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| # | Fact |
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| 1 | Helped pay for his friend Christopher Reeve's physical therapy and other medical expenses after Reeves's horse riding accident. |
| 2 | Favorite actor of Omarion Grandberry. |
| 3 | He named the British group Genesis as his favorite band and inducted them for the VH1 Rock Honors (2007). |
| 4 | Was considered for the role of Hagrid in Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone. |
| 5 | His then wife, Marsha Garces Williams produced Mrs. Doubtfire (1993). |
| 6 | During the restaurant scene in Mrs. Doubtfire (1993) when her false teeth fell into a wine glass, the cast didn't know Williams would do that, and their reactions on film were genuine, mirroring the shock of the crew. |
| 7 | There are several versions of Mrs. Doubtfire (1993) because of the sheer volume of Williams' improv, so it was difficult to edit the film to something resembling the script. Chris Columbus likened it to editing a documentary. These other versions were unworkable because tonally they were all over the place. |
| 8 | When making Mrs. Doubtfire (1993), Williams and director Chris Columbus would often clown around between takes, like Mrs Doubtfire introducing Columbus as her son. |
| 9 | Chris Columbus was amazed how far Williams took his performance in Mrs. Doubtfire (1993). First, he would play each scene as scripted 2-3 times and then was allowed to improvise. Columbus allowed Williams to do a lot of improv because that was where the film's funniest material came from; Columbus even called it magical at times. Scenes were shot between 15-22 times because Williams wasn't satisfied until he had the scene worked out of his system. Columbus admitted he never knew where Williams was going to take the character next. |
| 10 | He appeared in three films with Billy Crystal: Hamlet (1996), Fathers' Day (1997) and Deconstructing Harry (1997). |
| 11 | Williams did interviews as Mrs Doubtfire to promote the film, and sometimes played the interviewer too. |
| 12 | Before making Mrs. Doubtfire (1993), Chris Columbus had already seen Williams in comedy clubs in Los Angeles. He was blown away at his energy, saying he was one of the most brilliant minds he had ever come across in terms of comedy. On stage he was a ball of fire that was really impressive. |
| 13 | A best seller at most Episcopal camps or gift shops is Robin Williams 10 reasons to be Episcopalian. my personal favorite is "pew gymnastics". we sit, kneel, stand--repeat. |
| 14 | Autopsy also revealed Robin Williams suffered from Lewy Body Dementia. It is a neurodegenerative disorder with a rapid onset, a higher prevalence in men and occurring after the age of 50, which is often mistaken for Parkinson's or Alzheimer's disease. Symptoms can include difficulty with alertness, hallucinations, slowing of movement, difficulty walking (ataxia or dystaxia), and rigidity. Restlessness during sleep and mood changes like depression are also common in Lewy Body Dementia. |
| 15 | Became extremely close with Lisa Jakub and Mara Wilson who played his daughters in Mrs. Doubtfire (1993) and stayed in touch with them over the years. Mara described him as a source of great comfort after the death of her mother. |
| 16 | He was fond of going to Comedy clubs and taking pictures with the club owners to be displayed on the walls, which made said clubs more popular and encouraged aspiring stand-ups to audition there. |
| 17 | He had expressed interest in playing the Riddler in Batman Forever (1995) and was a fan favorite to do so, until Joel Schumacher took over the project and reworked the concept. He was also considered for the role of Hagrid in the Harry Potter series. |
| 18 | Became very close with Sarah Michelle Gellar who played his daughter on The Crazy Ones (2013) and described him as a "surrogate father". |
| 19 | More than 400 fellow celebrities, friends and co-stars gave condolences and paid tribute to him upon his tragic death. Internet surveys showed his name was the most "looked up" thing in 2014. |
| 20 | He died only thirteen days before his Hamlet (1996) co-star Richard Attenborough. |
| 21 | From August 16-18, 2014, Disney honored Robin Williams by airing Aladdin (1992) on their three children's channels (Disney Channel on Saturday, Disney XD on Sunday, and Disney Junior on Sunday evening and Monday morning), twice on each channel. At the end of the movie, just before the credits, they put up an image that read, "In Memory of Robin Williams, who made us laugh." using Eric Goldberg's (the movie's animator) tribute to him as a backdrop. |
| 22 | Though Robin Williams was right-handed, he batted and golfed left-handed (Old Dogs (2009), The Crazy Ones (2013)). |
| 23 | He was considered for the Genie in Aladdin (1992) from the scripting stage. Disney animators even modeled his face into the Genie's. |
| 24 | Was close friends with Billy Crystal, Paul Reubens, Fred Travalena and Whoopi Goldberg. |
| 25 | Robin Williams used a specific hand salute - with his thumb touching (or near) his nose, as in "thumbing your nose" - in television appearances and movies, among them: Mork & Mindy (1978), I Love Liberty (1982), The Survivors (1983), Club Paradise (1986), Good Morning, Vietnam (1987), Toys (1992), Mrs. Doubtfire (1993), Patch Adams (1998), The Night Listener (2006) and Night at the Museum (2006). |
| 26 | Robin Williams slipped in phrases from his stand-up comedy into his serious movie roles, such as: "Gravity Works," (from An Evening with Robin Williams (1982)) in The Fisher King (1991) and FernGully: The Last Rainforest (1992). "Drive her/you to China," in Club Paradise (1986) and The Adventures of Baron Munchausen (1988). "Harder than Chinese algebra," in Shrink (2009). Why Freud "did enough cocaine to kill a small horse," in Good Will Hunting (1997). "That won't look good on a resume," in Club Paradise (1986) and Good Morning, Vietnam (1987). Referencing "a waste processing plant next to a recreation area" in Bicentennial Man (1999). Referencing tattoos of Chinese/Kanji symbols for happiness and laughter in Shrink (2009). |
| 27 | His best friends were Christopher Reeve, Jim Varney, Steven Spielberg and Pam Dawber. |
| 28 | ABC news ran the announcement about the family wanting their privacy to grieve on a webpage that also featured a link to a live stream of aerial footage of Williams' Home. This link was removed after a campaign by outraged Twitter users. |
| 29 | When his Inside the Actors Studio (1994) interview was being taped, a man in the audience had to be hospitalized after acquiring a hernia from laughing so hard. |
| 30 | His final moments were spent at his seafront home overlooking San Francisco Bay (St. Thomas Way, Tiburon, California). |
| 31 | He was cremated after death and his ashes were scattered along the San Francisco Bay. |
| 32 | A statement was released by his wife Susan Schneider, after his death, in which she said that Robin's sobriety was intact and that he was brave as he struggled with his own battles of depression, anxiety as well as early stages of Parkinson's Disease, which he was not yet ready to share publicly. |
| 33 | Due to the seven feature films Robin shot in the San Francisco Bay Area in the 1990s, he was made an Honorary Member of IATSE Local 16 in San Francisco. |
| 34 | Was raised in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan (suburban Detroit). He attended Detroit Country Day School until his senior year of high school when his father retired from the Ford Motor Company and moved the family to San Francisco, California. |
| 35 | Was a huge fan of the anime series Shin Seiki Evangerion (1995). |
| 36 | On the night his death was announced to the United Kingdom on the BBC News Channel, BBC Three had just broadcast the Family Guy (1999) episode where Peter Griffin wishes that everyone was Robin Williams, is struck by lightening and then has the power that everyone he touches turns into Robin Williams. |
| 37 | Mara Buxbaum was his longtime press agent and publicist. |
| 38 | Upon his death, his wife, Susan Schneider said, "This morning, I lost my husband and my best friend, while the world lost one of its most beloved artists and beautiful human beings. I am utterly heartbroken. On behalf of Robin's family, we are asking for privacy during our time of profound grief. As he is remembered, it is our hope the focus will not be on Robin's death, but on the countless moments of joy and laughter he gave to millions.". |
| 39 | Was declared dead at 12:02 PM on August 11, 2014, seven minutes after the call was received by 911 operators, and two minutes after paramedics arrived at his home in the unincorporated town of Tiburon, which is in Marin County, California, USA, just north of San Francisco. The cause was apparent suicide after a long bout with severe depression. |
| 40 | Was the first choice for the role of Bob Wiley in What About Bob? (1991), but was forced to turn it down because he was finishing filming The Fisher King (1991), at the same exact time. The role went to Bill Murray instead. |
| 41 | As of his death in 2014, he had appeared in three films that were nominated for the Best Picture Oscar: Dead Poets Society (1989), Awakenings (1990) and Good Will Hunting (1997). |
| 42 | He was awarded a Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6925 Hollywood Boulevard in Hollywood, California on December 12, 1990. |
| 43 | Had worked with Frank Welker in five films: A Wish for Wings That Work (1991), Aladdin (1992), In Search of Dr. Seuss (1994), Jumanji (1995) and Aladdin and the King of Thieves (1996). |
| 44 | Had appeared with Billy Crystal in four films: In Search of Dr. Seuss (1994), Hamlet (1996), Fathers' Day (1997), Deconstructing Harry (1997) and a cameo on Friends (1994). |
| 45 | Became a father for the 3rd time at age 40 when his 2nd ex-wife Marsha Garces Williams gave birth to their son Cody Alan Williams on November 25, 1991. |
| 46 | Became a father for the 2nd time at age 38 when his 2nd ex-wife Marsha Garces Williams gave birth to their daughter Zelda Williams on July 31, 1989. |
| 47 | Became a father for the 1st time at age 31 when his 1st ex-wife Valerie Velardi gave birth to their son Zachary Pym Zak Williams on April 11, 1983. |
| 48 | Had played the same character (Mork) in three different series: Happy Days (1974), Mork & Mindy (1978) and Out of the Blue (1979). |
| 49 | Was a huge fan of the "Legend of Zelda" series since the first game appeared in 1986, and even named his daughter Zelda, after the eponymous character. Both Robin and Zelda appeared in a commercial for Zeruda no densetsu: Sukaiwôdo sôdo (2011). |
| 50 | His great friend, Scottish comedian Billy Connolly, referred to Robin's hairy arms as "Quest for Fire" opera gloves. |
| 51 | Married for the third time to Susan Schneider, a graphic designer, on October 23, 2011, at Meadowood Resort in St. Helena, California, among friends and family. |
| 52 | Was close friends with John Travolta and Eric Idle. |
| 53 | Became a vegetarian following his open heart surgery. |
| 54 | Studied acting with Michael Howard in New York City. |
| 55 | Had appeared fully nude in The Fisher King (1991) and World's Greatest Dad (2009). |
| 56 | During the course of recording the voice of Genie in Aladdin (1992), Robin improvised so much they had almost 16 hours of material. He also ad-libbed so many of his lines that the movie's script was turned down for a Best Adapted Screenplay Academy Award nomination. |
| 57 | Was frequently called up by Steven Spielberg when he was filming Schindler's List (1993). He would put him on speaker phone so he could tell jokes to the cast and crew to cheer them up. He used his character in Aladdin (1992) most of the time. |
| 58 | His role in August Rush (2007) was modeled after the character of Fagin from Oliver Twist (1948), who was played in David Lean's film by Alec Guinness. Guinness also played Osric in John Gielgud's theatrical production of "Hamlet". Williams played the role in Kenneth Branagh's film version of Hamlet (1996). |
| 59 | Recovered at the Cleveland Clinic after successful open heart surgery on March 13, 2009 to replace his aortic valve. |
| 60 | Checked himself into rehab to be treated for alcoholism. He already overcome a drug and alcohol addiction in the 1980s. He left rehab in September 2006. |
| 61 | Filed a lawsuit against Frank and Beans Productions, production company of a shelved movie called "A Couple of Dicks". Which was later given to Gold Circle Films and the title was changed to "Cop Out (2010)" Williams claimed that he received $6 million in "fixed compensation", meaning that he would receive the money whether the film was made or not. [October 2008] |
| 62 | Was voted "Most Humorous" and "Least likely to succeed" in school. |
| 63 | Spoke French fluently. |
| 64 | Lived in San Francisco, Tiburon and Napa, California. |
| 65 | Met second wife Marsha Garces Williams when she was nanny for his and first wife Valerie Velardi's son, Zak Williams. |
| 66 | He and his former second wife, Marsha Garces Williams frequently visited Australia during their holidays. |
| 67 | Had played both a fictional President in Man of the Year (2006) and a real-life one in The Butler (2013). |
| 68 | Was one of the few celebrities to have a segment on Sesame Street that did not have any puppets or actors playing Sesame Street regular characters. |
| 69 | Was invited to the party Steve Martin was throwing that turned out to be his wedding. |
| 70 | Asked by James Lipton about what he would like to God say when he arrived in heaven, Williams answered that "There is a seat in the front" in the concert of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Elvis Presley. |
| 71 | Williams and Robert De Niro were the last stars to see John Belushi alive, albeit on separate visits to Bungalow #3 of the Chateau Marmont Hotel in Los Angeles that fateful day in March 1982. |
| 72 | Owned a home and vineyard in Northern California's St. Helena district, hence the quip, "I love the smell of Napa in the morning." Not-too-distant neighbors included football legend Joe Montana (Calistoga) and filmmaker Francis Ford Coppola (Rutherford), both of whom run their own vineyards. |
| 73 | He liked computer games and video games. |
| 74 | 1993: Was turned down for a Best Actor in a Supporting Role Academy Award nomination in for his performance in Aladdin (1992), because he only voiced the Genie. |
| 75 | Was the second choice for the role of Frank Ginsberg in Little Miss Sunshine (2006), which went to Steve Carell. |
| 76 | Was considered for the role of Bobby Wheeler in the situation comedy Taxi (1978), which went to Jeff Conaway. |
| 77 | Was offered the role of The Riddler in Batman Forever (1995), which eventually went to Jim Carrey. |
| 78 | He considered Jonathan Winters and Richard Pryor his comedic idols. |
| 79 | Invented the curse word "Shazbot", first heard on the situation comedy Mork & Mindy (1978) (in which Mork says the expression during the opening credits). Later, it was used in an episode of The Simpsons (1989) (Treehouse of Horror VI) with the Production Code 3F04, which aired on 10/30/95. In 1998, it was used as a voice chat option in the very popular "Starsiege Tribes" game and was carried over into the sequels "Tribes 2" and "Tribes: Vengeance". Incidently, "shazbot, nano nano" also remain the last recorded words of the legendary former singer of AC/DC Bon Scott (1946-1980), still available on the album "Highway to Hell". |
| 80 | Was a huge fan of Doctor Who (1963) and Star Trek (1966). |
| 81 | 1976: Performed at the opening of the San Francisco Comedy Competition against Dana Carvey, Harry Anderson and A. Whitney Brown. |
| 82 | Has one older half-brother: Todd Williams. |
| 83 | Though he was highly regarded for his ability to perform numerous different voices, he only lent his voice to six animated features: FernGully: The Last Rainforest (1992), Aladdin (1992), Aladdin and the King of Thieves (1996), Robots (2005), Happy Feet (2006) and Happy Feet Two (2011). However, he did voice-over work for a cartoon on Mrs. Doubtfire (1993), played a small role in the animated short A Wish for Wings That Work (1991), and had done narration for different rides and attractions at Disney World. He has also done the voice for the character "Doctor Know" in the movie A.I. Artificial Intelligence (2001), which was not an animated movie. |
| 84 | 1993: Wrote the foreword to Gary Larson's book, "The Far Side: Gallery 4". |
| 85 | Co-owned the Rubicon Restaurant in San Francisco with Robert De Niro and fellow Bay area resident Francis Ford Coppola. |
| 86 | He and his Being Human (1994) and Robots (2005) castmate, Ewan McGregor, have both shared a role with Alec Guinness. McGregor, of course, played the young Obi-Wan Kenobi in the Star Wars prequels. Williams appeared in Kenneth Branagh's Hamlet (1996), as Osric, a role that Guinness had played on stage opposite John Gielgud. Williams also shares that role with another Star Wars series actor, Peter Cushing, who played the same role in the same year in the film, opposite Laurence Olivier. |
| 87 | Had English, French, German, Irish, Scottish and Welsh ancestry. |
| 88 | Was a guest on Johnny Carson's next to last episode of The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson (1962), along with Bette Midler. |
| 89 | Most of his dialogue in Aladdin (1992) was ad-libbed. |
| 90 | 2004: Dedicated his winning the Cecil B. DeMille Award at the Golden Globe Awards to his good friend Christopher Reeve. |
| 91 | He was a very overweight child. As a result, nobody would play with him. He started talking in different voices to entertain himself. |
| 92 | Had been seen in playing paintball at public reservations near his Northern California residences. |
| 93 | Was an active supporter of the U.S. Democratic Party, he had been outspoken about his opposition to the war in Iraq. However, he became the most consistent entertainer of U.S. troops since the war began, leading some to dub him the new Bob Hope. |
| 94 | Was considered for the role of Joe Miller in Jonathan Demme's Philadelphia (1993), which went to Denzel Washington. |
| 95 | When "Blame Canada", a song from South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut (1999), was nominated for a Best Song Academy Award, it was Williams who performed the song at the ceremony because the actress who sang the song in the film, Mary Kay Bergman, had committed suicide a few months prior to the awards show. |
| 96 | One week after Christopher Reeve's tragic horseriding accident, Robin visited him in the hospital. However, he was dressed from head to toe in scrubs, spoke with a Russian accent, and had a surgical mask on. He was acting as if he was a real doctor and did a bunch of wacky antics. After he took off his mask, Reeve stated that, "That was the first time he laughed since the accident!". |
| 97 | He was voted the 50th Greatest Movie Star of all time by Entertainment Weekly. |
| 98 | Early in his career, he told a reporter that he was born in Scotland. His original press releases indeed listed Scotland as his place of birth. He admitted that he was "under the influence" at the time he said this. He was really born in Chicago. |
| 99 | Was voted "Least Likely to Succeed" by his fellow graduates at Larkspur. |
| 100 | 1996: He reached a unique milestone by having two of his films reach the $100-million mark in the United States exactly the same week: Jumanji (1995) and The Birdcage (1996). |
| 101 | 2003: Ranked #7 in Star TV's Top 10 Box Office Stars of the 1990s. |
| 102 | 1980: Hit #104 on the Billboard Singles Charts with "I Yam What I Yam" (Boardwalk 5701). |
| 103 | 2003: Won Grammy Award for Best Spoken Comedy Album for "Robin Williams - Live 2002". |
| 104 | Graduated from Redwood High School in Larkspur, California, north of San Francisco. Other famous alumni from Redwood include Gabrielle Carteris (Beverly Hills, 90210 (1990)) and Erin Gray (Kate Summers from Silver Spoons (1982)), and Jason Branson, radio talk show guest/therapist and author. |
| 105 | After having won the Academy Award for Good Will Hunting (1997), he sent Peer Augustinski (who was his standard German dubbing voice) a little Oscar replica with a note: "Thank you for making me famous in Germany.". |
| 106 | Enjoyed cycling and occasionally trained with Lance Armstrong. |
| 107 | Studied at Julliard with actor Christopher Reeve. The two remained good friends until Reeve's death in 2004. |
| 108 | Was a huge fan of the comedy series Monty Python's Flying Circus (1969). Paying tribute after his death, Michael Palin said that Williams was "up there" with his all-time heroes, Spike Milligan and Peter Cook, and performing with him "would have been like being invited to play in a jazz band when you couldn't play an instrument". |
| 109 | 1998: Listed by Entertainment Weekly as one of the 25 Best Actors. |
| 110 | Attended Claremont Men's College, where he played soccer. |
| 111 | Was a huge fan of the sport of Rugby Union, and in particular New Zealand All Black star Jonah Lomu, who flew to San Francisco and gifted him with a signed All Black jersey. On a recent visit to New Zealand they were reunited on national television, Williams humbly accepting another All Black jersey, except this time it had Jonah's number 11 on the back. |
| 112 | Was set to appear on the Star Trek: The Next Generation (1987) episode, Star Trek: The Next Generation: A Matter of Time (1991), as the time traveler Professor Berlinghoff Rasmussen, but a schedule conflict forced him to drop out (the role eventually went to Matt Frewer). He was inspired to seek a Trek role by his friend, Whoopi Goldberg, who made several appearances on Star Trek: The Next Generation (1987) as the bartender Guinan. |
| 113 | Album: "Reality... What a Concept" on Casablanca Records (1979). |
| 114 | During the making of Mork & Mindy (1978), Williams departed from the scripts and ad libbed so many times and so well, that the producers stop trying to make him stick to the script and deliberately left gaps in the later scripts leaving only "Mork can go off here" in those places so Robin could improvise. |
| 115 | When he auditioned for the role of Mork from Ork on Happy Days (1974), producer Garry Marshall told him to sit down. Williams immediately sat on his head on the chair. Marshall hired him, saying that he was the only alien who auditioned. |
| 116 | 1997: Voted funniest man alive by Entertainment Weekly. |
| 117 | October 1997: Ranked #63 in Empire (UK) magazine's "The Top 100 Movie Stars of All Time" list. |
| 118 | Was set to play Drew Barrymore's father in the film Home Fries (1998) and had the role during production, but pulled out of the part days before his scenes were to be shot. |
| 119 | Resided with his family in San Francisco's Seacliff neighborhood for many years. before moving to San Francisco suburb of Tiburon in the 2000s, just across the Golden Gate Bridge in Marin County, California. |
| 120 | Studied acting briefly at Julliard under John Houseman. Houseman told him he was wasting his talent at Juilliard and he should strike out on his own and do stand-up comedy. |
| 121 | Moved to San Francisco, California when he was 16. |
