Robin Williams

Biography

Robin McLaurin Williams (July 21, 1951 – August 11, 2014) was an American actor and comedian. Known for his improvisational skills and the wide variety of characters he created on the spur of the moment and portrayed on film, in dramas and comedies alike, he is regarded as one of the greatest comedians of all time. He received numerous accolades including an Academy Award, two Primetime Emmy Awards, six Golden Globe Awards, two Screen Actors Guild Awards, and five Grammy Awards.

Williams began performing stand-up comedy in San Francisco and Los Angeles during the mid-1970s, and released several comedy albums including Reality ... What a Concept in 1980. He rose to fame playing the alien Mork in the ABC sitcom Mork & Mindy (1978–1982). He received his first leading film role in Popeye (1980). Williams went on to win the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for Good Will Hunting (1997). His other Oscar-nominated roles were for Good Morning, Vietnam (1987), Dead Poets Society (1989), and The Fisher King (1991).

Williams starred in the critically acclaimed dramas The World According to Garp (1982), Moscow on the Hudson (1984), Dead Poets Society (1989), Awakenings (1990), Patch Adams (1998), Insomnia (2002), One Hour Photo (2002), and World's Greatest Dad (2009). He also starred in family films such as Hook (1991), Mrs. Doubtfire (1993), Jumanji (1995), Jack (1996), Flubber (1997), RV (2006), and the Night at the Museum trilogy (2006–2014). He lent his voice to the animated films Aladdin (1992), Robots (2005), Happy Feet (2006), and its 2011 sequel.

Williams was found dead at his home in Paradise Cay, California, in August 2014, at the age of 63. At the time of his suicide, he had been diagnosed with Parkinson's disease. According to his widow, Williams had experienced depression, anxiety, and increasing paranoia. His autopsy found "diffuse Lewy body disease" and Lewy body dementia professionals said his symptoms were consistent with dementia with Lewy bodies.

Known For

Law & Order: Special Victims Unit

Merritt Rook

The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson

Self

Real Time with Bill Maher

Self

The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson

Self

The Graham Norton Show

Self

The Daily Show

Self

The Simpsons

Dr. J. Loren Pryor (voice) (as Doug Hill)

Tony Awards

Self - Presenter

Filmography

Year	Movie	Role
2024	The Robin Williams Supernova	Self (archive footage)
2024	Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story	Self (archive footage)
2023	Once Upon a Studio	Genie (voice) (archive footage)
2023	A Life in Ten Pictures: Robin Williams	Self (archive footage)
2022	The Hall: Honoring the Greats of Stand-Up	Self (archive footage)
2022	Robin Williams: Laugh Until You Cry	Self (archive footage)
2022	The Animograph, or I Was Born in a Shoebox	Self (archive footage)
2021	Superstar: Robin Williams	Self (archive footage)
2021	Robin's Wish	Himself (archive footage)
2020	Return to Sweethaven: A Look Back With Robin And The Altmans	Self (archive footage)
2020	The Paley Center Salutes Law & Order: SVU	(archive footage)
2018	Robin Williams: Come Inside My Mind	Self (archive footage)
2016	Koko: The Gorilla Who Talks to People	Self
2016	Robin Williams: Behind Closed Doors	Self (archive footage)
2015	Absolutely Anything	Dennis the Dog (voice)
2015	Thank You, Del: The Story of the Del Close Marathon	Self (archive footage)
2014	The Angriest Man in Brooklyn	Henry Altmann
2014	Boulevard	Nolan Mack
2014	Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb	Theodore Roosevelt
2014	A Merry Friggin' Christmas	Mitch Mitchler
2014	Altman	Self
2014	All About Ann: Governor Richards of the Lone Star State	Self (archive footage)
2014	3 Still Standing	Self
2014	And the Oscar Goes To...	Self (archive footage)
2013	The Big Wedding	Father Monaghan
2013	The Butler	Dwight Eisenhower
2013	The Face of Love	Roger Stillman
2013	Comic Relief Zero	Self (archive footage)
2013	Richard Pryor: Omit the Logic	Self
2013	Kelly Clarkson's Cautionary Christmas Music Tale	Self
2012	Final Cut: Ladies and Gentlemen	(archive footage)
2012	Radioman	Self
2012	Persistence of Vision	Himself
2012	Reflecting On A Journey: Good Will Hunting 15 Years Later	Self
2011	Classic TV Bloopers Uncensored	Mork (archive footage)
2011	Happy Feet Two	Ramon / Lovelace (voice)
2010	2Everything2Terrible2: Tokyo Drift	(archive footage)
2010	Who Is Harry Nilsson (And Why Is Everybody Talkin' About Him?)	Self
2009	World's Greatest Dad	Lance Clayton
2009	Old Dogs	Dan
2009	Robin Williams: Weapons of Self Destruction	Himself
2009	Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian	Theodore Roosevelt
2009	SpongeBob's Truth or Square	Self
2009	Shrink	Holden
2008	We Are Most Amused	Self
2008	Johnny Carson Celebrates Christmas	Self
2008	Dreams with Sharp Teeth	Himself
2008	History of the Joke	Self
2008	Starz Inside: Ladies or Gentlemen	Self (archive footage)
2008	The Madness and Misadventures of Munchausen	Self
2007	License to Wed	Reverend Frank
2007	August Rush	Maxwell "Wizard" Wallace
2007	The Pixar Story	Self (archive footage)
2007	Mr. Warmth: The Don Rickles Project	Self
2007	Certifiably Jonathan	Self
2007	Elton 60: Live At Madison Square Garden	Self
2007	Cannes: All Access	Self
2007	Fog City Mavericks	Self
2006	Night at the Museum	Theodore Roosevelt
2006	RV	Bob Munro
2006	The Night Listener	Gabriel Noone
2006	Happy Feet	Ramon / Lovelace (voice)
2006	Man of the Year	Tom Dobbs
2006	Comic Relief 2006
2006	Barry Sonnenfeld: The Kosher Cowboy	Self
2006	JoJo: The Pop Princess	Himself
2006	RV Nation: The Culture of Road Warriors	Self
2006	Everyone's Hero	Napoleon Cross (uncredited)
2005	Robots	Fender (voice)
2005	The Big White	Paul Barnell
2005	The Aristocrats	Self
2005	Earth to America	Self
2005	Nos Bastidores de Hollywood	Self
2005	Emmanuel's Gift	Self (archive footage)
2005	Romanekian	Himself
2004	The Final Cut	Alan W. Hakman
2004	House of D	Pappass
2004	The Tour Baby	Himself
2004	Noel	Charlie Boyd / The Priest
2003	The Rutles 2: Can't Buy Me Lunch	Hans Hänkie
2003	Richard Pryor: I Ain't Dead Yet, #*%$#@!!	Self
2002	Insomnia	Walter Finch
2002	Robin Williams: Live on Broadway	Himself
2002	Death to Smoochy	Rainbow Randolph
2002	One Hour Photo	Seymour Parrish
2002	The 1st 13th Annual Fancy Anvil Awards Show Program Special: Live in Stereo	Self
2002	Intimate Portrait: Pam Dawber	Self
2002	Death to Smoochy: Bloopers & Outtakes	Self
2002	Death to Smoochy: Behind the Scenes Documentary	Self
2001	A.I. Artificial Intelligence	Dr. Know (voice)
2001	America \| A Tribute to Heroes	Self
2000	The Beatles Revolution	Self
2000	Making Jumanji: The Realm of Imagination	Self / Alan Parrish
2000	Chuck Jones: Extremes and In-Betweens - A Life in Animation	Self
2000	Lions and Monkeys and Pods... Oh My!: The Special Effects of 'Jumanji'	Self (uncredited)
1999	Bicentennial Man	Andrew
1999	Jakob the Liar	Jakob Heym
1999	Billy Connolly: Erect for 30 Years
1999	Get Bruce!	Self
1998	Patch Adams	Hunter 'Patch' Adams
1998	What Dreams May Come	Chris Nielsen
1998	George Martin: In My Life	Self
1998	Junket Whore	Self
1997	Good Will Hunting	Sean Maguire
1997	Deconstructing Harry	Mel
1997	Flubber	Professor Philip Brainard
1997	Fathers' Day	Dale Putley
1996	Hamlet	Osric
1996	The Birdcage	Armand Goldman
1996	Jack	Jack Powell
1996	Aladdin and the King of Thieves	Genie (voice)
1996	The Secret Agent	The Professor (uncredited)
1996	Nichols and May: Take Two	Self
1995	Nine Months	Dr. Kosevich
1995	Jumanji	Alan Parrish
1995	The First 100 Years: A Celebration of American Movies	Self
1995	To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything! Julie Newmar	John Jacob Jingleheimer Schmidt (uncredited)
1995	Aladdin on Ice	Genie (voice) (uncredited)
1994	In Search of Dr. Seuss	The Father
1994	Being Human	Hector
1994	But... Seriously	Self (archive footage)
1994	In the Wild: Dolphins With Robin Williams	Self
1994	The World of Jim Henson	Self (archive footage)
1994	Sesame Street \| All-Star 25th Birthday: Stars and Street Forever!	Self (archive footage)
1993	Mrs. Doubtfire	Daniel Hillard / Mrs. Doubtfire
1993	An Evening with Lily Tomlin and Friends	Self
1993	A Tribute to Sam Kinison	Self
1992	Aladdin	Genie / Peddler (voice)
1992	Toys	Leslie Zevo
1992	FernGully: The Last Rainforest	Batty Koda (voice)
1992	The Return of Spinal Tap	Robin Williams
1991	The Fisher King	Parry
1991	Hook	Peter Banning / Peter Pan
1991	Dead Again	Cozy Carlisle
1991	Shakes the Clown	Mime Class Instructor
1991	A Wish for Wings That Work	Kiwi (voice)
1991	Rabbit Ears - The Fool and the Flying Ship	Narrator (voice)
1990	Cadillac Man	Joey O'Brien
1990	Awakenings	Malcolm Sayer
1990	The Earth Day Special	Everyman
1990	Comic Relief '90	Self
1990	AN EVENING WITH: FRIENDS OF THE ENVIRONMENT	Self
1989	Dead Poets Society	John Keating
1989	Comic Relief III
1989	Saturday Night Live: 15th Anniversary	Self
1989	I'm from Hollywood	Himself
1989	Whoopi Goldberg Presents: Billy Connolly	Himself (uncredited)
1989	Back to Neverland	Robin
1988	The Adventures of Baron Munchausen	King of the Moon
1988	Free to Be... a Family	Self
1988	Portrait of a White Marriage	Bill Lohmer – Air Conditioning Salesman (uncredited)
1988	Rabbit Ears - Pecos Bill	Narrator (voice)
1988	An All-Star Toast to the Improv	Self
1987	Good Morning, Vietnam	Adrian Cronauer
1987	Citizen Steve	Robin Leach
1987	Jonathan Winters: On the Ledge	Self
1987	Carol, Carl, Whoopi and Robin	Self
1987	Bobby McFerrin: Spontaneous Inventions	Himself
1987	Dear America: Letters Home from Vietnam	(voice)
1987	Superstars and their Moms	Self
1986	The Best of Times	Jack Dundee
1986	Robin Williams: An Evening at the Met	Self
1986	Club Paradise	Jack Moniker
1986	Seize the Day	Tommy Wilhelm
1986	Super Duper Bloopers	Self
1986	Bob Goldthwait -- Don't Watch This Show	Albert Einstein
1986	The Young Comedians All-Star Reunion	Self
1986	Max Headroom's Giant Christmas Turkey	Self
1986	Barbra Streisand: One Voice	Self - Guest Performer
1986	Bridge School Benefit Concert 1986	Self
1986	The Best of Comic Relief	Self
1985	Richard Lewis: I'm In Pain	Self
1984	Moscow on the Hudson	Vladimir Ivanoff
1984	The Stars Salute the U.S. Olympic Team
1983	An Evening with Robin Williams	Self
1983	The Survivors	Donald Quinelle
1982	The World According to Garp	T.S. Garp
1982	I Love Liberty	Self
1982	The Tale of the Frog Prince	The Frog / Prince Robin
1982	E.T. and Friends: Magical Movie Visitors	Self - Host
1982	Night of 100 Stars	Self
1980	Popeye	Popeye
1980	Andy Kaufman Plays Carnegie Hall	Self (uncredited)
1979	Rona Barrett Looks at 1978	Self
1979	Sitcom: The Adventures of Garry Marshall	Self
1978	Sorority '62	Henry
1978	Robin Williams - Live At The Roxy	Self
1978	Robin Williams: Off the Wall	Self
1977	The 2nd Annual HBO Young Comedians Show	Self
1977	Can I Do It Till I Need Glasses?	Lawyer / Man with Toothache (uncredited)

Year	TV Show	Role
2024	Stand-Up: The Laughing Therapy	Self (archive footage)
2023	Love Has Won: The Cult of Mother God	Self (archive footage)
2022	Dark Side of Comedy	Self (archive footage)
2021	Superstar	Self (archive footage)
2021	History of the Sitcom	Self (archive footage) - Actor
2018	The Top Ten Revealed	Self (archive footage)
2015	Behind Closed Doors with Natalie Morales	Self (archive footage)
2013	The Crazy Ones	Simon Roberts
2012	Inside Comedy	Self
2011	Wilfred	Dr. Eddy
2010	Louie	Robin
2009	The Jay Leno Show	Self
2009	Alan Carr: Chatty Man	Self
2008	The Bonnie Hunt Show	Self
2007	The Graham Norton Show	Self
2007	Shrink Rap	Himself
2006	VH1 Rock Honors	Himself
2005	Mind of Mencia
2005	Sit Down Comedy with David Steinberg	Himself
2005	The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson	Self
2003	The Ellen DeGeneres Show	Self
2003	Jimmy Kimmel Live!	Self
2003	Celebrities Uncensored	Self
2003	Real Time with Bill Maher	Self
2002	Life with Bonnie	Kevin Powalski
2002	American Idol	Ivan 'Bob' Poppanoff the 'Russian Idol'
2001	Good Day Live	Self
2001	Anatomy of a Scene	Self
1999	The Early Show	Self
1999	Law & Order: Special Victims Unit	Merritt Rook
1999	SpongeBob SquarePants
1999	Teen Choice Awards	Self - Nominee
1998	L.A. Doctors	Hugo Kingsley
1998	Hollywood Squares	Self - Panelist
1998	Whose Line Is It Anyway?	Self
1998	Parkinson	Self
1997	The View	Self
1997	Great Minds Think for Themselves	Genie (voice)
1996	The Daily Show	Self
1996	Clive Anderson All Talk	Self
1994	Inside the Actors Studio	Self
1994	Friends	Tomas (uncredited)
1993	Homicide: Life on the Street	Robert Ellison
1993	Late Night with Conan O'Brien	Self - Guest
1992	The Tonight Show with Jay Leno	Himself
1992	The Larry Sanders Show	Robin Williams
1992	Terry Wogan's Friday Night	Self
1991	Charlie Rose	Self - Guest
1989	The Simpsons	Dr. J. Loren Pryor (voice) (as Doug Hill)
1988	LIVE with Kelly and Mark	Self - Guest
1987	Biography	Self
1987	Sacrée soirée	Self
1986	American Masters	Self
1986	Comic Relief	Self - Host
1982	Faerie Tale Theatre	The Frog / Prince Robin
1982	The Billy Crystal Comedy Hour	Himself
1982	The Mork & Mindy / Laverne & Shirley / Fonz Hour	Mork (voice)
1982	Wogan	Self
1979	Out of the Blue	Mork
1978	Mork & Mindy	Mork
1977	The Richard Pryor Show	Various
1977	Laugh-In	Regular Performer
1977	Eight Is Enough	The Circuit Breakers Member
1975	Saturday Night Live	Self - Cameo (uncredited)
1975	Saturday Night Live	Self - Host
1974	Happy Days	Mork
1971	Great Performances	Self
1969	Sesame Street	Himself
1962	The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson	Self
1956	Tony Awards	Self - Presenter
1953	The Oscars	Self
1952	Today	Self
1944	Golden Globe Awards	Self - Winner
1944	Golden Globe Awards	Self - Nominee
1944	Golden Globe Awards	Self - Presenter
1944	Golden Globe Awards	Self - Cecil B. deMille Award Recipient
1944	Golden Globe Awards	Self - Special Award Recipient