Robin
By: Dave Itzkoff
Edition: Large print edition.
Series: Thorndike Press large print biographies and memoirs; Thorndike Press large print biographies and memoirs
Published: 2018
Language: eng
Number of pages: 909
ISBN-13: 9781432853679
Copyright date: 2018
Subjects: Large type books; Actors; Comedians; Biography
Description: "From New York Times culture reporter Dave Itzkoff, the definitive biography of Robin Williams - a compelling portrait of one of America's most beloved and misunderstood entertainers. From his rapidfire 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. 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. "--

From his rapid-fire stand-up comedy riffs to his breakout role in Mork & Mindy and his performance in Good Will Hunting, Robin Williams was a singularly innovative actor and comedian. He often came across as a man possessed, but Itzkoff shows that Williams's comic brilliance masked a deep well of conflicting emotions and self-doubt. Williams struggled with addiction and depression, and with a debilitating condition at the end of his life that affected him in ways his fans never knew. -- adapted from publisher info
Notes: Includes bibliographical references (pages 759-900), filmography (pages 749-751).
Table of contents: title: Comet. Punky and Lord Posh ; The escape artist ; Legalized insanity ; My favorite Orkan ; The Robin Williams show ; Mork blows his cork ; Bungalow 3; title: Star. Mr. Happy ; Tough love ; Gooooooood morning ; O captain! ; Dreamlike parts, with phantasmagoric associations ; Father man ; Hot flashes; title: Supernova. The golden dude ; Fade to white ; Weapons of self-destruction ; The tiger in winter ; Gone ; Everything will be okay ; The big room; title: Robin Williams: Selected works and awards.