Robin McLaurin Williams

Robin Williams (July 21, 1951 - August 11, 2014), born Robin McLaurin Williams, 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. He received numerous accolades including an Academy Award, two Primetime Emmy Awards, six Golden Globe Awards, five Grammy Awards, and two Screen Actors Guild Awards, and was awarded the Cecil B. DeMille Award in 2005.

Born in Chicago, Williams began performing stand-up comedy in San Francisco and Los Angeles during the mid-1970s, and released several comedy albums including Reality... What a Concept in 1980. He rose to fame playing the alien Mork in the ABC sitcom Mork & Mindy (1978-1982) and received his first leading film role in Popeye (1980). He won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for Good Will Hunting (1997), with other Oscar-nominated roles in Good Morning, Vietnam (1987), Dead Poets Society (1989), and The Fisher King (1991). He attended Juilliard School and studied theater for three years at the College of Marin.

Williams starred in critically acclaimed dramas including The World According to Garp (1982) and Awakenings (1990), and in comedies and family films such as Mrs. Doubtfire (1993), Jumanji (1995) and the Night at the Museum series (2006-2014). He provided voice work in animated films including Aladdin (1992) and Happy Feet (2006). During his final years, Williams struggled with severe depression before his 2014 suicide at age 63; according to his widow, he had been diagnosed with Parkinson's disease, and his autopsy found "diffuse Lewy body disease." In the weeks following his death, he was celebrated in a wave of tributes.