nature of the show made things difficult. For example, some comedians said that Williams had stolen their jokes….which Williams strongly denied…..but David Brenner claims that he confronted Williams’s agent and threatened bodily harm if he heard Williams utter another one of his jokes….however, Whoopi Goldberg defended him, asserting that it is difficult for comedians not to reuse another comedian’s material…..and that it is done “all the time”…..when he later avoided going to performances of other comedians to deter similar accusations.
Comedy & Talk Shows – 1991 – The Tonight Show With Johnny Carson – With Guests Robin Williams + Jonathan Winters
During a Playboy interview in 1992, Williams was asked whether he ever feared losing his balance between his work and his life….to which he replied, “There’s that fear—if I felt like I was becoming not just dull but a rock, that I still couldn’t speak, fire off or talk about things, if I’d start to worry or got too afraid to say something. … If I stop trying, I get afraid.”…..while he attributed the recent suicide of novelist Jerzy Kosiński to his fear of losing his creativity and sharpness, Williams felt he could overcome those risks. For that, he credited his father for strengthening his self-confidence….while telling him to never be afraid of talking about subjects which were important to him.
Comedy – 2004 – The Tonight Show With Jay Leno – With Special Guest Robin Williams
Comedy – 1988 – HBO Comedy Hour – Live At The Improv – Robin Williams + Billy Crystal in “An All-Star Toast to the Improv”
Comedy & Politics – 2000 – C-Span Campaign 2000 Special – DNC Tribute To Bill Clinton – “Robin Williams’ Comedy Roast of Washington, DC”
Comedy & Talk Shows – 1991 – The Oprah Winfrey – With Special Guest Robin Williams
Comedy & Talk Shows – 2005 – Conan Live – With Guest Robin Williams – “Talk About St. Patricks Day”
Williams’s stand-up work was a consistent thread throughout his career…..as seen by the success of his one-man show Robin Williams: Live on Broadway in 2002…..then in 2004, he was voted 13th on Comedy Central’s list of “100 Greatest Stand-ups of All Time”. After a six-year hiatus, in August 2008, Williams announced a new 26-city tour with his Weapons of Self-Destruction. The tour began at the end of September 2009 and concluded in New York on December 3…..which became the subject of an HBO special on December 8, 2009.
Comedy – 2002 – HBO Presents – Robin Williams: “Live on Broadway”
Comedy – 2009 – HBO Presents – Robin Williams: “Weapons of Self Destruction”
After the Laugh-In revival and appearing in the cast of The Richard Pryor Show on NBC….that is when Williams was cast by Garry Marshall as the alien Mork in a 1978 episode of the TV series Happy Days, “My Favorite Orkan”….. as he was sought after as a last-minute cast replacement for a departing actor….when Williams impressed the producer with his quirky sense of humor after he sat on his head when asked to take a seat for the audition. As Mork, Williams improvised much of his dialogue and physical comedy….. while speaking in a high, nasal voice…..as he made the most of the script. The cast and crew, as well as TV network executives, were significantly impressed with his performance…..and as such, the executives moved quickly to get the performer on contract just four days later before competitors could make their own offers.
Comedy – 1977 – Laugh In Revival Special – Guest Robin Williams Stand-Up Routine
Comedy – 1977 – The Richard Pryor Show – Comedy Skit – “To Kill A Mockingbird” – With Richard Pryor + Robin Williams + Sandra Bernhard
Comedy – 1977 – Happy Days TV Show – With Robin Williams – As “Mork Meets The Fonz and Laverne”
Mork’s appearance proved so popular with viewers that it led to the spin-off television sitcom Mork & Mindy…..which co-starred Pam Dawber…..and ran from 1978 to 1982…..as the show was written to accommodate his extreme improvisations in dialogue and behavior….and albeit he portrayed the same character as in Happy Days, the series was set in the present in Boulder, Colorado, instead of the late 1950’s in Milwaukee. Mork & Mindy at its peak had a weekly audience of sixty million…..and was credited with turning Williams into a “superstar”. Among young people, the show was very popular because Williams became “a man and a child, buoyant, rubber-faced, an endless gusher of ideas,” according to critic James Poniewozik.
Comedy – 1978 To 1982 – Mork & Mindy Show – Special – “Blooper Gag Reel”
Comedy – 1978 To 1982 – Mork & Mindy Show – Special Scenes From Season 1 Thru 4
Comedy – 1978 To 1982 – Mork & Mindy Show – Special – “All Bloopers Compilation (Season 1 – 4)”
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Comedy – 1980 – Mork & Mindy Show – Special – “Mork on Loneliness”
Comedy – 1981 – Mork & Mindy Show Season 3 Episode 14 – “Mork Meets Robin Williams”
Comedy – 1979 – Mork & Mindy Show – Two Special Funny Scenes – “Wavy Hair & Excuse Me”
Comedy – 1978 To 1982 – Mork & Mindy Show – Special – “You Should Be Dancing”
Mork became so popular that he was featured on posters, coloring books, lunch-boxes, and other merchandise…..as Mork & Mindy was such a success in its 1st season that Williams appeared on the March 12, 1979, cover of Time magazine….with the cover photo, taken by Michael Dressler in 1979, is said to have “[captured] his different sides: the funnyman mugging for the camera, and a sweet, more thoughtful pose that appears on a small TV he holds in his hands” according to Mary Forgione of the Los Angeles Times. This photo was installed in the National Portrait Gallery in the Smithsonian Institution shortly after his death to allow visitors to pay their respects. Williams also appeared on the cover of the August 23, 1979, issue of Rolling Stone, photographed by Richard Avedon.
Comedy – 1980 – Mork & Mindy Show – Special – Mork Calling Orson – On “Being A Celebrity”
Comedy – 1978 – Mork & Mindy Show Season 1 Episode 4 – “Walk The Moon”
Comedy – 1979 – Mork & Mindy Show – Special – “Mork Talks With Orson About Losing A Friend”
Comedy – 1978 To 1982 – Mork & Mindy Show – Special – “Happy”
Starting in the late 1970’s and throughout the 1980’s, Williams began to reach a wider audience with his stand-up comedy….which included three HBO comedy special…..with Off the Wall in 1978…..An Evening with Robin Williams in 1983…..and A Night at the Met in 1986. In 1986, Williams co-hosted the 58th Academy Awards…..and was also a regular guest on various talk shows, including The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson and Late Night with David Letterman…..on which he appeared 50 times.
Comedy & Talk Shows – 1991 – Tonight Show With Johnny Carson – With Guest Robin Williams Talking About His New Movie “Awakenings”
Comedy & Talk Shows – 1981 – Tonight Show With Johnny Carson – With Guest Robin Williams – 1st Appearance On Carson
Comedy & Talk Shows – 1982 – Tonight Show With Johnny Carson – With Guest Robin Williams On His Movie “The World According To Garp” + Getting Back Into Stand-Up
Comedy & Talk Shows – 1992 – Tonight Show With Johnny Carson – With Guest Robin Williams On The 2nd To Last Episode of The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson
Comedy & Talk Shows – 1984 – Tonight Show With Johnny Carson – With Guest Robin Williams Is Out Of Control On The Tonight Show
Williams appeared with fellow comedian Billy Crystal in an unscripted cameo at the beginning of an episode of the 3rd season of Friends. His many television appearances included an episode of Whose Line Is It Anyway?…. and he starred in an episode of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit. In 2006, Williams was the Surprise Guest at the Nickelodeon Kids’ Choice Awards…. and appeared on an episode of Extreme Makeover: Home Edition that aired on January 30. In 2010, he appeared in a sketch with Robert De Niro on Saturday Night Live…..and in 2012, he guest-starred as himself in two FX series, Louie and Wilfred. In May 2013, CBS started a new series, The Crazy Ones, starring Williams…..but the show was canceled after one season.
Comedy – 1992 – Saturday Night Live Show – With Guest Host Robin Williams – “Opening Monologue”
Comedy – 1992 – Saturday Night Live Show – Comedy Skit With Guest Host Robin Williams – “Firing Line: Spontaneous Combustion of Black Entertainers with William F. Buckley”
Comedy – 2013 – The Crazy Ones TV Show – Official Promo -Starring Robin Williams + Sarah Michelle Gellar
Comedy – 1986 – The Carol Burnett Show – Comedy Skit With Robin Williams – “The Funeral”
Comedy – 2010 – Channel 4’s Alan Carr Chatty Man Show – with Guests Robin Williams + Bobcat Goldthwait
Comedy – 2021 – Special Video – “Robin Williams pokes fun at Joe Biden”
The first film role credited to Robin Williams is a small part in the 1977 low-budget comedy Can I Do It….’Til I Need Glasses?…..while his 1st starring performance is as the title character in Popeye in 1980…..in which Williams showcased the acting skills previously demonstrated in his television work…. when accordingly, the film’s commercial disappointment was not blamed on his performance. He went on to star as the leading character in The World According to Garp in 1982…..which Williams considered “may have lacked a certain madness onscreen, but it had a great core”…..plus, he continued with other smaller roles in less successful films such as The Survivors in 1983….and Club Paradise in 1986…..albeit he said these roles did not help advance his film career.
Comedy & Movie Clips – 1977 – Courtroom Scene from Movie “Can I Do It….’Til I Need Glasses?” – Starring Robin Williams
Comedy & Movie Clips – 1980 – Scene from Movie “Popeye” – Starring Robin Williams Singing “I’m Popeye the Sailor Man”
Comedy & Movie Clips – 1980 – Boxing Scene from Movie “Popeye” – Starring Robin Williams + Shelley Duvall
Comedy & Movie Clips – 1982 – Official Trailer from Movie “The World According To Garp” – Starring Robin Williams
Comedy & Movie Clips – 1982 – Scene Where Garp (Robin Williams) Meets Transsexual Roberta Muldoon (John Lithgow) from Movie “The World According To Garp” – Starring Robin Williams
Comedy & Movie Clips – 1986 – Official Trailer from Movie “Club Paradise” – Starring Robin Williams + Peter O’Toole
Comedy & Movie Clips – 1983 – Gunfight Scene from Movie “The Survivors” – Starring Robin Williams
His first major break came from his starring role in director Barry Levinson’s Good Morning, Vietnam in 1987…..which earned Williams a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Actor…..as the film is set in 1965 during the Vietnam War, with Williams playing the role of Adrian Cronauer, a radio shock jock who keeps the troops entertained with comedy and sarcasm…..when Williams was allowed to play the role without a script, improvising most of his lines…..while over the microphone, he created voice impressions of people, including Walter Cronkite, Gomer Pyle, Elvis Presley, Mr. Ed, and Richard Nixon…..as producer Mark Johnson said “We just let the cameras roll”…..and Williams “managed to create something new for every single take”.
Comedy & Movies – 1987 – Scene From Movie “Good Morning Viet Nam” – “The First Broadcast” – Starring Robin Williams as Adrian Cronauer
Comedy & Movies – 1987 – Scene From Movie “Good Morning Viet Nam” – “Best Scenes” – Starring Robin Williams as Adrian Cronauer
Comedy & Movies – 1987 – Scene From Movie “Good Morning Viet Nam” – “Company of New Recruits Loaded in Truchs Heading for Front Line in Lanang” – Starring Robin Williams as Adrian Cronauer
Comedy & Movies – 1987 – Scene From Movie “Good Morning Viet Nam” – “You’re In More Dire Need of a Blowjob Than Any White Man in History” – Starring Robin Williams as Adrian Cronauer
Comedy & Movies – 1987 – Scene From Movie “Good Morning Viet Nam” – “The Final Sign-Off” – Starring Robin Williams as Adrian Cronauer
Comedy & Movies – 1987 – Behind the Scenes From Movie “Good Morning Viet Nam” – “With Robin Williams as Adrian Cronauer Improvising”
Many of his subsequent roles were in comedies tinged with pathos. Looking over most of his filmography, one writer was “struck by the breadth” and radical diversity of most of the roles Williams portrayed. In 1989, Williams played a private-school English teacher in Dead Poets Society…..which included a final, emotional scene that some critics said “inspired a generation”…..and became a part of pop culture. Similarly, his performance as a therapist in Good Will Hunting in 1997 deeply affected even some real therapists. In Awakenings in 1990, Williams plays a doctor modeled after Oliver Sacks…..who wrote the book on which the film is based….as Sacks later said the way the actor’s mind worked was a “form of genius”. In 1991, he played an adult Peter Pan in the film Hook…..albeit he had said he had to lose 25 pounds for the role. Terry Gilliam, who directed Williams in two of his films, The Fisher King in 1991 and The Adventures of Baron Munchausen in 1988, said in 1992 that Williams had the ability to “go from manic to mad to tender and vulnerable… [Williams had] the most unique mind on the planet. There’s nobody like him out there.”
Movies – 1989 – Movie Clip from “Dead Poets Society” – Starring Robin Williams – “The Poet Inside Us All” Scene
Movies – 1989 – Movie Clip from “Dead Poets Society” – Starring Robin Williams – “What Will Be Your Verse?” Scene
Movies – 1989 – Movie Clip from “Dead Poets Society” – Starring Robin Williams – “Carpe Diem. Seize the Day?” Scene
Movies – 1989 – Movie Clip from “Dead Poets Society” – Starring Robin Williams – “Conformity Scene?”
Movie – 1991 – Official Trailer for Movie “Hook” – Starring Robin Williams + Dustin Hoffman + Julie Roberts + Bob Hoskins
Movie – 1991 – Movie Clip from “Hook” – Starring Robin Williams + Julia Roberts – “Insults At Dinner”
Movie – 1991 – Movie Clip from “Hook” – Starring Robin Williams – “You Are The Pan” Scene
Movie – 1991 – Movie Clip from “Hook” – Starring Robin Williams + Dustin Hoffman – “The Swordfight Between Hook Vs Pan”
Movie – 1991 – Movie Clip from “Hook” – Starring Robin Williams + Dustin Hoffman – “Thank You For Believing”
Movie – 1990 – Official Trailer for Movie “Awakenings” – Starring Robin Williams + Robert De Niro
Movie – 1990 – Movie Clip from “Awakenings” – Starring Robin Williams + Robert De Niro – “The Will of the Ball” Scene
Movie – 1990 – Movie Clip from “Awakenings” – Starring Robin Williams + Robert De Niro – “The Drug Isn’t Working” Scene
Movie – 1990 – Movie Clip from “Awakenings” – Starring Robin Williams + Robert De Niro – “You’re Awake” Scene
Movie – 1990 – Music Theme by Randy Newman from “Awakenings” – Starring Robin Williams + Robert De Niro – Highlights from the Movie
Other dramatic performances by Williams include Moscow on the Hudson in 1984…..What Dreams May Come in 1998….and Bicentennial Man in 1999. In Insomnia in 2002, Williams portrayed a murderer on the run from a sleep-deprived Los Angeles police detective (played by Al Pacino) in rural Alaska. Also in 2002, in the psychological thriller One Hour Photo, Williams portrayed an emotionally disturbed photo development technician who becomes obsessed with a family for whom he has developed pictures for a long time. The Angriest Man in Brooklyn was Williams’ last movie to be released while he was alive….when in the movie, Williams played Henry Altmann, an angry, bitter man who tries to change his life after being told he has a terminal illness.
Movies – 1984 – Official Trailer for Movie “Moscow on the Hudson” – Starring Robin Williams + María Conchita Alonso
Movies – 1990 – Official Trailer for Movie “Cadillac Man” – Starring Robin Williams + Tim Robbins
Movies – 1998 – Official Trailer for Movie “What Dreams May Come” – Starring Robin Williams + Cuba Gooding Jr.
Movies – 1992 – Official Trailer for Movie “TOYS” – Starring Robin Williams + Michael Gambon + Joan Cusack + Robin Wright + LL Cool J + Jamie Foxx
Movies – 1998 – Official Trailer for Movie “Patch Adams” – Starring Robin Williams + Monica Potter + Phillip Seymour Hoffman
Movies – 1999 – Official Trailer for Movie “Bicentennial Man” – Starring Robin Williams + Richard Martin
Movies – 2002 – Official Trailer for Movie “Insomnia” – Starring Robin Williams + Al Pacino + Hilary Swank
Movies – 2002 – Official Trailer for Movie “One Hour Photo” – Starring Robin Williams + Connie Nielsen + Michael Vartan + Gary Cole + Eriq La Salle
Movies – 2004 – Official Trailer for Movie “The Final Cut” – Starring Robin Williams + Jim Caviezel + Mira Sorvino
Movies – 2009 – Official Trailer for Movie “The Angriest Man In Brooklyn” – Starring Robin Williams + Mila Kinis + Peter Dinklage + Melissa Leo
Williams’ performances garnered him various accolades….which included an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his role in Good Will Hunting …..as well as two previous Academy Award nominations, for Dead Poets Society…..and as a troubled homeless man in The Fisher King. Among the actors who helped him during his acting career he credited Robert De Niro, from whom he learned the power of silence and economy of dialogue when acting…..and from Dustin Hoffman, with whom he co-starred in Hook, he learned to take on totally different character types, and to transform his characters by extreme preparation. Mike Medavoy, producer of Hook, told its director, Steven Spielberg, that he intentionally teamed up Hoffman and Williams for the film because he knew they wanted to work together….and that Williams welcomed the opportunity of working with Spielberg. Having Woody Allen, who directed him and Billy Crystal in Deconstructing Harry in 1997 also helped Williams….as Allen knew that Crystal and Williams had often worked together on stage.
Movie – 1997 – Official Trailer for Movie “Good Will Hunting” – Starring Matt Damon + Robin Williams + Ben Affleck
Movies – 1997 – Movie Clip from “Good Will Hunting” – Starring Matt Damon + Ben Affleck + Robin Williams – “My Boy’s Wicked Smart” Scene
Movies – 1997 – Movie Clip from “Good Will Hunting” – Starring Matt Damon + Robin Williams – “I Will End You” Scene
Movies – 1997 – Movie Clip from “Good Will Hunting” – Starring Matt Damon + Robin Williams – “Perfect For Each Other” Scene
Movies – 1997 – Movie Clip from “Good Will Hunting” – Starring Matt Damon + Robin Williams – “A Bittersweet Ending” Scene
Movies – 1997 -The Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor – Winner Robin Williams for “Good Will Hunting”
Movies – 1991 – Official Trailer for “The Fisher King” – Starring Jeff Bridges + Robin Williams
Movies – 1991 – Movie Clips from “The Fisher King” – Starring Jeff Bridges + Robin Willams – “The Story of the Fisher King” Park Scene
Comedy & Awards – 1992 – The Golden Globe Award for Best Actor in a Comedy – Winner Robin Williams Acceptance Speech
Movies – 1997 – Official Trailer for “Deconstructing Harry” – Starring Woody Allen + Robin Williams + Billy Crystal
Movies – 1997 – Movie Clips from “Deconstructing Harry” – Starring Woody Allen + Robin Willams + Billy Crystal – “Out of Focus” Scene
Movie – 1997 – Official Trailer for “Father’s Day” – Starring Robin Williams + Billy Crystal + Julia Louis-Dreyfus + Nastassja Kinski
Movie – 1999 – Official Trailer for “Jacob The Liar” – Starring Robin Williams + Alan Arkin + Liev Schreiber + Hannah Taylor-Gordon + Bob Balaban
While Williams voiced characters in several animated films, his voice role as the Genie in the animated musical Aladdin in 1992 was written for him….as the film’s directors said they had taken a risk by writing the role….which at first, Williams refused the role since it was a Disney movie…..and he did not want the studio profiting by selling merchandise based on the movie….albeit he accepted the role with certain conditions saying “I’m doing it basically because I want to be part of this animation tradition. I want something for my children. One deal is, I just don’t want to sell anything—as in Burger King, as in toys, as in stuff.” Williams improvised much of his dialogue, recording approximately 30 hours of tape….along with impersonating dozens of celebrities including Ed Sullivan, Jack Nicholson, Robert De Niro, Groucho Marx, Rodney Dangerfield, William F. Buckley Jr., Peter Lorre, Arnold Schwarzenegger and Arsenio Hall. His role in Aladdin became one of his most recognized and best-loved…..as the film was the highest-grossing of 1992….while winning numerous awards….which included a Special Golden Globe Award for Vocal Work in a Motion Picture for Williams…..whereby his performance paved the way for other animated films to incorporate actors with more star power. He was named a Disney Legend in 2009.
Movie & Animation – 1992 – Official Trailer for Disney Animated Movie “Aladdin” – Voiced by Scott Weinger (Aladdin) + Linda Larkin (Jasmin) + Robin Williams (Genie + Peddler)
Movies – 1992 – Clip from Disney Animation Movie “Aladdin” – Featuring Robin Williams as the Genie – “Friend Like Me” Scene
Movies – 1992 – Clip from Disney Animation Movie “Aladdin” – Featuring Robin Williams as the Genie – “Prince Ali” Scene
Movies – 1992 – Clips from Disney Animation Movie “Aladdin” – Featuring Robin Williams as the Genie – “Cast of Impressions” Scene
Movies – 1992 – Clips from Disney Animation Movie “Aladdin” – The Genie Outtakes of Robin Williams (Rare Voice Recording Sessions)
Due to Disney breaking an agreement with Williams regarding the use of the Genie in the advertising for Aladdin, Williams refused to sign on for the direct-to-video sequel The Return of Jafar in 1994…..where the Genie was instead voiced by Dan Castellaneta….but when Jeffrey Katzenberg was replaced by Joe Roth as Walt Disney Studios chairman, Roth organized a public apology to Williams…..when Williams would, in turn, reprise the role in the 2nd sequel, Aladdin and the King of Thieves in 1996.
Movies – 1996 – Official Trailer of Disney Animated Movie “Aladdin and the King of Thieves” – Featuring Robin Williams as the Genie
Movies – 1996 – Clips from Disney Animated Movie “Aladdin and the King of Thieves” – Featuring Robin Williams as the Genie – “Code Red” Scene
Movies – 1996 – Clips from Disney Animated Movie “Aladdin and the King of Thieves” – Featuring Robin Williams as the Genie – “The Genie” Scene
Movies – 1996 – Clips from Disney Animated Movie “Aladdin and the King of Thieves” – Featuring Robin Williams as the Genie – “The Wedding Crashed” Scene
Movies – 1996 – Clips from Disney Animated Movie “Aladdin and the King of Thieves” – Featuring Robin Williams as the Genie – “All of Genie’s Impressions in Aladdin and the King of Thieves”
Williams continued to provide voices in other animated films….which included FernGully: The Last Rainforest in 1992…..Robots in 2005….the Happy Feet film franchise from 2006 to 2011….and an uncredited vocal performance in Everyone’s Hero in 2006. He also voiced the holographic character Dr. Know in the live-action film A.I. Artificial Intelligence in 2001….plus he was the voice of The Timekeeper…..which was a former attraction at the Walt Disney World Resort about a time-traveling robot who encounters Jules Verne and brings him to the future.
Comedy & Animation – 1992 – Official Trailer & Clips from Animated Movie “Ferngully: The Last Rain Forrest” – Featuring Robin Williams
Comedy & Animation – 2005 – Official Trailer & Clips from Animated Movie “Robots” – Featuring Robin Williams
Comedy & Animation – 2006 To 2011 – Official Trailer & Clips from Animated Movie “Happy Feet” – Featuring Robin Williams + Elijah Woods + Nicole Kidman +Hugh Jackman
Movies – 1995 – Walt Disney’s Tomorrowland Presents – Robin Williams as “The Timekeeper”
Movies – 2001 – Movie Clip from “AI: Artificial Intelligence” – Featuring Robin Williams as “Dr. Know” Scene
Movies – 2006 – Movie Clip from “Everyone’s Hero” – Featuring Robin Williams as Mr. Big in the “Phone Call” Scene
Years after the films, Janet Hirshenson revealed in an interview that Williams had expressed interest in portraying Rubeus Hagrid in the Harry Potter film series…..but was rejected by director Chris Columbus due to the “British-only edict”. In 2006, he starred in five movies, including Man of the Year, a political satire…..and The Night Listener, a thriller about a radio show host who realizes that a child with whom he has developed a friendship may not exist. Four films starring Williams were released after his death in 2014…. including Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb…..A Merry Friggin’ Christmas…..Boulevard…..and Absolutely Anything.
Movies – 2006 – Official Trailer for “The Night Listener” – Starring Robin Williams + Toni Collette + Rory Culkin + Sandra Oh
Movies – 2006 – Official Trailer for “Man of the Year” – Starring Robin Williams + Christopher Walken + Laura Linney
Movies – 2014 – Official Trailer for “Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb” – Starring Robin Williams + Ben Stiller + Owen Wilson
Movies – 2014 – Official Trailer for “Merry Friggin’ Christmas” – Starring Robin Williams + Candice Bergen + Joel McHale + Clark Duke + Oliver Platt
Movies – 2014 – Official Trailer for “Boulevard” – Starring Robin Williams + Kathy Baker + Roberto Aguire
Movies – 2014 – Official Trailer for “Absolutely Anything” – Starring Simon Pegg + Kate Beckinsale + Robin Williams as Dennis the Dog
Williams appeared opposite Steve Martin at Lincoln Center in an off-Broadway production of Waiting for Godot in 1988. He headlined his own one-man show, Robin Williams: Live on Broadway…..which played at the Broadway theatre in July 2002. He made his Broadway acting debut in Rajiv Joseph’s Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo…..which opened at the Richard Rodgers Theatre on March 31, 2011. Williams was the host of a talk show for Audible that aired in April 2000 and was only available on Audible’s website.
Comedy – 1988 – Lincoln Center in an Off-Broadway Production – Robin Williams & Steve Martin in “Waiting For Godot”
Comedy & Broadway – 2011 – Live on Broadway Stage – “Bengal Tiger at the Bagdad Zoo” – Starring Robin Williams
Williams married his first wife, Valerie Velardi, in June 1978, following a live-in relationship with comedian Elayne Boosler….as Velardi and Williams met in 1976 while he was working as a bartender at a tavern in San Francisco…. when their son, Zachary Pym “Zak” Williams, was born in 1983…..while Velardi and Williams were divorced in 1988….when it was reported that Williams began an affair with Zachary’s nanny, Marsha Garces in 1986….but Velardi stated in the 2018 documentary Robin Williams: Come Inside My Mind that the relationship with Garces began after the two had separated. On April 30, 1989, Williams married Garces, who was six months pregnant with his child. They had two children, Zelda Rae Williams (born 1989) and Cody Alan Williams (born 1991). In March 2008, Garces filed for divorce from Williams, citing irreconcilable differences. Their divorce was finalized in 2010. Williams married his 3ird wife, graphic designer Susan Schneider, on October 22, 2011, in St. Helena, California. The two lived at their house in Sea Cliff, San Francisco, California. Williams said, “My children give me a great sense of wonder. Just to see them develop into these extraordinary human beings.”
Comedy & Talk Shows – 2010 – The Martha Stewart Show Special – “Robin Williams Laughs and Cooks Alongside Martha”
Comedy & Talk Shows – 2010 – The Martha Stewart Show Special – “Robin Williams and Martha Stewart on How To Eat A Whole Fish”
In New York City, Williams was part of the West Side YMCA runners’ running team….and showed promising results with 34:21 minutes at a 10K run in Central Park in 1975. His favorite books were the Foundation trilogy by Isaac Asimov…..as his favorite book as a child was The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe…..which he later shared with his children. Williams was an enthusiast of both pen-and-paper role-playing games and video games…..as his daughter Zelda was named after the title character from The Legend of Zelda, a family favorite video game series…..and he sometimes performed at consumer entertainment trade shows. Williams was a big fan of anime and collecting figures…..as his daughter described him as a “figurine hoarder”…. with one of his figures being the character Deunan Knute from the anime film Appleseed…..which he was a big fan of. He also liked the film Innocence Ghost in the Shell…..and received a DVD copy of Paranoia Agent signed its director, Satoshi Kon.
Comedy & Moview – 1980 To 2013 – Watch Mojo Movie Clips Special – “Top 20 Unscripted Robin Williams Moments In His Movies”
He also became a devoted cycling enthusiast….while having taken up the sport partly as a substitute for drugs….and eventually, he accumulated a large bicycle collection and became a fan of professional road cycling….while often traveling to racing events such as the Tour de France. In 2016, his children donated 87 of his bicycles in support of the Challenged Athletes Foundation and Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation.
Comedy & Talk Shows – 2002 – Live on BBC PARKINSON Show – Michael Parkinson Interviews Robin Williams – On Air Travel After 9/11 + Early Comic Influences + His New Movie “One Hour Photo”
In 1986, Williams teamed up with Whoopi Goldberg and Billy Crystal to found Comic Relief USA…..while this annual HBO television benefit devoted to the homeless raised $80 million as of 2014. Bob Zmuda, creator of Comic Relief, explains that Williams felt blessed because he came from a wealthy home…..but wanted to do something to help those less fortunate. Williams made benefit appearances to support literacy and women’s rights….along with appearing at benefits for veterans…..as he was a regular on the USO circuit….where he traveled to 13 countries and performed to approximately 90,000 troops. After his death, the USO thanked him “for all he did for the men and women of our armed forces”.
Comedy – 1987 – Comic Relief I Live – With Robin Williams Stand-Up Routine
Comedy – 1987 – Comic Relief I Live – With Robin Williams + Billy Crystal In Opening Sketch and Musical Number
Comedy – 1993 – Comic Relief VI Live – With Robin Williams + Billy Crystal + Whoopi Goldberg Intro To Comic Relief VI
Comedy – 1989 – Comic Relief III Live – With Robin Williams + Billy Crystal Dancin’
Comedy – 1989 – Comic Relief III Live – With Robin Williams + Billy Crystal + Whoopi Goldberg Out Takes
Comedy – 1991 – Comic Relief V Live – With Robin Williams Stand-Up Routine
Comedy – 1992 – Comic Relief VI Live – With Robin Williams Stand-Up Routine
Williams and his second wife, Marsha, founded a philanthropic organization called the Windfall Foundation to raise money for many charities. In December 1999, he sang in French on the BBC-inspired music video of international celebrities doing a cover of The Rolling Stones single “It’s Only Rock ‘n Roll (But I Like It)” for the charity Children’s Promise.
Comedy – 1986 – Jonathan Winters On The Ledge Tv Special – With Robin William in a Comedy Skit – “Eddie’s Diner”
During the late 1970’s and early 1980’s, Williams had an addiction to cocaine…..as he was a casual friend of John Belushi….when the Saturday Night Live comic’s death in 1982 from a drug overdose….which happened the morning after the two had partied together…..along with the birth of his own son Zak….basically prompted him to quit drugs and alcohol saying, “Was it a wake-up call? Oh yeah, on a huge level. The grand jury helped, too.”…..when Williams later said of Belushi’s death, “It sobered the shit out of me.” Williams turned to exercise and cycling to help alleviate his depression shortly after Belushi’s death; according to bicycle shop owner Tony Tom, Williams said, “cycling saved my life.”
Cycling & Comedy – 1998 – Special – Cycling With Robin Williams Over The Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco
In 2003, Williams started drinking again while working on a film in Alaska. In 2006, he checked himself in to a substance-abuse rehabilitation center in Newberg, Oregon, saying he was an alcoholic. Years afterward, Williams acknowledged his failure to maintain sobriety…..but said he never returned to using cocaine, declaring in a 2010 interview “No cocaine….paranoid and impotent….what fun. There was a bit of me thinking, ooh, let’s go back to that. Useless conversations until , waking up at dawn feeling like a vampire on a day pass, No.” In mid-2014, Williams admitted himself into the Hazelden Foundation Addiction Treatment Center in Center City, Minnesota, for treatment for alcoholism.
Comedy & News – 2015 – ABC News Exclusive – Robin Williams’ (Susan Williams) Widow Discusses Husband’s Tragic Death
In March 2009, he was hospitalized due to heart problems….when he postponed his one-man tour for surgery to replace his aortic valve, repair his mitral valve and correct his irregular heartbeat. The surgery was completed on March 13, 2009, at the Cleveland Clinic. His publicist, Mara Buxbaum, commented that he had severe depression before his death. His wife, Susan Schneider, said that in the period before his death, Williams had been sober…..but was diagnosed with early-stage Parkinson’s disease….which was information he was “not yet ready to share publicly”…..then an autopsy revealed that Williams had diffuse Lewy bodies which had been improperly diagnosed as Parkinson’s…..which may have contributed to his depression. In an essay published in the journal Neurology two years after his death, Schneider revealed that the pathology of Lewy body disease in Williams was described by several doctors as among the worst pathologies they had seen. She described the early symptoms of his disease as beginning in October 2013. Williams’s initial condition included a sudden and prolonged spike in fear and anxiety, stress and insomnia…..which worsened in severity to include memory loss, paranoia and delusions….when according to Schneider, “Robin was losing his mind and he was aware of it … He kept saying, ‘I just want to reboot my brain.'”
News & Comedy – 2021 – 60 Minutes Australia Special – “Robin Williams’ Secret Battle with Degenerative Brain Disease”
Williams was found dead in his home in Paradise Cay, California, on August 11, 2014….when the final autopsy report, released in November 2014, concluded that Williams’ death was a suicide resulting from “asphyxia due to hanging”…..as neither alcohol nor illegal drugs were involved….and the prescription drugs present in his body were at therapeutic levels. The report also noted that Williams had depression and anxiety…..as an examination of his brain tissue suggested Williams had “diffuse Lewy body dementia”. Describing the disease as “the terrorist inside my husband’s brain”, his widow Susan Schneider Williams said that “however you look at it—the presence of Lewy bodies took his life”…..thus referring to his previous diagnosis of Parkinson’s. She also revealed that in the year before his death, Williams had experienced a sudden and prolonged spike in fear and anxiety, depression, and insomnia…..which worsened in severity to include memory loss, paranoia and delusions. She noted “how we as a culture don’t have the vocabulary to discuss brain disease in the way we do about depression. Depression is a symptom of LBD and it’s not about psychology – it’s rooted in neurology. His brain was falling apart.” Medical experts struggled to determine a cause, and eventually diagnosed him with Parkinson’s disease. The Lewy Body Dementia Association (LBDA) clarified the distinction between the term used in the autopsy report, “diffuse Lewy body dementia”—which is more commonly called “diffuse Lewy body disease” and refers to the underlying disease process—and the umbrella term “Lewy body dementia”—which encompasses both Parkinson’s disease dementia (PD) and dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB). According to LBDA spokesperson Dennis Dickson, “The report confirms he experienced depression, anxiety, and paranoia, which may occur in either Parkinson’s disease or dementia with Lewy bodies. … In early PD, Lewy bodies are generally limited in distribution, but in DLB, the Lewy bodies are spread widely throughout the brain, as was the case with Robin Williams.” Ian G. McKeith, professor and researcher of Lewy body dementias, commented that Williams’s symptoms and autopsy findings were explained by DLB. Williams’ 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.
Comedy & News – 2014 – ABC News Special – Robin Williams’ Final Hours
Williams’ death instantly became global news. The entertainment world, friends, and fans responded to his death through social and other media outlets. Schneider said: “I lost my husband and my best friend, while the world lost one of its most beloved artists and beautiful human beings. I am utterly heartbroken.” His daughter Zelda Williams responded to his death by saying the “world is forever a little darker, less colorful and less full of laughter in his absence”. President Barack Obama released a statement upon Williams’s death: “Robin Williams was an airman, a doctor, a genie, a nanny, a president, a professor, a banbarang Peter Pan, and everything in between….he arrived in our lives as an alien….but ended up touching every element of the human spirit. He made us laugh, He made us cry. He gave his immeasurable talent freely and generously to those who needed it most….from our troops stationed abroad to the marginalized on our streets.”
Comedy & News – 2014 – NBC/ABC/20-20 Special Edition – “The Life and Death of Robin Williams”
At the United Nations Headquarters on August 12, 2014, Robin Williams was celebrated during the opening of the International Youth Day. In the presence of U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki Moon, Assistant Secretary General Thomas Gass paid tribute to Williams by standing on the pulpit of the ECOSOC Chamber and quoting Keating’s lines from the 1989 film Dead Poets Society: “Dare to look at things in a different way!” Several fans similarly paid tribute to Williams on social media with photo and video reenactments of Dead Poets Society‘s “O Captain! My Captain!” scene.
Movies – 1989 – Movie Clips from “Dead Poets Society” – Featuring Robin Williams as “Mr. Keating, Oh Captain, My Captain”
Shortly after his death, Disney Channel, Disney XD, and Disney Junior all aired the original Aladdin commercial-free over the course of a week….with a dedicated drawing of the genie at the end of each airing before the credits. In honor of his theater work, the lights of Broadway were darkened for the evening of August 14, 2014. That night, the cast of the Aladdin musical honored Williams by having the audience join them in a sing-along of “Friend Like Me”, an Oscar-nominated song originally sung by Williams in the 1992 film Aladdin.
Comedy & Animation – 2014 – From the Disney Animated Movie “Aladdin” – Robin Williams as the Genie Sings “Friend Like Me”
Comedy & Movies – 2014 – From the Disney Animated Movie “Aladdin” – Robin Williams as the Genie Sings “Friend Like Me” – Accompanied by Robin Williams Movie Clips
During the 66th Primetime Emmy Awards on August 25, 2014, close friend and fellow comedian Billy Crystal presented a tribute to Williams, referring to him as “the brightest star in our comedy galaxy”….when afterwards, some of Williams’s best comedy moments were shown….which included his 1st ever The Tonight Show appearance….thus indicating his great life in making people laugh. Talk show hosts including David Letterman, Conan O’Brien, Seth Meyers, Jimmy Kimmel and Jimmy Fallon paid tribute to Williams on their respective shows.
Comedy & Awards Show – 2014 – Primetime Emmy Awards Special – Billy Crystal’s Tribute to Robin Williams
On September 9, 2014, PBS aired a one-hour special devoted to his career, and on September 27, 2014, dozens of leading stars and celebrities held a tribute in San Francisco to celebrate his life and career.
Comedy & Awards Shows – 2005 – The Golden Globe Presents – The Cecil B. DeMille Award to Robin Williams
In 2018, HBO produced a documentary about his life and career. Directed by Marina Zenovich, the film, Robin Williams: Come Inside My Mind, was also screened at the Sundance Film Festival. That same year, a mural of Robin Williams was created on Market Street, in San Francisco. Work on a book biography was begun by New York Times writer David Itzkoff in 2014, and was published in 2018, entitled simply Robin.
Comedy – 2018 – HBO Documentary Special – “Robin Williams: Come Inside My Mind” Trailer
Comedy & Movie – 2018 – HBO Documentary Special – “Robin Williams: Come Inside My Mind”
In August 2020, Vertical Entertainment released a trailer for a new documentary, Robin’s Wish, exploring Williams’s battle with Lewy body dementia. The film, directed by Tylor Norwood, was digitally released on September 1, 2020.
Comedy & Film – 2020 – Factual America Film by Tylor Norwood Documentary – “Robin’s Wish: Who Robin Williams Really Was”
Film & Comedy – 2020 – Film by Tylor Norwood – “Robin’s Wish” – The Story of His Disease Lewy’s Dimintia
Williams credited comedians including Jonathan Winters, Peter Sellers, Nichols and May and Lenny Bruce as influences….while admiring their ability to attract a more intellectual audience with a higher level of wit. He also liked Jay Leno for his quickness in ad-libbing comedy routines….and Sid Caesar, whose acts he felt were “precious”. Jonathan Winters was his “idol” early in life….when at age eight Williams first saw him on television and paid him homage in interviews throughout his career. Williams was inspired by Winters’ ingenuity, realizing, he said, “that anything is possible, that anything is funny … He gave me the idea that it can be free-form, that you can go in and out of things pretty easily.” During an interview in London in 2002, Williams told Michael Parkinson that Peter Sellers was an important influence, especially his multi-character roles in Dr. Strangelove, stating, “It doesn’t get better than that.” British comedy actors Dudley Moore and Peter Cook were also among his influences, he told Parkinson. Williams was also influenced by Richard Pryor’s fearless ability to talk about his personal life on stage….with subjects including his use of drugs and alcohol….as Williams added those kinds of topics during his own stage performances. By bringing up such personal matters as a form of comedy, he told Parkinson, it was “cheaper than therapy” …..and gave him a way to release his pent-up energy and emotions. Comedian Judd Apatow said, “You can’t look at any modern comic and say, “That’s the descendant of Robin Williams”….because it’s not possible to be a Robin Williams rip-off. He raised the bar for what it is possible to do, and made an enormous amount of us want to be comedians.”
Comedy & Talk Shows – 2007 – Live on BBC PARKINSON Show – Michael Parkinson Interviews Robin Williams – 2nd Appearance – Part 1
Although Williams was 1st recognized as a stand-up comedian and television star, he later became known for acting in film roles of substance and serious drama. He was considered a “national treasure” by many in the industry of entertainment and by the public. His on-stage energy and improvisational skill became a model for a new generation of stand-up comedians….while many comedians valued the way he worked highly personal issues into his comedy routines, especially his honesty about drug and alcohol addiction, along with depression. According to media scholar Derek A. Burrill, because of the openness with which Williams spoke about his own life, “probably the most important contribution he made to pop culture, across so many different media, was as Robin Williams the person.”
Comedy & Talk Shows – 2007 – Live on BBC PARKINSON Show – Michael Parkinson Interviews Robin Williams – 2nd Appearance – Part 2
Williams created a signature free-form comedy persona so widely and uniquely identified that new comedians like Jim Carrey impersonated him, paving the way for the growing comedy scene which developed in San Francisco. Young comedians felt more liberated on stage by seeing his spontaneously diverse range: “one moment acting as a bright, mischievous child, then as a wise philosopher or alien from outer space”. According to Judd Apatow, the eclectic performer’s rapid-fire improvisational style was an inspiration as well as an influence for other comedians…..but his talent was so extremely unusual no one else could possibly attempt to copy it.
Comedy & Talk Shows – 2006 – The Tonight Show with Jay Leno – Guest Robin Williams Does Voices
His film performances often influenced other actors, both in and out of the film industry. Director Chris Columbus, who directed Williams in Mrs. Doubtfire, says watching him work “was a magical and special privilege. His performances were unlike anything any of us had ever seen, they came from some spiritual and otherworldly place.” Looking over most of his filmography, Alyssa Rosenberg at The Washington Post was “struck by the breadth” and radical diversity of most of his roles, writing that “Williams helped us grow up.”
Movies – 1993 – Official Trailer for “Mrs. Doubtfire” Movie – Starring Robin Williams + Sally Fields + Pierce Brosnan
Movies – 1993 – Movie Clip from “Mrs. Doubtfire” – Starring Robin Williams – “Could You Make Me A Women?” Scene
Throughout the course of his career Williams won numerous awards, including an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his role in Good Will Hunting (1997). He also won six Golden Globe Awards, including Best Actor—Motion Picture Musical or Comedy for his roles in Good Morning, Vietnam (1987), The Fisher King (1991) and Mrs. Doubtfire (1993), along with the Special Golden Globe Award for Vocal Work in a Motion Picture for his role Genie in Aladdin (1992), and the Cecil B. DeMille award in 2005. He also received two Primetime Emmy Awards, two Screen Actors Guild Awards, and five Grammy Awards.
Comedy & Movies – 1958 To 2014 – Special – “Robin Williams: From 7 to 64 Transformation”
Comedy & News – 2014 – ABC Nightline With David Wright Special – “A Thoughtful Look Back At Some of Robin Williams Best Performances”
After revisiting all of the videos included in this post….while finding myself being cast into a realm of continuous “belly laughs” brought about by his incredible humor, only to be followed by moments with tears running down my face by stories that touched my heart….which all made me revisit my opinion that he had a talent pool that has never been matched by any other entertainer before or after his time on this Earth. Heck, the mere mention of Robin Williams’ name today, some eight years after his passing, is enough to make most people smile….and why not….cuz the truth be known, he really was a one-of-a-kind entertainer….for he was a masterful comedian and a skilled actor….who he lived his life at a wonderfully frantic pace. He was a genius….and not only as a comedian….for his mind was electric. Such a remarkable man, mind, generous, kind, creative human…..while he was like the light that never knew how to turn itself off….as he really lit the center of the candle didn’t he?…..albeit burned up too quickly….but shed a lovely light wherever he went….cuz he was one of God’s greatest blessings to mankind…. but sadly throughout history, the candles that burn brightest burn fastest. Watching these videos enclosed in this post herewith has given me an overwhelming sense of appreciation for how this man, no matter what he did, gave his all every time. Only Robin could at the drop of a hat do a whole set off the top of his head and kill it…..for he was like a fountain of genius that just bursts with life. He was brilliant equally at home doing light comedy roles or heavy dramatic parts…..but maybe he was best of all time at pure stream of consciousness stuff…..when all that had to be done was to just put out an idea or a premise….and he would run with it….while even in dramatic roles he managed to pull off a physical comedy bit….kinda like hitting his head on the open window in Awakenings…..so, he must have been a director’s dream and nightmare at the same time….while cracking up everyone on set, all day long. So many ideas, so fast, so manic…..cuz watching Robin is like staring at the sun…..which gives us life and warmth….. but you can’t stare at it too long. What a force of nature you really were Robin….as your unstoppable creativity and mania came from a deep seated desire to please everyone around you….just to share your joy for life with all who came in contact with you….for your impact on us all will not be forgotten. None of us knew what tortured demons he fought….but his manic comedy was his medicine that he shared with us all. It’s amazing how those who bring the most joy are intimidated by their own mind….while often times convincing themselves of unworthiness. I love this man’s lightning fast wit…..while seeing this when he was talking about staying sane through comedy pulled my heart apart…for if we knew then what we know now….so many people would hug that man so tightly that all his broken parts would fuse back together…..therefore, don’t be sad he’s gone….but rather, be happy he was here and made us laugh till we cried….and as for me, I’m thankful for him having been here…..and leaving our world with so much content to continue to make us laugh and cry….cuz Robin Williams could move our emotions with his wonderful gifts. What no one realized though, including Williams himself, was that he was also suffering from a rare degenerative brain disease. It’s incredibly painful, but his wife, Susan Schneider Williams, and his closest friends including Australian director, George Miller, now know why Robin took his own life eight years ago, and they want the world to know too. When he found out he had Lewy Body Dementia…..and what it does to your body and mind….that is why he took his own life….for he knew that without proper access to his incredible mind ….along with watching his body be completely decimated….it is my opinion that this was when he came to the realization of what a burden he would become on all those that loved him….plus, the inevitable prescription that he no longer could utilize his God given talents anymore….so, he decided to move on to a place where he would no longer be inhibited by a horrible disease. I find that it is crazy how many people in my life have said that they miss someone they never met….but with Robin Williams, I feel the same. He was a light for all of humanity. A truly unique human being full of that spark that’s so rare. I end this tribute to him with my favorite Robin Williams quote as follows: “I don’t know how much value I have in this universe, but I do know that I made a few people happier than they would have been without me.” No, Robin, not just a few….but rather, millions upon countless millions….and for that, we are forever indebted to you. Rest in peace, you beautiful soul, and thank you…for everything.
Comedy – 1982 – Mork & Mindy Show – Last Episode – “Goodbye For Now – Nanu Nanu” – Important Message From Robin Williams – 1951 to 2014
