One of the most popular and influential actors and comedians of our times, Academy Award-winner Robin Williams, has died of an apparent suicide. The 63 year old, who battled alcohol addiction for much of his life, was reportedly also suffering from severe depression in recent months. Williams first came onto the scene as the star of the sitcom “Mork & Mindy”, which ran from 1978-1982 (a spin-off from “Happy Days”). He was nominated for three Lead Actor Oscars (“Good Morning, Vietnam”, “Dead Poets Society” and “The Fisher King”) before finally winning a Best Supporting Actor statue in 1998 for “Good Will Hunting”.
Some of his most popular comedic performances included “Mrs. Doubtfire” (for which there was talk of a sequel earlier this year with Williams set to star) and the iconic Genie in Disney’s 1992 animated musical “Aladdin”. Most recently, Williams was seen on the big screen as President Dwight D. Eisenhower in “Lee Daniels’ The Butler” and in the romantic drama “The Face of Love”. And Williams made a notable return to TV last season with the CBS sitcom “The Crazy Ones”, co-starring Sarah Michelle Gellar, which was surprisingly cancelled this past Spring even though its ratings were not terrible.
Williams’ final high-profie appearance will be in the family sequel, “Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb”, which will open December 19, with Williams reprising his role as Teddy Roosevelt.
Williams will also be remembered for his legendary nighttime talk and awards show appearances (he co-hosted the Oscars in ’86). Whether or not you enjoyed his frantic, over-the-top style of comedy, which was usually wildly entertaining, and his ability to occasionally deliver a stellar serious performance, Robin Williams will absolutely be missed and his style will never be duplicated.