num_pages: 544
description: From New York Times culture reporter Dave Itzkoff the definitive biography of Robin Williams  a compelling portrait of one of Americas most beloved and misunderstood entertainers.From his rapid-fire stand-up comedy riffs to his breakout role in Mork &amp; 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 Williamss 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.Itzkoff also 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.
language: English
title: Robin
publisher: Henry Holt and Co.