Robin Williams

American actor and comedian

Born: July 21, 1951 · Died: August 11, 2014

Famous Persons

Who was Robin Williams?

Robin McLaurin Williams (July 21, 1951 – August 11, 2014) was an American actor and comedian. 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 ... He rose to fame playing the alien Mork in the ABC sitcom Mork & Mindy (1978–1982). His other Oscar-nominated roles were for Good Morning, Vietnam (1987), Dead Poets Society (1989), and The Fisher King (1991).

Historical significance

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. Williams received numerous accolades including an Academy Award, two Primetime Emmy Awards, and six Golden Globe Awards, as well as five Grammy Awards and two Screen Actors Guild Awards. He was awarded the Cecil B. DeMille Award in 2005. Williams received his first leading film role in Popeye (1980). He won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for Good Will Hunting (1997).

Robin Williams stars as Mork on ABC Television's Mork & Mindy, 1978.

Sources and further reading

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Wikipedia source

Cite this page

MLA

“Robin Williams.” thisDay, thisday.info/people/robin-williams/. Accessed 19 Oct. 2026.

APA

Robin Williams. (n.d.). thisDay. Retrieved October 19, 2026, from https://thisday.info/people/robin-williams/

Chicago

“Robin Williams.” thisDay. Accessed October 19, 2026. https://thisday.info/people/robin-williams/.

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