Robin Williams obit

Robin Williams, Oscar-Winning Comedian, Dies at 63 in Suspected Suicide

He was too young to be on the  list.

Robin McLaurin Williams was born in Chicago on July 21, 1951, and was raised in Bloomfield Hills, Mich., and Marin County. He studied acting at the Juilliard School.

He is survived by a son, Zak, from his marriage to Valerie Velardi, and a daughter, Zelda, and a son, Cody, from his marriage to Marsha Garces.

Beginning with roles in the 1977 sex farce “Can I Do It ‘Til I Need Glasses?” and “The Richard Pryor Show,” a variety series hosted by one of his comedy mentors, Mr. Williams rapidly ascended the entertainment industry’s ladder.

Soon after “Mork and Mindy” made him a star, Mr. Williams graduated into movie roles that included the title characters in “Popeye,” Robert Altman’s 1980 live-action musical about that spinach-gulping cartoon sailor, and “The World According to Garp,” the director George Roy Hill’s 1982 adaptation of the John Irving novel.

He also continued to appear in raucous stand-up comedy specials like “Robin Williams: An Evening at the Met,” which showcased his garrulous performance style and his indefatigable ability to free-associate without the apparent benefit of prepared material. Alongside his friends and fellow actors Billy Crystal and Whoopi Goldberg, Mr. Williams appeared in an annual series of HBO telethons for Comic Relief, a charity organization that helps homeless people and others in need.

Mr. Williams’s acting career reached a new height in 1987 with his performance in Barry Levinson’s film “Good Morning, Vietnam,” in which he played Adrian Cronauer, a nonconformist Armed Forces Radio host working in Saigon in the 1960s. It earned Mr. Williams his first Oscar nomination. He earned another, two years later, for “Dead Poets Society,” directed by Peter Weir and released in 1989, in which he played an unconventional English teacher at a 1950s boarding school who inspires his students to tear up their textbooks and seize the day. (Or, as Mr. Williams’s character famously put it in the original Latin, “Carpe diem.”)

Robin Williams was one of the most explosively, exhaustingly, prodigiously verbal comedians who ever lived, says film critic A. O. Scott. And the only thing faster than Williams’s mouth was his mind. Video Credit By Adam Freelander on Publish Date August 12, 2014. Image CreditABC, via Associated Press

In dozens of film roles that followed, Mr. Williams could be warm and zany, whether providing the voice of an irrepressible magic genie in “Aladdin,” the 1992 animated Walt Disney feature, or playing a man who cross-dresses as a British housekeeper in “Mrs. Doubtfire,” a 1993 family comedy, or a doctor struggling to treat patients with an unknown neurological malady in “Awakenings,” the 1990 Penny Marshall drama adapted from the Oliver Sacks memoir.

Some of Mr. Williams’s performances were criticized for a mawkish sentimentality, like “Patch Adams,” a 1998 film that once again cast him as a good-hearted doctor, and “Bicentennial Man,” a 1999 science-fiction feature in which he played an android.

But Mr. Williams continued to keep audiences guessing. In addition to his Oscar-winning role in “Good Will Hunting,” which saw him play a gently humorous therapist, his résumé included roles as a villainous crime writer in “Insomnia,” Christopher Nolan’s 2002 thriller; Teddy Roosevelt in the “Night at the Museum” movies; and Dwight D. Eisenhower in the 2013 drama “Lee Daniels’ The Butler.”

Mr. Williams made his acting debut on Broadway in 2011 in “Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo,” a play written by Rajiv Joseph and set amid the American invasion of Iraq. (He had starred with Steve Martin in an Off Broadway production of “Waiting for Godot” in 1988.) In 2013, Mr. Williams returned to series television in “The Crazy Ones,” a CBS comedy that cast him as an idiosyncratic advertising executive, but it was canceled after one season.

An article today mentions Williams had money troubles and that he was cocaine addict for years. Funny entertainer or not the story sounds...

I have the feeling that those who suffer from severe depression would like to hit the "pause" button, but the only one left is "delete."

Mr. Williams had completed work on several films that have not yet been released, including a third installment of the “Night at the Museum” franchise that Fox has scheduled for December, and “Merry Friggin’ Christmas,” an independent comedy about a dysfunctional family. He also provided the voice of an animated character called Dennis the Dog in a British comedy, “Absolutely Anything,” that is planned for release next year, and appeared in “Boulevard,” an independent movie that was shown at the Tribeca Film Festival but does not yet have theatrical distribution.

Mr. Williams was an admitted abuser of cocaine — which he also referred to as “Peruvian marching powder” and “the devil’s dandruff” — in the 1970s and ‘80s, and addressed his drug habit in his comedy act. “What a wonderful drug,” he said in a sardonic routine from “Live at the Met.” “Anything that makes you paranoid and impotent, give me more of that.”

In 2006, he checked himself into the Hazelden center in Springbrook, Ore., to be treated for an addiction to alcohol, having fallen off the wagon after some 20 years of sobriety.

He later explained in an interview with ABC’s Diane Sawyer that this addiction had not been “caused by anything, it’s just there.”

“It waits,” Mr. Williams continued. “It lays in wait for the time when you think, ‘It’s fine now, I’m O.K.’ Then, the next thing you know, it’s not O.K. Then you realize, ‘Where am I? I didn’t realize I was in Cleveland.’ ”

In 2009, he underwent heart surgery for an aortic valve replacement at the Cleveland Clinic in Ohio, an event that Mr. Williams said caused him to take stock of his life.

 “You appreciate little things,” he said in an interview in The New York Times, “like walks on the beach with a defibrillator.”

More seriously, Mr. Williams said he had reassessed himself as a performer. “How much more can you give?” he told The Times. “Other than, literally, open-heart surgery onstage? Not much. But the only cure you have right now is the honesty of going, this is who you are. I know who I am.”

Earlier this year, Mr. Williams checked himself into a rehab facility. His publicist told People magazine that he was “taking the opportunity to fine-tune and focus on his continued commitment, of which he remains extremely proud.”

Film

Title       Year       Role       Director(s)           Notes    Ref.

Can I Do It... 'Til I Need Glasses?                1977      Lawyer / Man with Tooth Ache   I. Robert Levy 

Popeye 1980      Popeye Robert Altman                

The World According to Garp      1982      T.S. Garp              George Roy Hill               

The Survivors     1983      Donald Quinelle                Michael Ritchie               

Moscow on the Hudson                 1984      Vladimir Ivanov                 Paul Mazursky                 

The Best of Times             1986      Jack Dundee       Roger Spottiswoode                     

Club Paradise     Jack Moniker      Harold Ramis                     

Seize the Day     Tommy Wilhelm               Fielder Cook                       

Good Morning, Vietnam                1987      Adrian Cronauer               Barry Levinson                   

The Adventures of Baron Munchausen   1988      King of the Moon             Terry Gilliam      Credited as Ray D. Tutto                 

Rabbit Ears: Pecos Bill    Narrator (voice)                Tim Raglin                          

Portrait of a White Marriage       Air Conditioning Salesman            Harry Shearer    Uncredited        

Dead Poets Society          1989      John Keating       Peter Weir                          

Cadillac Man      1990      Joey O'Brien       Roger Donaldson                              

Awakenings        Dr. Malcolm Sayer           Penny Marshall                 

Shakes the Clown             1991      Mime Class Instructor    Bobcat Goldthwait                           

The Fisher King Henry "Parry" Sagan       Terry Gilliam                      

Hook     Peter Banning / Peter Pan            Steven Spielberg                              

FernGully: The Last Rainforest    1992      Batty Koda (voice)            Bill Kroyer                           

The Timekeeper               The Timekeeper (voice)                Circle-Vision 360° film    

Aladdin                 Genie and Peddler (voices)          Ron Clements and John Musker                      

Toys       Leslie Zevo          Barry Levinson                   

Mrs. Doubtfire   1993      Daniel Hillard / Euphegenia Doubtfire     Chris Columbus                 Also producer   

Being Human     1994      Hector Bill Forsyth                         

In Search of Dr. Seuss     The Father          Vincent Paterson                             

Nine Months      1995      Dr. Kosevich       Chris Columbus                                

To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything! Julie Newmar          John Jacob Jingleheimer Schmidt               Beeban Kidron                 Uncredited         

Jumanji                 Alan Parrish        Joe Johnson                     

The Birdcage      1996      Armand Goldman             Mike Nichols                      

Jack        Jack Powell         Francis Ford Coppola                     

Aladdin and the King of Thieves Genie  (voice) Tad Stones          Direct-to-video 

The Secret Agent              The Professor    Christopher Hampton     Uncredited        

Hamlet Osric      Kenneth Branagh                            

Fathers' Day       1997      Dale Putley         Ivan Reitman                     

Deconstructing Harry      Mel        Woody Allen                     

Flubber                 Professor Philip Brainard               Les Mayfield                      

Good Will Hunting           Sean Maguire    Gus Van Sant                      

What Dreams May Come              1998      Chris Nielsen      Vincent Ward                    

Patch Adams      Patch Adams      Tom Shadyac                     

Jakob the Liar    1999      Jakob Heym Narrator

(voice) Peter Kassovitz Also executive producer              

Bicentennial Man             Andrew Martin Chris Columbus                                

Get Bruce            Himself                 Andrew J. Kuehn              Documentary    

A.I. Artificial Intelligence               2001      Dr. Know (voice)               Steven Spielberg                     

The Rutles 2: Can't Buy Me Lunch             2002      Hans Hänkie       Eric Idle                               

One Hour Photo                Seymour "Sy" Parrish      Mark Romanek                 

Death to Smoochy           "Rainbow" Randolph Smiley        Danny DeVito                   

Insomnia              Walter Finch       Christopher Nolan                           

The Final Cut      2004      Alan W. Hakman               Omar Naim                        

House of D          Pappass                David Duchovny                               

Noel       Charlie Boyd / The Priest               Chazz Palminteri               Uncredited        

Robots 2005      Fender (voice)   Chris Wedge                      

The Big White    Paul Barnell        Mark Mylod                       

The Aristocrats Himself                 Penn Jillette

Paul Provenza    Documentary    

The Night Listener            2006      Gabriel Noone   Patrick Stettner                                

RV          Bob Munro         Barry Sonnenfeld                            

Everyone's Hero               Napoleon Cross (voice) Christopher Reeve

Daniel St. Pierre

Colin Brady         Uncredited         

Man of the Year                Tom Dobbs         Barry Levinson                  

Happy Feet         Ramon and Lovelace (voices)      George Miller                   

Night at the Museum     Theodore Roosevelt       Shawn Levy                        

License to Wed 2007      Reverend Frank                Ken Kwapis                        

August Rush       Maxwell "Wizard" Wallace           Kirsten Sheridan                              

World's Greatest Dad     2009      Lance Clayton    Bobcat Goldthwait                          

Shrink   Jack Holden        Jonas Pate                          

Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian                 Theodore Roosevelt       Shawn Levy                        

Old Dogs              Dan Rayburn      Walt Becker                       

Happy Feet Two                2011      Ramon and Lovelace (voices)      George Miller                   

The Big Wedding              2013      Father Monighan              Justin Zackham                  

The Butler           Dwight D. Eisenhower    Lee Daniels                         

The Face of Love               Roger    Arie Posin                            

Boulevard            2014      Nolan Mack        Dito Montiel                      

The Angriest Man in Brooklyn     Henry Altmann Phil Alden Robinson                        

A Merry Friggin' Christmas           Mitch    Tristram Shapeero           Posthumous release       

Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb             Theodore Roosevelt and

Garuda Artifact Shawn Levy         

Absolutely Anything        2015      Dennis

the Dog  (voice) Terry Jones         

Television

Year       Title       Role       Notes

1977      Sorority '62                         TV Pilot

The Richard Pryor Show                Various characters           2 episodes

Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In                         

Eight Is Enough                 Episode: "The Return of Auntie V"

1978      America 2-Night                Jason Shine         2 episodes

Happy Days         Mork     Episode: "My Favorite Orkan"

1978–82               Mork & Mindy   92 episodes

1979      Happy Days         Episode: "Mork Returns"

Out of the Blue Episode: "Random's Arrival"

1981–2010          Saturday Night Live         Himself                 5 episodes; 4 as host, 1 as guest

1982      E.T. and Friends: Magical Movie Visitors                 Host / various characters              TV special

Faerie Tale Theatre          Frog / Prince Robin          Episode: "Tale of the Frog Prince"

SCTV Network   Various                 Episode: "Jane Eyrehead"

1982-83               Mork & Mindy/Laverne & Shirley/Fonz Hour        Mork (voice)       26 Episodes

1984      Pryor's Place       Gaby      Episode: "Sax Education"

1987      Carol, Carl, Whoopi and Robin    Various characters           TV special (comedy); Williams won Emmy award [34]

Dear America: Letters Home from Vietnam           Baby-san (voice)               Documentary

1990      The Earth Day Special     Everyman           

1990–2012          Sesame Street   Himself                 6 episodes

1991      Big Bird's Birthday Celebration   Sesame Street special

A Wish for Wings That Work        The Kiwi (voice)                Credited as Sudy Nim

1992–94               The Larry Sanders Show                Himself                 2 episodes

1994      Homicide: Life on the Street        Robert Ellison    Episode: "Bop Gun"

1997      Friends Tomas   Uncredited

Episode: "The One with the Ultimate Fighting Champion" (Season 3)

1998      One Saturday Morning   Genie    2 episodes

1999      L.A. Doctors        Hugo Kinsley      Episode: "Just Duet"

2000      Whose Line Is It Anyway?             Himself                 Season 3, episode 9 (Guest star)

2003      Freedom: A History of Us              Josiah Quincy

Ulysses S. Grant

Missouri farmer

Wilbur Wright

Orville Wright    4 episodes

Life with Bonnie                Kevin Powalski   Episode: "Psychic"

2006      Extreme Makeover: Home Edition            Himself                 Episode: "The DeAeth Family"

Mind of Mencia                Episode: "That's F**king Historical"

Blue's Clues        "Behind the Clues: 10 Years of Blue" Blue's Clues special

2008      Law & Order: Special Victims Unit             Merritt Rook      Episode: "Authority"

2009      SpongeBob SquarePants               Himself                 Episode: "SpongeBob's Truth or Square"

2012      Wilfred Dr. Eddy / Himself            Episode: "Progress"

Louie     Himself                 Episode: "Barney/Never"

2013–14               The Crazy Ones Simon Roberts   22 episodes