Photo: Eva Rinaldi / CC BY-SA 2.0 (source: Wikimedia Commons)
My Take
I find Robin Williams endlessly fascinating because his comedy and his tragedy came from the same wellspring. The manic, machine-gun improvisation that made him the most electrifying stand-up of his generation was the flip side of a deep sensitivity, the same sensitivity that let him play quiet, wounded men so convincingly that the Academy finally honored him in 1998. Few performers have ever covered that much emotional territory. When I revisit his work now, the laughter feels more precious, not less, knowing what it cost him. He remains, for me, the standard for comedians who want to be taken seriously as actors.
Overview
Robin McLaurin Williams (July 21, 1951 – August 11, 2014) was an American actor and comedian. Known for his improvisational skills and the wide variety of characters he created spontaneously and portrayed in drama and comedy films, he is regarded as one of the greatest comedians of all time.
Summary adapted from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
1. Profile
- Name (English)
- Robin Williams
- Name (Japanese)
- ロビン・ウィリアムズ
- Reading
- ろびん・うぃりあむず
- Born
- July 21, 1951 – August 11, 2014
- Zodiac / Chinese zodiac
- Cancer / Rabbit
- Origin
- Chicago, Illinois, United States
- Blood type
- Private
- Height
- Private
- Agency
- Private
- Occupation
- stand-up comedian / television actor / film actor / actor / comedian
2. Background
- Elementary school
- Private
- Junior high
- Private
- High school
- Redwood High School
- University
- Claremont McKenna College
Awards & achievements
- 1998 Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor
- 1994 Golden Globe Award for Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy
- 1998 Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role
- 1988 Grammy Award for Best Comedy Album
- 1990 National Board of Review Award for Best Actor
- 1992 Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy
- 1988 Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy
- 1997 Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture
3. Relationships
- Spouse
- Private
- Children
- Private
- Parents
- Private
- Siblings
- Private
4. Personality
Motto
Private
6. Links
Stand-up comedian — see all → · Television actor — see all → · More people from United States →
7. About this entry
Tags
- Last updated
- 2026-06-11
Facts are limited to publicly available information up to 2024; non-public items are marked "Private / Unknown". English text is machine-assisted (facts translated by Sonnet, "My Take" written by Opus 4.8). The Japanese page is the source of record.