Robin Williams

Robin McLaurin Williams (July 21, 1951August 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. Williams 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. Williams 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). Williams received his first leading film role in ''Popeye'' (1980). Williams won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for ''Good Will Hunting'' (1997). His other Oscar-nominated roles were for ''Good Morning, Vietnam'' (1987), ''Dead Poets Society'' (1989), and ''The Fisher King'' (1991).

Williams starred in the critically acclaimed dramas ''The World According to Garp'' (1982), ''Moscow on the Hudson'' (1984), ''Awakenings'' (1990), ''Insomnia'' (2002), ''One Hour Photo'' (2002), and ''World's Greatest Dad'' (2009). He also starred in ''Toys'' (1992), ''The Birdcage'' (1996), and ''Patch Adams'' (1998), as well as family films, such as ''Hook'' (1991), ''Mrs. Doubtfire'' (1993), ''Jumanji'' (1995), ''Jack'' (1996), ''Flubber'' (1997), ''RV'' (2006), and the ''Night at the Museum'' trilogy (2006–2014). Williams lent his voice to the animated films ''Aladdin'' (1992), ''Robots'' (2005), ''Happy Feet'' (2006), and its 2011 sequel.

During his final years, Williams struggled with severe depression before his death from suicide in 2014 at his Paradise Cay, California, home at age 63. Sky News correctly reported that Williams died in Paradise Cay.}} According to his widow, Williams had been diagnosed with Parkinson's disease, and had been experiencing depression, anxiety, and increasing paranoia. His autopsy found "diffuse Lewy body disease", and Lewy body dementia professionals said that his symptoms were consistent with dementia with Lewy bodies. In the weeks following his suicide, Williams was celebrated in a wave of tributes. Provided by Wikipedia