Robin Williams

These are two of the quotes commonly used to describe Robin Williams by the film industry. It is certainly hard to disagree with these portrayals, since Mr. Williams� career epitomizes what a "good" roller coaster ride should be like. Known for his maniacal energy, clever ad-libbing, and boundless imaginations, Mr. Williams has established himself as Hollywood�s elite comedian, and has successfully fended off (in most cases), assaults by the younger generation (Jim Carrey and Adam Sandler, for example). Despite Mr. Williams� obvious talents, his big-screen projects are often mediocre bordering on disappointments; some have attributed this to the fact that he is not selective enough in choosing his roles. Here at Louiseandbob, we believe that it is the combination of his judgement as well as his occasional over-exuberance that led to most of his uninspiring works.

Robin Williams was born on July 21st, 1952 in Chicago, Illinois; his father was a Ford Motor Company executive, and his mother was a fashion model. While he grew up in a financially comfortable environment, he was essentially an only child (NOTE: Both of his parents had grown children from prior marriages). To make matters worse, young Robin moved often from private school to private school as his father rose in the company hierarchy. As a child, Robin was somewhat pudgy, and coupled with the "new kid" status, he was often the teasing subject of

other students; it is during this time that he began to develop his trademark wit as a defensive counterattack against bullies. As a result of the events at school and the lack of siblings, Robin was much more comfortable playing with his imagination and creativity than with others. It is interesting to note that Robin had a large collection of toy soldiers, approximately 2000 strong. The Williams family settled permanently in Marin County, California during Robin�s high school years. Here, Robin was no longer teased as he became popular in school (voted funniest and most likely to succeed). After high school, Robin Williams first studied political science at Claremont Men�s College. In addition, Mr. Williams also attended Marin College to study acting, serious acting that is. These places were unable to keep him, however, and Mr. Williams soon headed off to the prestigious Julliard Institute. There he was a student of John Houseman; while studying drama, he also earned some extra money working as a mime.

After graduating from Julliard, Mr. Williams made a living as a stand-up comic; in addition, he also secured regular gigs and did part time episodes in various sitcoms. It was his performance in "Happy Days" that prompted Garry Marshall (Producer) to give him his own show, "Mork and Mindy" (1978-82). The show propelled Robin Williams to one of the top three comedians at the time (Billy Crystal and Richard Pryor were the other two). Despite his success in television and as a comic, his big-screen projects during the early 80�s were all disappointments: "Popeye," "The World According to Garp," and "Moscow on the Hudson" (Boy, they do sound bad). Finally, in 1987, Mr. Williams became a true movie star playing the role of Adrian Cronauer (military DJ) in "Good Morning, Vietnam." In this work, his comedic skills and humorous ad-libs, which were good enough to earn him a first Oscar nomination. In The Dead Poets Society, Mr. Williams silenced his critics with a dramatic role as an inspirational English teacher. Other notable projects included Aladdin, where he lent his voice to the crazy-ad-libbing genie. Mr. Williams earned his only Oscar (Best supporting actor) in "Good Will Hunting" (he has also won several Golden Globe awards).

Robin Williams� record in private life is less than satisfactory, as he has entertained his critics with a variety of scandals. A select few include: coke-addition problems, suit by ex-girlfriend for infecting herpes, and after divorce, he married his son�s former nanny (NOTE: this nanny/2nd wife also produced the wildly successful "Mrs. Doubtfire"). Since "Good Will Hunting", Mr. Williams has starred in several films, unfortunately, all of which received mediocre reviews at best; however, their box office takes were still mostly respectable because of his reputation. The next projects for "The Funniest Man Alive" include The "Interpreter", "Rim", and "Damien of Molokai." We wish we had favorable pre-releases for these works, unfortunately, all reports point to the continuation of uninspiring works by Robin Williams.