The American actor and comedian Robin Williams (1951–2014) starred in films, television and video games throughout a career that spanned nearly four decades. Known for his fast-paced, improvisational style and for playing a wide variety of characters, he was described by Screen Actors Guild president Ken Howard as "a performer of limitless versatility, equally adept at comedy and drama, whether scripted or improv". He is often regarded as one of the greatest comedians of all time.

Williams's career began in 1977 with minor roles in the film Can I Do It... 'Til I Need Glasses? and the television shows The Richard Pryor Show and Laugh-In. The guest role of an alien named Mork in a 1978 episode of the sitcom Happy Days earned him positive reviews, and led to the spin-off Mork & Mindy, focusing on his character's experiences on Earth. Running for four seasons, the show was Williams's breakthrough and earned him his first Golden Globe Award and a nomination for a Primetime Emmy Award. By the early 1980s, Williams wanted to do mainstream acting, and made his film debut in a lead role in the musical comedy Popeye (1980), a critical failure that earned thrice its budget. Williams then took on more serious parts in the comedy-dramas The World According to Garp (1982) and Moscow on the Hudson (1984). He won two consecutive Primetime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Individual Performance in a Variety or Music Program for the television specials Carol, Carl, Whoopi and Robin (1987) and ABC Presents A Royal Gala (1988). He received his first of three Academy Award for Best Actor nominations for playing disc jockey Adrian Cronauer in the war comedy Good Morning, Vietnam (1987), in which he improvised some of his scenes.

Further critical acclaim followed with Williams's lead roles in Dead Poets Society (1989), Awakenings (1990) and The Fisher King (1991). He also found greater commercial success in the 1990s. Many of his films during this period grossed more than $100million, including the fantasy Hook (1991), the animated musical Aladdin (1992), the comedy-drama Mrs. Doubtfire (1993), the adventure Jumanji (1995) and the comedy The Birdcage (1996). Aladdin, in which he improvised 52 characters, was the highest-grossing film of the year. Mrs. Doubtfire, which he also produced, won him a third Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy; he had previously won for Good Morning, Vietnam and The Fisher King. While hailed "the funniest person alive" by Entertainment Weekly in 1997, Williams wanted to do more serious work as an actor around this time. Such opportunities arose with the roles of a therapist in the psychological drama Good Will Hunting (1997) and a man in heaven who attempts to save his wife from hell in the fantasy drama What Dreams May Come (1998). The former won him the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor.

In the 2000s, Williams continued to do voice roles, including in A.I. Artificial Intelligence (2001), Robots (2005) and Happy Feet (2006, and its 2011 sequel). Pursuing more diverse parts, he took on the darker roles of an emotionally disturbed photo developer in One Hour Photo (2002), a writer who is involved in the murder of a teenage girl in Insomnia (2002) and a radio host who is caught up with a troubled fan in The Night Listener (2006). He returned to comedy in 2006 with the family adventure RV, the satire Man of the Year and the fantasy Night at the Museum. The latter was the fifth-highest-grossing film of the year and spawned two sequels in 2009 and 2014. He began touring for the one-man stand-up comedy show Weapons of Self Destruction (2008), focusing on "social and political absurdities", and starred in the Disney film Old Dogs (2009). In the 2010s, he starred in the sitcom The Crazy Ones (2013–2014), played supporting roles in the 2013 features The Big Wedding and The Butler, and had three films released posthumously, including the sequel Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb.

Film

+ YearTitleRoleNotes 1977 Can I Do It... 'Til I Need Glasses? Lawyer / Man with Tooth Ache Film debut 1980 Popeye Popeye 1982 1983 1984 Moscow on the Hudson 1986 Club Paradise Seize the Day 1987 Good Morning, Vietnam 1988 King of the Moon Credited as Ray D. Tutto Portrait of a White Marriage Air Conditioning Salesman Uncredited cameo 1989 Dead Poets Society 1990 Cadillac Man Awakenings 1991 Shakes the Clown Mime Jerry, Class Instructor Cameo appearance; Credited as Marty Fromage Dead Again Hook Peter Banning / Peter Pan 1992 FernGully: The Last Rainforest Voice role Aladdin Genie, Peddler Toys 1993 Mrs. Doubtfire / Euphegenia Doubtfire Also producer 1994 Being Human Hector 1995 Nine Months To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything! Julie Newmar Uncredited cameo Jumanji 1996 The Truth About Cats & Dogs Second Radio Caller Voice role; Uncredited Jack Aladdin and the King of Thieves Genie, Peddler, Thor Voice role; Direct-to-video Uncredited Hamlet Osric 1997 Fathers' Day Deconstructing Harry Mel Flubber Good Will Hunting 1998 What Dreams May Come Patch Adams 1999 Jakob the Liar Also executive producer Bicentennial Man Get Bruce Himself Documentary 2001 A.I. Artificial Intelligence Voice role; Cameo appearance 2002 One Hour Photo Death to Smoochy Insomnia 2004 House of D Pappass Noel / The Priest Uncredited 2005 Robots Fender Pinwheeler Voice role Himself Documentary 2006 RV Everyone's Hero Voice role; Uncredited Man of the Year Happy Feet Ramon, Lovelace Voice role Night at the Museum 2007 License to Wed August Rush 2009 World's Greatest Dad Shrink Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian Theodore Roosevelt / Theodore Roosevelt Bust (voice) Old Dogs 2011 Happy Feet Two Ramon, Lovelace, Narrator Voice role 2013 Roger 2014 Boulevard Mitch Mitchler Released posthumously Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb Theodore Roosevelt, Garuda (voice) Chew Mason Savoy (voice) Unreleased; partial recording; lines re-recorded by David Tennant 2015 Absolutely Anything Dennis the Dog Voice role; Released posthumously 2023 Once Upon a Studio Genie Voice role; Unused archive recordings

Television

+ YearTitleRoleNotes 1977 Sorority '62 HenryTelevision pilotco-star Jonathan Torp uploaded a clip to YouTube The Richard Pryor Show Various characters 2 episodes Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In Regular performer Eight Is Enough Band Member Episode: "The Return of Auntie V" 1978 America 2-Night 2 episodes 1978–1979 Happy Days Mork 1978–1982 Mork & Mindy 1979 Out of the Blue Episode: "Random's Arrival" 1982 E.T. and Friends: Magical Movie Visitors Himself (host) Television special Faerie Tale Theatre Frog/Prince Robin Episode: "Tale of the Frog Prince" SCTV Network Various characters Episode: "Jane Eyrehead" 1982–1983 Mork & Mindy/Laverne & Shirley/Fonz Hour Mork (voice) 1984 Saturday Night Live Himself (host) Episode: "Robin Williams/Adam Ant" Pryor's Place Gaby Episode: "Sax Education" 1986 58th Academy Awards Himself (co-host) Television special Saturday Night Live Himself (host) Episode: "Robin Williams/Paul Simon" 1987 Carol, Carl, Whoopi and Robin Various characters Television special Dear America: Letters Home from Vietnam Baby-san (voice) Documentary 1988 Saturday Night Live Himself (host) Episode: "Robin Williams/James Taylor" 1990 The Earth Day Special Everyman Television special 1990–2012 Sesame Street Himself 1991 A Wish for Wings That Work Television special; Credited as Sudy Nim 1992, 1994 The Larry Sanders Show Himself 2 episodes 1994 Homicide: Life on the Street Episode: "Bop Gun" In Search of Dr. Seuss Television film 1997 Friends Tomas Uncredited; Episode: "The One with the Ultimate Fighting Champion" 1999 L.A. Doctors Episode: "Just Duet" 2000 Whose Line Is It Anyway? Himself 1 episode 2002 Television film 2003 Freedom: A History of Us ; Ulysses S. Grant; Missouri farmer; Wilbur Wright; Orville Wright 4 episodes Life with Bonnie Episode: "Psychic" 2008 Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Episode: "Authority" 2009 SpongeBob SquarePants Himself Episode: "SpongeBob's Truth or Square" 2010 Saturday Night Live Episode: "Robert De Niro/Diddy – Dirty Money" 2012 Wilfred / Himself Episode: "Progress" 2012 Louie Himself Episode: "Barney/Never" 2013–2014 The Crazy Ones Simon Roberts

Theater + Year(s) Title Role Venue 1988 Waiting for Godot Estragon Lincoln Center Theatre, New York 2011 Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo Tiger Richard Rodgers Theatre, Broadway

Music videos + YearTitleRoleNotes1988"Don't Worry, Be Happy"HimselfMusic video; Bobby McFerrin2011"You Make Me Feel..."Guy In PhotoboothMusic video; Cobra Starship featuring Sabi

Theme parks + YearTitleRoleVenue 1989Back to Never Land RobinThe Magic of Disney Animation in Disney's Hollywood Studios, Lake Buena Vista, Florida 1992 The Timekeeper Timekeeper Magic Kingdom, Lake Buena Vista, Florida 2002 Journey Into Imagination with Figment Professor Phillip Brainard Epcot, Bay Lake, Florida

Video games + Year Title Role 1997 Disney's Math Quest with Aladdin Genie (voice)

Video recordings + YearTitle 1978Off the Wall / Live at the Roxy1983An Evening with Robin Williams1986Robin Williams: An Evening at the Met2002Robin Williams: Live on Broadway2009Weapons of Self Destruction

See also List of awards and nominations received by Robin Williams

References

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