Robin Williams Research Paper

The Late and Great: Robin Williams Robin McLaurin Williams was born on July 21, 1951 in Chicago, Illinois. He was raised in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan. He attended The Juilliard School in New York City where he studied acting. This helped him to set the foundation for his career. He went on to become a well-respected and beloved Academy Award winning actor and Oscar Award winning comedian. He was known for his goofy stand-up comedies such as “Robin Williams: An Evening at the Met”, appearances on broadway, and movies such as Mrs. Doubtfire. Williams was married with two sons and a daughter who loved him all the way up until his untimely death and after. On August 11, 2014, Williams was found dead in his home located in Tiburon, California.

This article expressed that at first no one saw Robin Williams becoming a comedian because he grew up basically alone with a bunch of toys. However, not only did he become a comedian, but he became an extremely successful one. “His irreverence was legendary and uncurtailable” (Itzkoff). He was one of the only comedians that could make jokes with people such as the Princes and Princess and not offend them or anyone else for that matter. He climbed the charts with his debut show “Mork and Mindy.” He won an Oscar award for his role in “Good Will Hunting.” Barack Obama stated, “He gave his immeasurable talent freely and generously to those who needed it most — from our troops stationed abroad to the marginalized on our own streets” (Itzkoff). He was even respected by the president. Williams played the Genie in the Walt Disney movie, “Aladdin.” As time went on, he played more and bigger roles in movies. With the numerous variety of roles he had, he had a connection with people of all ages and races. He turned situations that people really would not talk about or that people could relate to into a comedy skit. Honesty was very important to him. He admitted to his drug abuse towards cocaine. He made his drug addiction apart of his comedy act referring to it as the “Peruvian marching powder” or “the devil’s dandruff”. He went to rehab and was clean for 20 years. He also had to undergo heart

His took the entertainment world by surprise. Comedian Steve Martin tweeted, “I could not be more stunned by the loss of Robin Williams, mensch, great talent, acting partner, genuine soul”(CNN). Williams comedy influence was Jonathan Winters. He referred to Winters as his “Comedy Buddha.” CNN talked more about his death and how he was struggling with the early stages of Parkinson’s Disease and depression. Celebrities such as Billy Crystal, Ellen Degeneres, Conan, etc paid tribute to Williams on their TV shows. His daughter, Zelda Williams, got a tattoo in remembrance of her father. This news broadcasting and article had the same general idea as the New York Times and Variety Magazine. All of them just wanted to show their gratitude and appreciation of Robin Williams. For a man who has done so much for others, he did not deserve to be bashed and he was not, not even for his addiction. Former CNN host Larry King said that he would remember Williams as “a genuine caring guy. Not just a funny man, but a guy who cared about