Robin Williams was compassionate and kind, despite experiencing profound loneliness in his childhood and being bullied at school.
As a millionaire and highly-acclaimed actor, he would require production companies to hire homeless individuals as part of his contract.
Unfortunately, Williams, who dedicated his life to uplifting others, couldn’t save himself and succumbed to acute depression and anxiety.
Robin Williams was an American actor most popularly known for his incredible improvisational ability and portrayal of a wide range of characters in movies and before live audiences. Known for being quick-witted, he was considered one of the greatest comedians of all time.
His father was a Ford executive, and his mother was a socialite who traveled frequently for business and recreation. Thanks to his parents, Williams enjoyed a wealthy lifestyle with an unfortunate genetic streak of alcoholism, with which he struggled for a significant part of his life.
Despite providing her son with a luxurious and seemingly comfortable life, Williams’ mom, Laurie Williams, eventually admitted that she never realized how lonesome he felt. She said her son spent some very lonely years, making her think that, perhaps, she wasn’t such a great mother to him.
It was 2:30 a.m. on the dial, and fatefully, Williams was present in the same shop, eating and drinking coffee.
Growing up, Williams, who had a complete floor of his family’s mansion all to himself, often played alone with his enormous collection of toy soldiers, entertaining himself by making up voices for each of them. The actor later said he was mainly brought up by his African-American maid, Susie.
Despite growing up in a wealthy household, the “Jumanji” actor was vigilant about his surroundings, particularly the community where he grew up in San Francisco.
He once shared how his neighborhood was on the brink of turning into Death Valley. People were dying in their homes, waiting for relief programs to change their fate. But it wasn’t until people from other neighboring areas came to their aid that their situation began to improve.
David Steinberg, a comedian who met Williams almost four decades before his demise, shared that the comic spent a lonely childhood and had a distinct form of solitude in him, which he hadn’t seen in many people. Steinberg also associated Williams’ loneliness with his comic streak.
The “What Dreams May Come” actor had an excellent sense of humor from the beginning. He attributed his fast-paced wit to his mother and noted how he always tried to make her laugh. Crediting his mom for his spontaneous comic talent, Williams said the first laugh was always the one that made an impression on people.
Another detail that Williams shared about his childhood was how he was regularly bullied at school. This was partly due to his chubby physique — a claim that his mother later refuted. Despite his love for school, there were times when he returned home in tears and didn’t want to go back.
In an interview in 1991, the “Patch Adams” star said he wasn’t so exuberant and spent three years in an all-boys institution, similar to the one in his classic movie, “Dead Poets Society,” where students wore blazers with a Latin motto. He added that he was pushed around a lot and endured physical and intellectual bullying.
Initially, Williams pulled back but eventually toughened up and worked on building his self-confidence after joining his high school wrestling team.
Williams’ challenging childhood — including his earnest efforts to gain his mother’s attention and approval, being a target for bullies, and his profound loneliness in his family home — reportedly laid the foundations for the comedian and actor he eventually became.
While his impeccable talent for improvisation might have started as an intelligent kid’s solution to counter bouts of loneliness, his move to Los Angeles immediately brought him the support, companionship, and fame he needed to establish himself as a comedian.
It wasn’t long before Williams captivated the audience with the many characters, voices, and acts he so brilliantly performed, with a magic trick that only someone who watched him endlessly could decipher completely. With his growing popularity in the late 1970s, the showbiz industry was eager to incorporate his extraordinary talent.
As time passed, Williams built a successful career as an actor and comedian and became a millionaire. In 2012, his net worth was reported at $50 million. But despite his fame and riches, he remained humble, kind, and compassionate.
Perry Marshall, author and marketer, shared a story in 2014 that he reposted with permission from Brian Lord, a man who once wanted to book Williams for an event. Per Lord’s account, the “Mrs. Doubtfire” actor had an astonishing requirement in his rider.
Per William’s request, the company hiring him had to also provide employment opportunities to several homeless individuals during their contractual cooperation. Praising Williams for his beautiful heart and helpful nature, Perry wrote in his caption:
“I wonder how many production companies continued the practice into their next non-Robin Williams project, as well as how many people got a chance at a job and the pride of earning an income, even temporarily, from his actions…Thanks, Robin Williams — not just for laughs, but also for a cool example.”
Another source stated that Williams asked each production house to employ at least ten homeless people. He was said to have helped almost 1520 homeless individuals in his entire career.
The “Aladdin” star also joined forces with other actors to uplift the lives of less privileged folks. Whoopi Goldberg, Billy Crystal, and Williams reportedly raised over $70 million for the homeless in the U.S. through Comic Relief.
In a conversation with Goldberg in September 2014, Crystal shared how the fundraising venture, which began in 1986, gave him a chance to know Williams better. The “When Harry Met Sally” star said he and Williams developed a close bond through their collaborative efforts.
Besides being a brilliant entertainer, Williams was well-known for his humanitarian efforts and philanthropic nature, never seeking recognition or publicity. Pediatrician Carrie Chen, who completed her residency at the University of California, San Francisco, revealed how Williams often visited the San Francisco General Hospital every Christmas without letting anyone know.
She recalled a Christmas Day in 1998 when the “The Fisher King” actor came into the pediatric ward with toys for all the kids. At the time, Chen and other nurses had finished stabilizing a premature baby born at 28 weeks. When Williams asked where all the staff had gone, he was told they were busy tending to the newborn.
When the infant was in stable condition, Chen recounted Williams coming in and erupting into tears upon seeing the little one doing well. The “Hamlet” actor also thanked the doctors and nurses for caring for the baby on Christmas Day.
Later, he went into another ward and handed each child a brand-new Nintendo video game set — quite popular at the time and considered a costly present. “I think he just truly wanted to do good. He didn’t care about the publicity. No one knew he was there, he just slipped in. He just wanted to come and give those children a Christmas present,” reflected Chen.
Williams continued to raise his voice for the underprivileged and helped build homes with “Habitat For Humanity” in December 2000 in California. He also used his status and position to highlight pertinent issues, including homelessness.
In 1990, he sat before a Senate panel chaired by Senator Edward Kennedy and discussed how homeless and impoverished communities could be supported. “We are basically broke. We’re a trillion dollars in debt. We don’t know, we don’t owe this money to someone named Benny. We’re here because you have to find ways to get that money and what to do with it,” expounded Williams.
The “Good Will Hunting” actor also mentioned, “You can’t walk over people anymore…I’m trying to address it using the only weapon I have – comedy. This woman addressed it with their heart, and you address it with bills and appropriations.”
Another one of Williams’ many talents was his ability to make strangers beam with joy. When the actor died, numerous stories began circulating about his friendliness and warm-heartedness.
A similar story came from a man who shared his account on Reddit, starting with how his dad lost both his parents in a terrible manner. On the night of the memorial service, the poster’s grief-stricken father was having a hard time dealing with his emotions, so he and his family stopped at a doughnut shop.
Still in mourning, the aggrieved family from San Francisco dragged themselves inside because the Redditor’s dad wanted to have a doughnut.
It was 2:30 a.m. on the dial, and fatefully, Williams was present in the same shop, eating and drinking coffee. When he noticed the family needed to be cheered up in one of the most difficult days of their lives, he was kind enough to put a smile on their faces. In the wee hours of the night, the Reddit user’s family smiled, thanks to Williams.
The Redditor recalled seeing his parents laugh for the first time in ages. He stated that his dad never forgot that encounter and said it was exactly what he needed that day. With nothing but appreciation and gratitude for Williams, the Redditor mentioned:
“It wasn’t that [Robin] was a celebrity, he was just being a nice guy who saw a bunch of sad folks and realized he could probably make a difference. And he did.”
Williams did not only extend his kindness to the homeless and needy but also to those around him, lending support and rescuing them from the depths of depression. Around the time of the actor’s demise, another user shared their touching account on Reddit.
One night in New York, they saw Williams standing with his fans who were asking him for pictures and autographs. After struggling to find something to take his autograph with, the Redditor stood there, watching others click photos with him.
The Reddit user saw everyone, including men, women, and kids, request Williams for pictures, and he humbly obliged. Later, a slightly bulky man in his 30s walked up to the star and asked him to sign a memorabilia.
The man then took a photo of only Williams, after which the star asked him if he wished to be in it. The man looked down, mumbling that he might ruin the picture. The “Flubber” actor told him not to think that way and delightfully posed next to him.
The Redditor, who stood at a distance witnessing this act of kindness, was so deeply moved that they never forgot that evening. They were also glad that the shy man was able to take a photograph with Williams.
The “Man of the Year” actor was also known for showering animals with tender love and care. In 2001, he met a gorilla named “Koko” in California, and their meeting proved life-changing for both of them. According to Koko’s lifelong trainer, Penny Patterson, she was in mourning at the time, missing her lifelong companion Michael.
Patterson noted that the first time Koko smiled since Michael’s passing was when she met Williams, who brought her out of her mourning. She explained how Koko was smitten with the actor, and they both played like a father and child. Williams also received a big gorilla hug from his friend. The “Final Cut” actor later worked their sweet encounter into one of his acts.
When Koko heard about his beloved friend’s demise, she was said to be somber and in mourning. Patterson stated how she didn’t cry but kept her head bowed and her lips were quivering in pain because she missed her dear buddy.
Williams was known for not only cheering up strangers and animals but also his friends and colleagues. On the 25th anniversary celebration of “Schindler’s List,” moviemaker Steven Spielberg shared that a weekly 15-minute phone call with Williams relieved his stress and kept him going.
The “Boulevard” alum was also close friends with the “Superman” actor Christopher Reeve, and their camaraderie dated back to their time as roommates at The Julliard School in the 70s. After Reeve had an accident in 1995 and became quadriplegic, his dear friend visited him before his first critical surgery.
Reeve recalled laying frozen when the door struck open, and a man wearing scrubs with a Russian accent walked inside, telling him he was his proctologist. After realizing it was Williams, the duo had a good laugh, and the then-ailing Reeve felt hopeful for what lay ahead.
After Reeve’s death in 2004, Williams became a board member of the Reeve Foundation, dedicated to curing spinal cord injury through research. He did this out of his love for people’s well-being and also to honor his late friend’s memory.
Although Williams tried his best to help others, he was unable to save himself from pain and depression. While shooting the 2014 movie “Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb,” which was his last on-screen performance, a member of the makeup crew, Cheri Minns, saw him struggle with mental health issues.
Minns revealed that Williams broke down in her arms daily, and when she motivated him to return to stand-up comedy, he teared up and said he had forgotten how to be funny. Later, the “Toys” star learned about his Parkinson’s diagnosis, an incurable and progressive condition affecting the nervous system.
According to his friend, Peter Asher, Williams visited him at his Malibu home a few months before his demise. “[Robin] was unhappy…He didn’t seem jolly at all. It wasn’t anything individually. It wasn’t the money. We were all worried about him,” added Asher.
On August 10, 2014, Williams stayed up late at his Tiburon residence. A little before noon the following day, his assistant went to check on him and reportedly found him dead in his room. At 63, the “Hook” actor, who made everyone laugh and relieved their pain, succumbed to his suffering.
In November 2014, Williams’ son, Zach Williams, remembered the incredible bond his father shared with Reeve. He described how the actors had an amazing relationship, love, and appreciation for each other and a drive to take time to help and uplift those in pain.
Zach said his dad and Reeve always found time to give their everything to those in need and bring light and healing where there was darkness, pain, and suffering. Even today, Williams’ golden legacy lives on in the hearts of those he touched with his kindness and love.
