Robin Williams: So Long And Thanks For All The Fun

Robin Williams, one of Hollywood's most beloved humorists, has died at home in California in a suspected suicide. He was 63. Mr Williams was best-known for his comic talent but also appeared in acclaimed dramatic roles.

The last picture he shared was with his daughter when she was young. He wished his daughter on her birthday and captioned it "Happy Birthday to Ms. Zelda Rae Williams! Quarter of a century old today but always my baby girl. Happy Birthday @zeldawilliams Love you!" This image was posted on Instagram by therobinwilliams

Ahead, a celenration of his life and career.

Robin Williams was born in Chicago on July 21, 1951. His father was a Ford Motors executive and his mother a former model. After school and spending some time at a California college, the young Robin Williams attended Juilliard School, the prestigious performing arts conservatory. At Juilliard, his contemporary was Christopher Reeve, soon to be famous as Superman. Robin Williams left Juilliard in 1976, having distinguished himself in the dialects class.

Robin Williams' first acting jobs were in television. He appeared on The Richard Pryor Show, and was then cast as the alien Mork on hit show Happy Days. His performance as Mork, much of it improvised, so impressed producers and audiences that Mork eventually starred in his own show, Mork & Mindy. The show ran from 1978 to 1982 and made Robin Williams a star. At this time, he also forged a career in stand-up comedy.

Robin Williams' first film role was 1977 farce Can I Do It ‘Till I Need Glasses? He then played the title characters in Popeye (1980) and The World According to Garp (1982).

In 1987, Robin Williams was nominated for an Oscar and won a Golden Globe for his performance as a DJ in the Armed Forces Radio Service in Good Morning, Vietnam.

Two years later, his role as an unconventional English teacher in Dead Poets Society, co-starring a young Ethan Hawke, earned him a second Oscar nomination. The critically acclaimed film contained classic moments such as Robin Williams urging his students to ‘carpe diem' and tear up their textbooks, and a memorable exit to the chant of Walt Whitman poem ‘O Captain! My Captain!'

Robin Williams brought in the Nineties with The Fisher King (1991) and a role as Peter Pan in Hook the same year, playing a grown-up version of The Boy Who Wouldn't Grow Up. In 1992, he voiced (and sang) the role of the genie in Disney animated hit Aladdin. The Fisher King earned him a second Golden Globe and Aladdin brought him a Special Golden Globe.

1993's hit comedy Mrs Doubtfire was one of Robin Williams' biggest box office successes and involved him dressing in drag for the most part of the movie. His performance as a father who impersonates an elderly nanny to be with his children fetched him another Golden Globe.

Over the next few years, Robin Williams appeared in 1995's Jumanji and Nine Months, 1996's The Birdcage and won a Best Supporting Actor Oscar for 1997's Good Will Hunting, co-starring and written by Matt Damon and Ben Affleck. 1998's Patch Adams fetched him more nominations at award season.

The 2000s included roles in films like A.I Artificial Intelligence (2001), Death To Smoochy (2002) and animated hits Robots (2005) and Happy Feet (2006). He also appeared as Teddy Roosevelt in Night at the Museum (2006) and its sequel Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian (2009).

Most recently, Robin Williams played Dwight Eisenhower in 2013's acclaimed The Butler and reprised his role and Teddy Roosevelt in the third Night at the Musem movie, to release this December. All through his screen career, he continued to return to his TV roots, however briefly, with appearances on F.R.I.E.N.D.S, Whose Line Is It Anyway?, Saturday Night Live and, recently, a starring role in the sitcom The Crazy Ones opposite Sarah Michelle Gellar.

Robin Williams married thrice and had three children. He is survived by third wife Susan Schneider, a graphic designer.