Robin Williams - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Robin Williams - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia: Robin McLaurin Williams (July 21, 1951 – August 11, 2014) was an American actor and comedian. Rising to fame with his role as the alien Mork in the TV series Mork & Mindy (1978–82), Williams went on to establish a successful career in both stand-up comedy and feature film acting. His film career included such acclaimed films as Popeye (1980),[9] The World According to Garp (1982), Good Morning, Vietnam (1987), Dead Poets Society (1989), Awakenings (1990), The Fisher King (1991), and Good Will Hunting (1997), as well as financial successes such as Hook (1991), Aladdin (1992), Mrs. Doubtfire (1993), Jumanji (1995), The Birdcage (1996), Night at the Museum (2006), and Happy Feet (2006). He also appeared in the video "Don't Worry, Be Happy" by Bobby McFerrin.





Williams was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actor three times, and won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his performance in Good Will Hunting. He also received two Emmy Awards, four Golden Globe Awards, two Screen Actors Guild Awards, and five Grammy Awards.[10][11]





Williams suffered from depression throughout his life, and also struggled with drug and alcohol addiction.[12] On August 11, 2014, he was found dead after committing suicide by hanging himself[13] at his home in Paradise Cay, near Tiburon, California.[14]



He was raised in the Episcopal Church (while his mother practiced Christian Science),^[23][24] and later authored the comedic list, "Top Ten Reasons to be an Episcopalian."^[25]



Williams attended elementary school in Lake Forest, Illinois and began middle school there. His young friends recall him as being very funny.^[26] When Williams's father was transferred to Detroit, the family moved from the Chicago area to a 40-room farm house in suburban Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, where he was a student at the Detroit Country Day School.^[27] He excelled in school and became president of the class. He was on the school's soccer team and wrestling team.^[28] In middle school, Williams was bullied and would seek out new routes home to avoid his tormentors.^[29] He told jokes to his mother to make her laugh and pay attention to him.^[30] Williams spent much of his time alone in the family's large home, playing with his 2,000 toy soldiers. "My only companions, my only friends as a child were my imagination," he said.^[31]



Williams's father was away much of the time and, when he was home, Williams found him "frightening". His mother worked too, leaving Williams to be attended to by the maids they employed. Williams claimed his upbringing left him with an acute fear of abandonment and a condition he described as "Love Me Syndrome."^[32]



When Williams was 16, his father took early retirement and the family moved to Woodacre, California, where he attended the public Redwood High School in nearby Larkspur. When he graduated in 1969, the senior class voted him both "Most Likely Not to Succeed" and "Funniest."^[33]



Williams described himself as a quiet child whose first imitation was of his grandmother to his mother. He did not overcome his shyness until he became involved with his high school drama department.^[38] In 1973, Williams was one of only 20 students accepted into the freshman class at Juilliard and one of only two students to be accepted by John Houseman into the Advanced Program at the school that year; the other was Christopher Reeve. William Hurt was another classmate.^[39][40] Williams left Juilliard during his junior year in 1976 at the suggestion of Houseman, who told him, "There's just nothing more we can teach you. So you should go out and work."^[39][41]