Born in Chicago, 1951, Robin Williams was an introverted child who used humor to overcome his shyness.
After his family moved to San Francisco in 1967 Williams went to Redwood High School and joined the drama club. Then, during his studies at Juilliard School in New York, he met Christopher Reeve before returning to California to build a career in stand-up comedy.
By the mid ’70s, Williams was a guest on several TV shows, including The Richard Pryor Show and Laugh-In. After his appearances on Happy Days, Williams got his own show, Mork & Mindy, where he had an opportunity to get his stand-up performances into the small screen.
During the ’80s, Williams was number thirteen on Comedy Central’s list of the 100 greatest stand-ups. As his career progressed, Williams continued to take both comedic and serious roles, like Patch Adams, where he was a doctor who tried to heal his patients with laughter, or his role in Hour Photo, where he played a psychotic lab technician. We also heard Williams’ voice in many animated films like the Genie in Aladdin and Ramón and Lovelace in Happy Feet. He also voiced Dr. Know in A.I. Artificial Intelligence.
Beyond the screen, Williams was dedicated to helping others. With his friends Whoopi Goldberg and Billy Crystal, he co-founded and co-hosted the Comic Relief USA, where he raised over $80 million to help the homeless.
In 2001, a video, most of us probably remember, of Williams and a gorilla named Koko was filmed at the Gorilla Foundation in California. Koko, who understood sign language, lost her best gorilla friend, Michael and she wasn’t interacting with anyone for nearly six months. But during Williams’ visit, Koko started interacting with him, took his glasses and tried them on, and even tickled him, it was one of the moments where William showed both his talent and his caring, warm energy.
Williams passed away at his home in 2014. Soon after, his publicist said, “Robin Williams passed away this morning. He has been battling severe depression of late. This is a tragic and sudden loss. The family respectfully asks for their privacy as they grieve during this very difficult time.”
In 2022, Robin Williams was inducted into the National Comedy Center‘s new hall of fame. Disney celebrated his work by naming him a Disney Legend in 2009, and he received his star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1990.
Happy heavenly birthday,Robin Williams!
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