Robin McLaurim Williams was born on July 21, 1951, in Chicago, Illinois. One of America's funniest performers, Williams attended one of the most prestigious drama schools in the country—the Juilliard School in New York City. While at Juilliard, he made friends with Christopher Reeve. He later experimented with comedy in San Francisco and Los Angeles, developing a successful stand-up act.
Williams first became known to American audiences as the zany alien Mork in the television comedy series Mork and Mindy (1978–82). He made his big-screen debut playing the famous spinach-eating sailor, Popeye (1981). The movie led to a string of successful film roles for Williams, including Good Morning Vietnam (1987) and Dead Poets Society (1989), both of which earned the actor Oscar nods.
While his career was taking off, Williams faced many personal challenges. He developed a drug and alcohol problem while working on the sitcom Mork and Mindy, and would struggle with addiction for more than two decades. He also became involved in several tumultuous romantic relationships; while married to actress Valerie Velardi, he was briefly involved with another woman. Williams and Velardi divorced soon after, in 1988. The next year he married his son's nanny, Marsha Garces, who was pregnant with their first child together.
Despite personal setbacks, Williams continued acting. He provided the voice of the genie in Disney's animated film, Aladdin (1991), and appeared in the hit films Awakenings (1990), Mrs. Doubtfire (1993), and The Birdcage (1996). In 1997, his performance as the psychiatrist in Good Will Hunting (1997) won him an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor. Then in 2001 he would return to voice acting as the voice of Dr. Know in Artificial Intelligence: AI (2001).
After a series of comedic roles, Williams took on some darker material. He played a creepy photo developer in One Hour Photo (2002); the murder suspect in Insomnia (2002); and a writer and radio host who gets caught up in the mystery surrounding a troubled fan in The Night Listener (2006). Williams returned to his comedic talents shortly after with Man of the Year (2006), a send-up of U.S. presidential politics.
In the summer of 2006, Williams suffered an drug relapse. He admitted himself to a rehabilitation facility for alcoholism treatment that August. The actor quickly rebounded and, in 2007, he starred in the zany comedy License to Wed with co-stars Mandy Moore and John Krasinski.
In 2008, Williams began touring for his one-man stand-up comedy show, Weapons of Self-Destruction. The show focuses on "social and political absurdities." That same year, he and Garces divorced, citing irreconcilable differences.
Williams took the personal setback in stride, instead pouring his energy into his sold-out tour. But health problems would derail the comedian in March of 2009. Several months into his fast-paced tour, Williams began experiencing shortness of breath. The complications led him to cancel a handful of performances.
Williams is currently scheduled to appear in several films including the adventure comedy, Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian and the independent drama, Shrink.
Williams has three children: Zachary Pym (his son with Velardi), Zelda Rae and Cody Alan (his two children Garces).
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