Robin by Dave Itzkoff

'This well-written page-turner is the definitive biography of the genius of Robin Williams, whose life redefines the highs and lows of the American dream' - Steve Martin 'Tenderly written . . . frequently hilarious' - Sunday Times From his rapid-fire stand-up comedy riffs to his breakout role in Mork & Mindy and his Academy Award-winning performance in Good Will Hunting, Robin Williams was a singularly innovative and beloved entertainer. He often came across as a man possessed, holding forth on culture and politics while mixing in personal revelations – all with mercurial, tongue-twisting intensity as he inhabited and shed one character after another with lightning speed. But as Dave Itzkoff shows in this revelatory biography, Williams’s comic brilliance masked a deep well of conflicting emotions and self-doubt, which he drew upon in his comedy and in celebrated films like Dead Poets Society; Good Morning, Vietnam; The Fisher King; Aladdin; and Mrs Doubtfire, where he showcased his limitless gift for improvisation to bring to life a wide range of characters. And in Good Will Hunting he gave an intense and controlled performance that revealed the true range of his talent. Robin by Dave Itzkoff shows how Williams struggled mightily with addiction and depression – topics he discussed openly while performing and during interviews – and with a debilitating condition at the end of his life that affected him in ways his fans never knew. Drawing on more than a hundred original interviews with family, friends and colleagues, as well as extensive archival research, Robin is a fresh and original look at a man whose work touched so many lives. ______________ '[Itzkoff] has written a book about the truth and the pain that lies in comedy, and the price paid by a sensitive soul' - Amy Poehler 'An amazing read' - Patton Oswalt

I read this while flying home from vacation–the book was so absorbing I was surprised when the flight was over. Sad, of course, but an excellent biography.

Robin Williams was a prodigy akin to Mozart and I never fully appreciated it until reading this book.

A comic genius in every sense of the word with a life of success and heartache that manages to both inspire and give warning.

An entertaining and engrossing biographical account of the life of Robin Williams. All of his milestones are covered and there are some fantastic interviews and bits about everyone's favorite movies, TV shows, and comedy routines. There is also a somber thread that runs through the entire book, partly because of the known addiction issues Robin faced, but mostly because Robin intensely needed validation and adulation for his work, something that is hard to maintain at high levels for as long as his career was.

The book does a thorough job of chronicling the ups and downs of his career and lists many, many projects that I had not seen or was even aware of, many of which were ruthlessly panned by critics. His son Zak explains, “Dad's happiness was correlated very much to how he was doing, career-wise... When there were films that would be less successful, he took it very personally. He took it as a personal attack.” With Robin's well-chronicled depression and anxiety, it almost seemed that being in the film industry was a recipe for disaster for him personally. Who can take the litany of critical attacks over years between the career highs that would save his career? It must have been very difficult.

Ultimately, this book reminded me why I loved Robin Williams so much. The wonderful films are all here: Good Morning Vietnam, The Fisher King, Dead Poets Society, Good Will Hunting, and so much more. Robin had enough high points to sustain an army of entertainers. He was a singular comedian and actor. Great book about a great man.