Robin Williams was an enigmatic man with a larger-than-life personality. When he wasn’t working on film projects, he was involved in charity and humanitarian causes and raising his three children. He entered the comedy scene in the 70s and went on to make revered films like “Dead Poets Society,” “Good Morning, Vietnam,” and “Good Will Hunting.” He was an incredible actor and person, but there was so much that people did not truly know about him…
An Unlikely Start
After leaving Juilliard, Robin struggled to find acting work. So, in the meantime, after seeing a flyer for a comedy workshop taking place inside a nearby church, he decided to attend.
A Church Basement
“So I went to this workshop in the basement of a Lutheran church, and it was stand-up comedy, so you don’t get to improvise with others, but I started off doing, ostensibly, it was just like improvising but solo,” he said. “And then I started to realize, ‘Oh.’ I started building an act from there.”
An Off-Broadway Role
Williams made his professional stage debut as Estragon in Waiting for Godot, an off-broadway production also starring Steve Martin and F. Murray Abraham. When he was interviewed by The New York Times he was asked if he felt the show was a threat to his career, to which Williams replied, “Risk! Of never working on the stage again! Oh, no! You’re ruined!”
Showing Restraint
Williams had to really restrain himself from improvising during the performance. “You can do physical things, but you don’t ad-lib [Samuel] Beckett, just like you don’t riff Beethoven,” he said. Williams went on to work with director Mike Nichols again in 1996 film The Birdcage.
Gorilla Friends
In 2001, Williams befriended Koko the gorilla. Koko’s owners had shown her one of his films and she appeared to recognize him. When Koko met Robin, she repeatedly signed for him to tickle her.
A Special Bond
“We shared something extraordinary: Laughter,” Williams said. When Williams passed away, The Gorilla Foundation shared the news with Koko, who reportedly fell into a deep depression.
He Almost Wasn’t Cast As Mork
Another actor was originally hired to play Mork on the February 1978 Happy Days episode “My Favorite Orkan,” but Anson Williams wasn’t having it. “Mork & Mindy was like the worst script in the history of Happy Days. It was unreadable, it was so bad,” he said. “So they hire some guy for Mork—bad actor, bad part.” That’s when producer Gary Marshall stepped in…
To The Rescue
Marshall asked, “Does anyone know a funny Martian?” The team hired Williams for the role of Mork, who then co-headlined the spinoff Mork & Mindy for four seasons, from September 1978 to May 1982.
Back in School
When Lisa Jakub was 14, she played Robin Williams’ daughter Lydia Hillard in Mrs. Doubtfire. “I went on location to film Mrs. Doubtfire for five months, and my high school was not happy,” she wrote on her blog. Her high school was not a big fan of her acting career and eventually kicked her out, but Robin was not here for it…
Helping Out
Robin sent a letter to Lisa’s high school claiming that she was “an asset to any classroom.” He said that “a student of her caliber and talent should be encouraged to go out in the world and learn through her work.” The school framed the letter and still didn’t let her back in.
A Central Park Mime
In 1974, photographer Daniel Sorine shot photos of two mimes in Central Park. Soon people realized that one of the mimes was actually Robin Williams, who was a student at Juilliard at the time.
Intensity & Personality
“What attracted me to Robin Williams and his fellow mime, Todd Oppenheimer, was an unusual amount of intensity, personality, and physical fluidity,” Sorine said. Williams made another appearance as a mime in Shakes the Clown (1991).
A Pioneer of Celebrity Voice Acting
In the 1992 animated classic Aladdin, Williams famously voiced the Genie, which led to more celebrities taking on voice acting roles. Less than twenty years ago, voice-acting was limited to those who had specifically trained in the field, but Williams opened the doors of possibility.
Growing the Movement
Williams’ incredible performance as Genie in Aladdin began an influx of celebrity voice actors. Since then, notable names like Will Smith, Justin Timberlake, Mila Kunis, and Oprah Winfrey have broken into the scene, too. Williams went on to voice characters in the Aladdin sequel and Happy Feet.
A Huge Mistake
Robin Williams’ performance in Good Will Hunting earned him an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor in 1998. While he was sure to mention The Graham Norton Show during his acceptance speech, in the heat of the moment, he accidentally left out someone very important…
A Constant Regret
“I forgot to thank my mother and she was in the audience. That was rough for the next few years,” he said.
Comforting Spielberg
On the twenty-fifth anniversary screening of Schindler’s List at the Tribeca Film Festival, Spielberg shared his personal experience with Robin Williams. Williams had starred in Spielberg’s Hook as Peter Pan and would call him on the phone and make him laugh.
A Great Friend
“Robin knew what I was going through, and once a week, Robin would call me on schedule and he would do 15 minutes of stand-up on the phone,” Spielberg recalled. “I would laugh hysterically because I had to release so much.”
A Hand in Hawke’s Rise to Fame
During Ethan Hawke’s 2018 appearance on The Graham Norton Show, he spoke about working with Williams on Dead Poets Society, and how Williams really got him to take his art seriously. Hawke actually thought Williams didn’t like him during filming. “I really wanted to be in character, and I really didn’t want to laugh,” Hawke said. “The more I didn’t laugh, the more insane he got. He would make fun of me.”
The Biggest Favor Possible
“‘Oh, this one doesn’t want to laugh,'” Hawke said, mimicking Williams. “And the more smoke would come out of my ears. He didn’t understand I was trying to do a good job.” To Hawke’s surprise, right after filming wrapped, he got a call from Williams’ agent asking to sign him. Even now, he still has the same agent.
He Was Almost Cast in Midnight Run
In February 1998, Williams admitted that he still had to audition for roles sometimes. He read for Midnight Run with Robert De Niro a few times and really thought he would get the part. “…It got real close, it was almost there, and then they went with somebody else,” Williams said.
Worth the Wait
“I was craving it. I thought, ‘I can be as funny,’ but they wanted someone obviously more in type,” he continued. “And in the end, he was better for it. But it was rough for me. I had to remind myself, ‘Okay, come on, you’ve got other things.'” Two years later, Williams got the chance to work with De Niro on Awakenings.
Buddies with Billy Crystal
In 1986, Williams hosted HBO’s Comic Relief with Whoopi Goldberg and Billy Crystal to raise money for homelessness. After Williams passed, Crystal revealed some of the intimate details of his friendship with Williams on The View…
Calls From “Gary”
“Late at night I get these calls and we’d go for hours,” he said. “And we never spoke as ourselves. When it was announced I was coming to Broadway, I had 50 phone messages, in one day, from somebody named Gary, who wanted to be my backstage dresser.” “Gary” just so happened to be Robin.
Role of a Lifetime
Good Morning, Vietnam put Robin Williams on the map, but it was almost never made. After the concept was introduced in 1979, it floated around for a while before Williams read the script. He realized it would be the perfect role for him, and he was right. Good Morning, Vietnam earned Williams his first Oscar.
Least Likely
When he graduated from Redwood High School in 1969, he was voted “Least Likely to Succeed.” Needless to say, he certainly proved everyone wrong. On the other hand, he was also voted “Funniest.”
Scholarly Support
Williams knew first-hand the struggles on the road to success. To give back to the school that helped him get his start, Williams set up a scholarship fund at his alma mater, Juilliard. One of the recipients of this scholarship was Oscar-nominated actress Jessica Chastain. “Robin Williams changed my life,” she said of the late actor. “His generous spirit will forever inspire me to support others as he supported me. He will forever be missed.”
Going with the Flow
The notorious scene in Mrs. Doubtfire where her face melted off was actually improvised due to the heat from the lighting on set. Instead of pausing the production, he just ran with it.
King of Improv
Everyone knew Robin Williams was the king of improvisation. Williams also used his talents to do impersonations of his favorite celebrity, Jack Nicholson. Williams also impersonated Christopher Walken, Al Pacino, John Wayne, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Ed Sullivan, and Keith Richards.
Political Science Major
Williams originally attended Claremont Men’s College in 1969 to earn a degree in political science. But Williams realized pretty quickly that his calling wasn’t the social sciences, and instead decided to pursue an acting career.
Full Scholarship to Juilliard
Three years after dropping out of Claremont, he was offered a full scholarship to the prestigious Juilliard School in New York City. Williams was one of just 20 freshmen to enter the program in 1973 alongside now-famous Christopher Reeve and Mandy Patinkin, but he left the program in 1976 at the advice of his professors.
Gamer Vibes
It was often speculated that Robin’s daughter, Zelda, was named after the character from popular video game franchise The Legend of Zelda. Williams later revealed that his son, Zachary was the one to suggest the name, indeed, after the video game princess.
Fatherly Ford Figure
Williams was born in Chicago, Illinois to parents, Laurie McLaurin and Robert Fitzgerald Williams. Laurie was a former model and Robert worked as a senior executive at Ford Motor Company’s Lincoln-Mercury Division. Supposedly, when the family moved to Detroit, they lived in an enormous farmhouse with forty rooms and a maid.
“Too Psychotic” to Play Jack
Director Stanley Kubrick considered Williams for the lead role in The Shining. However, after he saw Williams in Mork & Mindy, Kubrick scrapped the idea because he claimed Williams was “too psychotic” to play…a homicidal maniac? Weird.
“Mrs. Doubtfire” Makeup Took Hours
Donning several pounds of prosthetics is no easy feat, but Robbin Williams sat through four-and-a-half hours of SFX makeup every single day to become Mrs. Doubtfire.
His Debut Film Role was a Bust
After the success of Mork & Mindy, Robin’s first major movie role was Popeye in 1980’s Popeye. The movie ended up doing poorly at the box office and received mediocre reviews. Luckily, Robin’s potential really showed and, he was still able to score other roles and opportunities despite the film’s dismal performance.
Payday!
The largest sum of money Williams ever earned for a single role was as Andrew in 1999’s Bicentennial Man in which he was paid $20 million. Ironically, for his voice work as Genie in Aladdin, Williams earned just $75,000–the SAG minimum.
His Second Wife
After divorcing his first wife in 1988, he became involved with his son’s nanny, Marsha Garces. The following year, the two were married, and Marsha soon gave birth to two children: Zelda in 1989 and Cody in 1991. The two stayed together until she divorced in him in 2008, citing irreconcilable differences.
A Greeting from the Heavens
James Lipton once asked Williams what he wanted God to say to him when he entered Heaven. Robin said, “There is a seat in the front row for you. The concert begins at five. It’ll be Mozart, Elvis, and one of your choosing.” Let’s hope that wish came true for him.
Trying for Hagrid
Robin was reportedly interested in the role of Rubeus Hagrid in the Harry Potter film series. Unfortunately for him, there was a strict British-only rule when it came to casting. The casting director Janet Hirshenson revealed, “Robin had called [director Chris Columbus] because he really wanted to be in the movie, but it was a British-only edict, and once he said ‘no’ to Robin, he wasn’t going to say ‘yes’ to anybody else, that’s for sure. It couldn’t be.”
Whoops!
Early on in Williams’ career, he drunkenly told a reporter that he was born in Scotland, and all his original press releases listed Scotland as his place of birth. He later admitted that was a joke–Williams was born in Chicago, Illinois.
Missing Nothing
Mrs. Doubtfire director, Chris Columbus, didn’t want to risk missing any of Williams’ comedic gold so the crew kept 2-3 cameras on Robin at all times. It certainly paid off in the final product.
Quality Time
While filming Patch Adams, Williams and the whole cast made a significant effort to spend time and work directly with a number of sick children. The children even made appearances in the film for scenes taking place in the pediatric ward.
Robin’s Vineyard
Williams owned a wine estate in Napa, which was sold two years after his death for $18.1 million. He joked about operating the vineyard in reference to his sobriety, saying it was “weird,” like “Gandhi owning a delicatessen.”
His Autopsy Revealed Dementia
The reports revealed that the 63-year-old actor, who died by suicide, had signs of Lewy body disease, which is linked to Parkinson’s and dementia. Williams had also been exhibiting early stages of Parkinson’s disease.
His Final Role
Williams’ last film ever was Absolutely Anything in which he voiced Dennis the Dog. His last onscreen acting role though was in Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb, where he returned as fan-favorite character, President Teddy Roosevelt.
Honorary Member of the Monty Python Comedy Troupe
Robin adored the absurdity of the Monty Python comedy troupe and worked on numerous projects with them. He performed in Terry Gilliam’s The Fisher King and The Adventures of Baron Munchausen. He also made a hilarious cameo in the sequel Can’t Buy Me Lunch.
Influenced by British and American Comedy
While Williams’ comedy style was entirely unique, he took queues from his favorite actors and comedians like Peter Sellers, Dudley Moore, Jay Leno, Jonathan Winters, and Richard Pryor.
Mork & Mindy Changed Sitcom Filming
The creator of Mork & Mindy, Gary Marshall, found that with the standard 2-3 cameras on a sitcom set he was missing out on comedic gold because Robin often ran around. He decided to add a fourth camera to capture every moment, which was later adopted by other sitcoms.
Heart Surgery Postponed His One-Man Show
Williams was working on his 2009 one-man show, Weapons of Self-Destruction, when he was suddenly hospitalized in March for heart issues. It was later revealed that he underwent an aortic valve replacement surgery in Cleveland, Ohio. “I’m so touched by everyone’s support and well wishes,” he said. “This tour has been amazing fun and I can’t wait to get back out on the road after a little tune-up.” Williams kept true to his word and finished the tour from September to December of 2009.
He Coined “Shazbot!”
Williams coined the term “shazbot,” which was meant to be an alien curse word on Mork & Mindy. He had no clue that the word would make its way into pop culture, having appeared on The Simpsons and the Tribes video game series. The AC/DC hit “Night Prowler” was one of the last songs Bon Scot recorded before he died, and the last lyrics of the song are Mork’s two catchphrases: “Shazbot Nanu Nanu!”
His Cameo on “Friends”
Friends is known for its epic cameos and Robin Williams was one of them. He appears on the show with longtime friend Billy Crystal, but the cameo wasn’t even in the original script of “The One With The Ultimate Fighting Champion.” Apparently, Robin and Billy were in the area where NBC was filming the show, so the producers asked if the guys wanted to make a quick cameo. Billy played “Tim” and Robin, “Tomas.” Much of their dialogue was ad-libbed as well as the cast’s reaction.
He Beat Out Dustin Hoffman For “Dead Poets Society”
Originally, Dustin Hoffman was lined up to direct and star in the 1989 drama as Williams’ character, Jack Keating. However, Hoffman had scheduling conflicts and Matt Damon actually also lost out on snagging a role in the film, but he and Robin later worked together in Good Will Hunting.
A Super Friendship
When Williams and Superman actor Christopher Reeve were attending Juilliard in the 1970s, they were instant friends. Williams said that Reeve was “literally feeding me because I don’t think I literally had money for food or my student loan hadn’t come in yet, and he would share his food with me.”
Returning the Love
After Reeve was paralyzed, Williams showed up at the hospital. “At an especially bleak moment, the door flew open and in hurried a squat fellow with a blue scrub hat and a yellow surgical gown and glasses, speaking in a Russian accent,” Reeve said. “He announced that he was my proctologist, and that he had to examine me immediately. It was Robin Williams.”
Disney Went the Extra Mile
Disney knew they wanted Williams to play the voice of Genie in Aladdin, so they animated the genie lip-syncing to one of Williams’ stand-up comedy performances before ever approaching him for the role. Williams was so grateful for the gesture that he signed on immediately.
Disney & Picasso
Williams was enraged when Disney used his voice as Genie to sell merchandise for the Aladdin movie without his permission. He told New York Magazine, “I don’t want to sell stuff. It’s the one thing I won’t do.” Apparently, Disney tried to get back in his good graces by sending him a Picasso painting valued at $1 million, because those things are equal, right?
Waiting Tables in Sausalito
Like many famous actors and actresses, Williams worked in food services. When he was attending Juilliard, he would return to California for the summers to bus tables at a restaurant called The Trident in Sausalito.
An Avid Cyclist
Williams was a big cyclist. He reportedly owned fifty bicycles and would sometimes train with Lance Armstrong and even ride shotgun in the Armstrong team car at a number of his races. Williams also donated 87 bicycles to the Christopher & Dana Reeves Foundation as well as the Challenged Athletes Foundation.