Williams first captured the attention of television audiences when he landed a guest-starring role on the hit situation comedy television series Happy Days as Mork, the wildly manic and humorous extraterrestrial. His sharply hilarious yet heartfelt portrayal won him instant stardom. Viewer response was so great that he was quickly signed for the now-legendary spin-off series Mork and Mindy.

In 1980, Williams made the leap to feature films, debuting in Robert Altman’s Popeye. Audiences then embraced a more poignant Williams in his portrayal of T.S. Garp in George Roy Hill’s hugely successful The World According to Garp followed by Paul Mazursky’s Moscow on the Hudson. Barry Levinson’s landmark film, Good Morning Vietnam earned Williams his first Academy Award^® nomination, with Peter Weir’s Dead Poets Society earning him a second Oscar^® nomination.

Williams next starred opposite Robert De Niro in Penny Marshall’s Awakenings (bringing him a special honor from the National Board of Review), followed by Terry Gilliam’s The Fisher King for which Williams received his third Academy Award^® nomination. He additionally starred in Barry Levinson’s Toys, Steven Spielberg’s Hook, and Mike Nichols’ The Birdcage.

Williams received a Golden Globe Award for his unforgettable performance in Mrs. Doubtfire and also earned a Special Achievement Award from the Hollywood Foreign Press Association for his vocal contributions as the Genie in Walt Disney Pictures’ now-classic animated blockbuster feature Aladdin.

In 1996, E! Entertainment Television named Williams as "Celebrity of the Year" for his singularly outstanding feature film career, which now includes the immensely successful Flubber, as well as memorable appearances in Kenneth Branagh’s Hamlet and Woody Allen’s Deconstructing Harry. He has also reprised his role of the Genie in Disney’s Home Video Aladdin and the King of Thieves.

Robin Williams executive produced and starred in Blue Wolf Productions’ Jakob The Liar, a story of life in a Nazi occupied Polish ghetto during 1944, he also starred in Bicentennial Man and lent his voice to A.I. Artificial Intelligence as Dr. Know. Recent projects include One Hour Photo and Death of a Smoochy. Next year he can be seen in Insomnia.

Born in Chicago in 1951, when Williams was a senior in high school, his Marin County, California classmates voted Robin, already known for natural comedic talents, as Most Humorous and Most Likely to Succeed.

After a short stint studying political science at Claremont Men’s College in Southern California, Williams entered College of Marin to study theater. His innate comedic and dramatic skills led to his acceptance at The Juilliard School in New York, where he spent three years under the tutelage of acclaimed actor John Houseman and other noted professionals. In 1988 he performed on stage when he co-starred with Steve Martin in Mike Nichols’ off-Broadway production of Samuel Beckett’s Waiting for Godot.

Williams, who began his career as a stand-up comedian, has won four Grammy Awards, including one for Robin Williams Live at the Met on HBO, the culmination of a 23-city SRO tour. He also won Emmy Awards for the television specials Carol, Carl, Whoopi and Robin and ABC Presents A Royal Gala.

He is also active in several humanitarian organizations, and has been a primary force in Comic Relief, an annual benefit to aid the homeless raising over $38 million to date.