Remembering Robin Williams The Sad Clown

[00:00:00]ROBIN WILLIAMS. ARE YOU? THE MAN, THE LEGEND.

[00:00:03]>> How are you, boss? I am absolutely with somebody exciting. Look at this man, Robin Williams, the man of the night.

[00:00:10]>> You're famous for your energy. Yes, aren't you?

[00:00:13]>> [music] >> My energy that right now I'm just conserving for the brief moment, but I'll bring it out if you wish. Just like MTV run. Oh, jeez.

[00:00:19]We got a special budget. Do you have a light? This is incredible. You got one light.

[00:00:24]Robin Williams, the comic genius with an electric mind, with a range of talent that left us breathless.

[00:00:34]The one who amazed and kept us entertained until the very end, and whose sole purpose in life was to make people laugh.

[00:00:43]And then I said, "No, it's just rubber chicken, Mom." Uh no, I don't believe what you're doing now. You have to hold the microphone like it's something special.

[00:00:50]Bang me out of me.

[00:00:53]Living life to [music] the fullest, he went from one memorable film role to the other.

[00:00:59]But behind the upbeat, [music] frenzied facade of Robin Williams, was a sensitive and vulnerable man, deeply plagued by depression and haunted [music] by his demons. Now death, or the idea of you're mortal, or that voice going Who is that?

[00:01:16]I'm no, I'm not worried about growing old. [music] I kind of If you have now family like I do, it's kind of wonderful.

[00:01:22]Thanks for noticing. Especially if it's a comedy, you want to go, "Thanks for laughing." You know, it's kind of a good thing if you're doing a comedy that people go, "Stand-up tragedy doesn't sell so well."

[00:01:31]2000, Los Angeles. Hi, it's Robin Williams. Happy 2000, Los Angeles. Don't be afraid That time I really, you know, I wanted the whole drill.

[00:01:39]Few comedians [music] have ever been as beloved as Robin Williams.

[00:01:44]His story [music] is full of tragic moments. I have an extraordinary life. That's why sometimes people say, I mean, I got to go out and just try and help and help other people as much as you can in the midst of We look back at the journey and tragic [music] loss of a unique comic legend, and one of the greatest comedians [music] of all time.

[00:02:05]>> Oh, wow. Hello, how are you? Very good.

[00:02:07]I mean, how happy are you right now?

[00:02:09]>> I'm really happy. This is fantastic.

[00:02:12]Much better now that you're here.

[00:02:16]>> [music] >> I don't think what he think it is about Robin Williams that makes people laugh.

[00:02:32]I think he's just one of the funniest men in the world and great actor and a great guy. Oh, it's magic.

[00:02:37]It's incredible. It's the steady cam.

[00:02:39]No, we're on a fault line. Yes, I I'm a very sincere gentleman. Come in, please.

[00:02:46]Hi, I like the back of your room. My name is Bill Gates.

[00:02:58]California, 1978.

[00:03:05]It was the hugely successful show Mork & Mindy that first aired in September of that year that first made Robin Williams a household name in comedy.

[00:03:16]He played alongside Pam Dawber, and the show ran for four seasons until 1982.

[00:03:23]The hit sitcom made him so popular that he realized that he was meant for greater success.

[00:03:28]>> He wasn't ready.

[00:03:30]He wasn't that well known in this country then, but I was a huge fan of Mork & Mindy, which I think they used to put on on a Saturday morning cuz they thought it was a kids show, but it was it was very sexy and very funny show, and clearly Robin was, you [music] know, contributing a great deal to the script. At 27 years old, Robin entered the world of entertainment and quickly became the funny man everyone fell in love with.

[00:03:56]By this time, he was living the Hollywood fast life. Everybody loved him. He was partying hard.

[00:04:06]He had [music] always been open about his drug use in his early career. It was no secret [music] that he had always had a penchant for excess.

[00:04:13]>> Here's a new body coming back again as someone else. Everyone's coming back and saying, "Hey, I was a princess in the afterlife." No way, you're coming back as an accountant. Get ready. Here at Bob Simmons New and Used Coma.

[00:04:23]Drugs were a place for him to hide from a world he was afraid of.

[00:04:28]Robin was always upbeat, and cocaine slowed him down.

[00:04:33]You used to have a reputation as being a hard man of drugs and and booze.

[00:04:36]>> Oh, yes, sir. It was all of the above and more.

[00:04:40]What happened? I mean Oh god, I don't remember. The drugs were that good.

[00:04:46]But in January 1982, years of alcohol and drug use led to the death of his dear friend John Belushi at only 33 years old.

[00:05:00]Robin was with him the night that he fatally overdosed.

[00:05:04]After finding [music] out, he swore in a soft, solemn voice to his trusted friend and co-star Pam Dawber that this was never going to happen to him.

[00:05:18]Belushi's [music] death hit Robin hard.

[00:05:20]That fate haunted him.

[00:05:23]It was a wake-up call.

[00:05:25]He realized that he was to avoid the same destiny, he would need a drastic change of lifestyle.

[00:05:31]So he decided [music] to slow down.

[00:05:40]Within a year, he was clean and sober and father to a son.

[00:05:44]It seemed that he was finally happy.

[00:05:47]However, Robin Williams would fight a lifelong battle against addiction and depression.

[00:05:52]He had demons that haunted him since his early [music] days.

[00:05:57]Before becoming the star of Mork & Mindy, Robin struggled.

[00:06:02]Reddish. Ooh, it's all right.

[00:06:05]Reddish. Yes, it's all the cake.

[00:06:07]Robin. Young man, thank you. Robin.

[00:06:10]Please. Hello. Where is my microphone?

[00:06:13]You know where the microphone is.

[00:06:14]Surely.

[00:06:17]>> [laughter] >> Is that okay with you?

[00:06:20]Hey, Robin.

[00:06:24]Robin McLaurin Williams was born in Chicago, Illinois on July 21st, 1951.

[00:06:30]His father worked as a senior executive, while his mother had been a former model.

[00:06:36]He had two elder half-brothers, but grew up as an only child.

[00:06:40]You know, it was it was tough being an only child cuz you'd go over to kids houses and they had brothers who'd beat the [ __ ] out of them, and you were going, "God, I wish that'd be fun." You went, "In your dreams." But my my father was this very kind of very dry, very elegant man.

[00:06:55]And the amazing thing is that, you know, over the years he kind of transformed into a person. You know.

[00:07:00]I would love him when some nights I'd be when I especially when I was in high school, and he'd be playing cribbage with my mother. He'd have, you know, the uh >> [sighs] >> the little cocktail there, yeah. And little doors, maybe. I don't know, maybe I think it was a gin and tonic. And then he'd be like, and then he'd have a couple of those, and he'd go, "Can I get You want another car?" And I'd go, "I'm okay, but I was I was waiting for those times after the third one I'd go, "Yeah, maybe I do."

[00:07:21]He's when he got really happy.

[00:07:23]But, you know, he I I really do appreciate him.

[00:07:26]>> [music] >> You know, he My mother gave me a kind of a wild, kind of a very kind of a performing sense, and he gave me this kind of a drier kind of, you know, the acting sense of, you know, that I I mean, I can only say it as a kind of an ethical kind of a drive. That's him.

[00:07:41]It's nice to have both of them.

[00:07:43]That's what you pick [music] up from them, you know.

[00:07:45]For the young Robin, showbiz seemed like an unlikely career path.

[00:07:50]The family [music] moved to Michigan when he was a young kid, and there he joined the Detroit Country Day School.

[00:07:57]He was an excellent student at first and also [music] played sports.

[00:08:01]Yet, he was bullied much of the time.

[00:08:04]Although it might have toughened [music] him up, it also made him pull back.

[00:08:08]It was only through comedy that he found a way to use his pain [music] as fuel for laughter.

[00:08:14]As a quiet, introvert child, Robin spent much of his time alone playing with his toys.

[00:08:20]>> I think I was kind of quiet, yeah. This This I don't know if you're talking about size or just boxed in, but more like Yeah, that. But I think a little contained.

[00:08:29]Yeah, but I don't think a lot of people would assume that you, Robin Williams, you had to have been the class clown.

[00:08:33]>> Oh, not at all. Class accountant. It was good, though. You know, a lot of people have imaginary playmates. I had imaginary agent, which was like, "You'll get me work?"

[00:08:43]Thank you.

[00:08:44]This is Simon. He's calling ahead for me.

[00:08:47]And it was interesting cuz I was an only child, so it was just me and the puppet.

[00:08:51]Since both his parents worked, he was partially raised by the family's maid, who was his main companion.

[00:08:58]The family moved around a lot, and Robin attended six different schools in only eight years.

[00:09:04]He spent a good part of his childhood by himself, and entertained himself with his own imagination.

[00:09:12]His mother would later admit that she never realized how lonely her son had been. But humor quickly became Robin's defense mechanism, [music] and his way to cope with that loneliness.

[00:09:22]And he saw his mother as an important source of inspiration.

[00:09:27]He always tried to make her laugh to gain attention. [music] The comic David Steinberg, who met Williams nearly 40 years ago, declared, "There's a kind of loneliness to all comedians, because you have to be in your own mind all the time.

[00:09:42]But there was just a certain sort of solitude in him that I didn't see in a lot of people."

[00:09:51]When his father retired and Robin turned 16, [music] they moved west to San Francisco, Tiburon.

[00:09:58]Robin [music] finally started to fit in for the first time in his life.

[00:10:02]The '60s counterculture era helped him come out of his shell, and he experienced his life in a new way.

[00:10:09]As a teenager, he attended the all-men Redwood High School, and it wasn't until he tried an acting class that he overcame his shyness while discovering the joys of improvisation. [music] He discovered that he could make people laugh.

[00:10:28]From this time and for the rest of his life, being Robin wouldn't be enough anymore. He would have to be funny Robin.

[00:10:36]I have a student very, you know, um I was a summa [ __ ] laude member [music] of that honor society as in high school.

[00:10:43]I blew it in college, but I certainly had a good one in high school.

[00:10:47]Yeah, I was very intense.

[00:10:50]He was a popular student in school, always telling jokes.

[00:10:54]At the time of his graduation in 1969, he was voted most likely not to succeed and funniest by his classmates.

[00:11:04]After graduating from high school, he planned to study political science in college, but he caught the acting bug instead >> [music] >> and decided to pursue acting full-time.

[00:11:14]When I flunked out of political science, I discovered that real quick. I took all these improvisational classes and started messing up my, you know, I couldn't lie, you know, lie [music] on my final exam and go, "Hitler, a very aggressive man." It's not good. That doesn't really describe World War II or German tendencies.

[00:11:31]Um I I started getting into it basically in college, performing. [music] That was the first time I And I guess I've been kind of closet funny before, you know.

[00:11:38]What is that? What are you doing in the sand? It's just rubber chicken, Mom.

[00:11:42]>> [music] >> But, uh I really kicked it out in college, first year of college.

[00:11:47]In 1973, he won a full scholarship [music] to attend the esteemed Juilliard School in New York City alongside classmates [music] like Christopher Reeve and William Hurt.

[00:11:58]Reeve would go on to become one of William's closest friends.

[00:12:02]Do you get sick of film? I mean, I know the rewards of film are great in in terms of No? No, I don't get sick >> such painstaking slow work, isn't it?

[00:12:09]Yeah, it's like being circumcised with a water pick. Yeah, it's very slow. And at the tip tonight. I mean, you get that idea of, you know, you you work your way through it and you get used to the the waiting is mostly in film, though. You know, you'll do you'll work for 5 minutes >> Yeah. and then boom, you work and then you're off for an hour 2 hours. And then you've got to still have something next for for the next 5 minutes. Boom, and then do it again.

[00:12:30]Yes, but you see, you you grew up in your whole training, your whole show business upbringing, your whole performing upbringing was fast, it was furious, it was out here, wasn't it on stage? You know what I mean? Well, there's someone who came up after I was like, "Mike Tyson, I'm going to go for your ear, [laughter] man. I'm going to go for your ear."

[00:12:44]Let's get ready to nibble. That was Yeah, I mean, it was like our stand-up comedy clubs, basically, and then but actually I was trained as an actor at Juilliard, so that was that wasn't this. This was very much this, and you know, the classical training based on like Rodan and English acting training.

[00:13:00]Yes.

[00:13:02]That the ability to annunciate for no reason and speak like that. And wear clothes so tight you can tell what religion I am.

[00:13:10]Yeah, when you have a two-drink minimum and people are basically saying you suck before you get on stage, you develop a real kind of quick delivery. I also used to work without a microphone because it forced people to kind of, you know, look at you and you know, really kind of I also worked out in the audience, too, because I was, you know, if you're going to die, might as well die among people.

[00:13:28]So, I had that kind of delivery, you know. I really tried to kick out and go that way.

[00:13:47]Let me back Well, I started again in San Francisco. I went to this club called Bimbo's and just started doing shows. Start off an hour, then it would go an hour and a half, then 2 hours, then it got to be too long, and then you just tightened it up and then took it around America, and that's what and Canada, too.

[00:14:01]And that got interesting, and that really kind of let me know what people were up for.

[00:14:05]In 1976, he moved back to San Francisco, a breeding ground for promising young comedians.

[00:14:12]There, he began to do stand-up, and he was [music] instantly great at it.

[00:14:16]The jokes were flowing out of his mouth, and people were wonderfully stunned.

[00:14:21]Because I couldn't find acting work, and that was great therapy.

[00:14:24]I needed some release, some um some performing release once again, and these clubs were great. There was a one wasn't in a the places I started performing were like these little coffee houses where they'd have like uh radical feminist poetry readings and comedy right after that.

[00:14:39]Now, there'd be five ladies who dressed like lumberjacks in the front going, "What are you going to talk about?"

[00:14:43]It was nice pressure and made you get a an interesting act right away.

[00:14:48]Then I played these uh coffee houses Not coffee houses, small bars with people quite drunk, so that's how I got that aggressive style. You had to get them quite before they had their fifth pitcher of beer.

[00:14:58]In 1977, he moved to Los Angeles after getting a spot at the Comedy Store.

[00:15:03]While he was performing at the comedy club that same year, he was spotted by the TV producer George Schlatter who asked him to appear on a revival of his Laugh-In TV show.

[00:15:16]Even though the show was not a success, it led to his talent getting recognized.

[00:15:24]One day, everything changed. [music] In 1978, he was cast for the role of Mork the alien in Happy Days.

[00:15:33]The character was so successful that it set off a spin-off.

[00:15:37]The American hit sitcom Mork [music] & Mindy was an instant sensation.

[00:15:41]Williams improvised much of the scripts, and this opportunity filled him with excitement for a while.

[00:15:48]>> [music] >> I got to see him a lot. And after a while, I mean, I was in the business as well that I analyzed what he was doing, and in fact he he wasn't improvising. And I don't I don't like improvisation. I just think that's, [music] you know, that's not the job, really. But what he had was a vast amount of material, and he had tricks like that Elmer Fudd, you know, voice and doing [music] or John Wayne doing Shakespeare or whatever. He had those tricks that he would he would pull out the bag, and that for me was more admirable because, you know, he wasn't it was the result of a massive amount of work and a a massive dedication to to the business of doing comedy. You can only be that slick if you [music] do it all the time.

[00:16:28]>> Famous for your energy. Yes. And you? My energy that right now I'm just conserving for the reformatory, but I'll bring it out if you wish. Yes. Well, let's go let's go and conserve your energy, please. All right.

[00:16:37]No, because even when you probably don't think you're being energetic yourself, you're being fantastically energetic.

[00:16:42]>> Really? Do you apply Yes, if I may say so. Of course it's ridiculous to say It's breath of fire. I'm doing the deep breathing and all that thing.

[00:16:50]While his career was taking off, Robin faced many personal [music] challenges.

[00:16:54]It was while working on Mork & Mindy that he developed a drug and alcohol problem.

[00:16:59]At the same [music] time, he also became involved in several tumultuous romantic relationships.

[00:17:05]In 1978, he got married to Valerie Velardi, with whom he had [music] a son, Zachary. And I have to ask, you're a dad, any advice for fathers out there?

[00:17:14]Fathers, brace yourself.

[00:17:16]Brace yourself on usual gifts. Try not to guess. Let them give you clues. Oh, it's a cup. No.

[00:17:22]It's a plate. No.

[00:17:24]You you find out It's a lamp. Oh, wow.

[00:17:26]Thank you. Did your father ever give you any advice that you ignored studiously?

[00:17:30]No, he gave me the best advice. I always said, "If you're going to be an actor, great, but also have a second career like welding."

[00:17:35]That was his greatest advice. Do you apply the [music] same energy to your private life as you do to your professional life? Or or to my very private life, yes. There is Yeah, that energy is a very important The tantric energy is very important. You must have that energy to fuel your power.

[00:17:48]But I have the same energy with my family and friends, yeah.

[00:17:50]>> must have energy to keep the family going, don't you? Yeah, very. That's always a part of it. Do you have trouble though putting the same energy into family that you put into [music] into your work? Yeah, it's hard after an 18-hour day to go, you know, "Daddy would love to play, but the robot is just Please, oh, we're going to put a movie on for you now."

[00:18:05]Whoops, that's a Clinton tape. Sorry.

[00:18:06]Yeah.

[00:18:07]>> [laughter] >> Let's be very careful. So, yeah, there is that time where you have to pick the right, you know, the moment.

[00:18:12]Their marriage ended 10 years [music] later due to his alcoholism and infidelity.

[00:18:17]The following year, in 1989, he married Marsha Garces, his son's nanny. They went on to have two children, Zelda [music] and Cody.

[00:18:27]His relationship with Marsha marked the end of an era of bad career choices [music] and self-destructive behavior.

[00:18:34]This marriage, too, however, didn't last long. I think I just stopped because number one, I was going to have a child, not me, but my first wife, and I thought I don't want to be, you know, cooped up going, "Hey, Daddy loves you.

[00:18:46]4:00 in the morning, want to play with Dad?"

[00:18:48]You know, and I wanted to, you know, be aware and conscious and to, you know, experience, you know, my child growing up, and I stopped.

[00:18:56]Didn't have to go to Betty Ford, didn't go to AA.

[00:18:59]You know, I went just did it cold turkey because I realized I didn't want to live like that anymore.

[00:19:05]And alcohol, I just wanted to, you know, I literally wanted to live a different way. I wanted to be more conscious, and the wonderful thing that replaced it was contact with friends and, you know, >> [music] >> family and it was really great.

[00:19:16]And I could be just as creative, and that was what the wonderful thing was.

[00:19:18]>> It's a difficult thing because sometimes I, you know, sometimes I can be like a poster for arrested development. I have this all these things of, you know, this desire to put what I do, a play and do all these different things, and then the idea of imposing discipline when what I'm known for is the exact opposite is very difficult, but I have to. You got to as a father, a real father.

[00:19:37]There was a time things got on top of you.

[00:19:40]Well, that was if you're lucky. Yes.

[00:19:42]Friday nights, but I mean, you know, and then sometimes you reverse. You fixed that up yourself, you Basically, I stopped The being on top of me Yeah. Uh, when I was [snorts] about to the birth [music] of my first son.

[00:19:55]I wanted to be there and I didn't want to miss it.

[00:19:58]There is so much to ask you really.

[00:20:00]You've got your kids here [music] with you? Yes. Not Not here right now, but they're >> here. They're not They're not on the arms next to you.

[00:20:04]>> No, they're not. No, they're they're [music] nearby.

[00:20:07]Are you a happy man or are you a sad man? Happy man. Yeah. Happy man. This is very happy man. I have [music] great friends and wonderful family and that is a gift, a miracle, you know.

[00:20:17]>> Yeah.

[00:20:21]Robin married [music] his third wife, the graphic designer Susan Schneider in 2011.

[00:20:27]They remained married.

[00:20:32]I'm No, I'm not worried about growing old. I kind of If you have now a family like I do, it's kind of wonderful.

[00:20:38]Cuz you get to see them grow up and you >> [music] >> Even if I do unless I get really like I like, "Come on, you and kids.

[00:20:46]You're going to watch my HBO [music] special.

[00:20:48]Don't make us do that. Come on."

[00:20:52]Robin went on to tour the country.

[00:20:55]In 1979, he gave a live comedy show at the Copacabana in New York, Reality, What a Concept, which won him a Grammy Award.

[00:21:05]But soon stand-up wasn't enough. He decided to give [music] acting another chance. He put Mork & Mindy behind him and focused on finding a movie role.

[00:21:15]His first efforts didn't hit.

[00:21:18]One of William's first starring roles was in Popeye in 1980.

[00:21:22]The film was a flop.

[00:21:24]But more roles soon followed.

[00:21:27]In 1984, he was chosen for the role of Vladimir Ivanoff in the comedy [music] drama Moscow on the Hudson, for which he was nominated for the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor.

[00:21:38]Then came a critical success. [music] In 1986, he performed his HBO special An Evening at the Met, where he talked about the reality of drinking alcohol.

[00:21:50]He went on to do five HBO stand-up specials. And you must pay your dues.

[00:21:55]This is why I had to give up alcohol cuz you have to pay the next day. Pay dear lord, please don't hurt me now. There you are lying in bed and you feel like a scene from the movie The Fly going, "Help Help me."

[00:22:10]The entire room is spinning like a roulette wheel. Place your bets. Place your bets.

[00:22:15]And there's the old toilet in the corner going, "Talk to me.

[00:22:19]Talk to me."

[00:22:22]His first major role came in 1987 with the war comedy film Good Morning, Vietnam, [music] in which he portrayed a radio DJ on Armed Forces Radio Service.

[00:22:33]The film was a hit and made over $120 million at the box office.

[00:22:40]This resulted in his first Oscar nomination for Best Actor >> [music] >> and re-energized his career.

[00:22:46]Now that he was critically acclaimed, Robin Williams was eager to take on more serious roles.

[00:22:53]His first dramatic role was in the 1989 Dead Poets Society, playing an inspirational teacher in a conservative academy.

[00:23:02]We don't read and write poetry because it's cute.

[00:23:06]We read and write poetry because we are members of the human race and the human race is filled with passion.

[00:23:15]And medicine, law, business, engineering, these are noble pursuits and necessary to sustain life.

[00:23:21]But poetry, beauty, romance, love, these are what we stay alive for.

[00:23:29]The movie was a huge success and once again, he received an Academy Award nomination for his performance. Although he didn't win the Oscar.

[00:23:38]>> Stop watching an MC as your dream inside a jar of truth and reality.

[00:23:44]He hired us, Williams, Williams and Schmundel.

[00:23:47]>> [laughter] >> The Jewish captain. In 1991, [music] he acted in The Fisher King and received another Academy Award nomination. Give me your impression of the evening and of the Golden Globes.

[00:23:59]Um, starting with the chicken, working up from the pollo to uh we go to the next course. You get up to a a salad and a salad and then the pollo.

[00:24:10]From there you go to a dessert which is usually some sort of cake which for me I'm hypoglycemic is Reagan in Japan.

[00:24:16]And then um we go from that to the awards which sometimes can go short and sometimes can go long. Do not operate heavy machinery and watch the whole show.

[00:24:25]So that's it. It can be fun though when you see friends win and if you win, wow, it's great.

[00:24:33]Williams [music] is perhaps most renowned for his voice-over work as the lovable Genie in the Walt Disney animated classic Aladdin, [music] for which he won a Golden Globe Special Achievement Award. Deemable for one free Oh, sorry.

[00:24:47]It's a um says for his wit and wisdom >> his humor, his heart, most of all for his way of giving irresistible, frequently hilarious life to characters he plays.

[00:24:56]Disney's Aladdin down here, little tiny Golden Globe. That's the size of the one I get.

[00:25:01]>> [laughter] >> I forgot to thank on stage the animators which I was obviously this is a surprise so I didn't have the normal list of people, but Eric Goldberg and all the 50 people who drew it, who spent the seven, eight months doing it, they're the people who get this.

[00:25:16]I don't know what to do with this.

[00:25:18]It's not framed. It's It's >> [laughter] >> It's got a big hole in it. You can space to rent, you know.

[00:25:25]I don't I It's kind of a strange award to get. It's wonderful, but it's like I I kind of like It's the What Me Worry award.

[00:25:33]The star had frenetic energy and an unbelievably quick wit.

[00:25:38]The more roles [music] he took on, the more he showcased his stellar comedic talents as well as his ability to take on serious work.

[00:25:46]But he was still looking for the perfect scripted role.

[00:25:52]Perhaps one of his most memorable comedy films was Mrs. Doubtfire in 1993, in which he pretended to be a woman to see his children.

[00:26:07]Hello.

[00:26:08]I'm Euphegenia Doubtfire, dear.

[00:26:15]Bon appetit.

[00:26:19]It's homework time.

[00:26:22]You can't imagine what it was like being married to Daniel. He sounds like an absolute stallion.

[00:26:27]Daddy.

[00:26:31]Isn't the real reason you took this role because you like wearing those clothes just a little bit? Yes, it is. I'd like to talk about it here before I go on Geraldo.

[00:26:42]This week, men in foam.

[00:26:44]I I enjoyed it. I'm not going to lie to you. Putting on that beanbag body suit and with three-inch heels, I felt more like myself than ever before.

[00:26:55]This proved to be his most beloved character.

[00:26:59]Robin Williams was awarded the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor and People's Choice [music] Awards for Favorite Comedic Movie and Actor.

[00:27:07]Shooting in San Francisco was wonderful cuz it was home. I got to be there and shoot in neighborhoods we know and streets and use people we know. I mean, and San Francisco is an amazing place.

[00:27:18]And if another tremor come north, I'm with it, which is wonderful.

[00:27:25]Oh dear, she'd go, "This is possibly wonderful, but yet phallic.

[00:27:30]>> [laughter] >> A wonderful evening.

[00:27:34]Now that Winston is gone, poor dear man.

[00:27:37]But you know, it's it's a very beautiful piece really.

[00:27:40]Kind of a Mother Teresa thing, you know.

[00:27:43]I don't know. It's lovely.

[00:27:45]And I thank you all and I've got to go.

[00:27:47]I've got buns in the oven."

[00:27:50]When you're on the set, how much of the lines would you say are pre-scripted and versus the ones Many of the lines are improvised.

[00:27:58]It just seems to happen like what we're talking now.

[00:28:02]And sometimes I'll try a scripted version just like a base track and then go off from there.

[00:28:06]And usually kind of get bluer and bluer.

[00:28:09]Much like tonight.

[00:28:11]Where the guy went, "What does that mean?" What's your next project? I'm playing the soft No, uh what am I doing?

[00:28:16]I don't know yet. I've just been home for a year so it's been nice. Great feedback on Mrs. Doubtfire. Great feedback.

[00:28:23]A lot of transvestite feedback. It's been fabulous.

[00:28:26]A lot of children, yeah. What about the impact on children? Oh, the Oran impact again. Um Back on impact and instinct.

[00:28:34]What? Sorry, we have 12. I have 67 67 11 out. 229 Michael 229.

[00:28:42]In 1997, [music] came the revelation.

[00:28:45]He got the opportunity to star in Good Will Hunting, in which he plays [music] the role of Sean Maguire, a therapist who counsels a troubled, yet hugely talented young man >> [music] >> played by Matt Damon.

[00:28:58]Some people can never believe in themselves. I can't learn anything from you unless you want to talk about you.

[00:29:04]Until someone believes in them.

[00:29:08]>> [music] >> You can do anything you want. You are bound by nothing. And you're sitting on a winning lottery ticket. I'd do anything to have what you got.

[00:29:15]And some never know how [music] much they can have. I love you. Until they discover how much they can give.

[00:29:23]>> [music] >> Academy Award winner Robin Williams.

[00:29:27]His emotional performance deeply [music] moved audiences and earned him his first Oscar, the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor. Robin Williams. ARE YOU THE MAN, THE LEGEND. How are you, boss? I am absolutely with somebody exciting. Look at this man, Robin Williams, bean man of the night. Look at this.

[00:29:47]Congratulations.

[00:29:48]>> Thank you. If you had to pick, is this the nomination you would have given yourself the Oscar for? Oh, yes.

[00:29:56]Oh, yes. This one, yes.

[00:29:58]>> [laughter] >> The other ones were just foreplay.

[00:30:01]This is wild night. It's insane.

[00:30:04]I'm still like this. I was in there taking photos. I was like, "Hey, nice to be here."

[00:30:08]Uh I have to change pants, but you'll understand that later.

[00:30:11]Oh, no, it is it's extraordinary. I'm very proud.

[00:30:14]I feel proud the boys are out there, too. I feel like I left the boys behind.

[00:30:17]Are they all right? Is Matt and Ben okay? 229 But I'm very proud. Yeah, I I'm very This is an extraordinary piece and thank you. 229 >> 229, your car is here.

[00:30:30]Hello. Good evening.

[00:30:31]>> Basically, it was to find the very painful aspects of a character who had lost his wife, who had basically shut down for a couple of years, and by working with this boy, he's been able to come out of himself. It's a And it's beyond the therapeutic relationship in the first You know, once you throttle someone, that's not usual therapy, unless it's in the WWF.

[00:30:49]But it's you know, it's to find that painful part, to find the barriers, the defenses, all of those things that he is just as defended as the boy.

[00:30:56]And that's what made it hard, but wonderful. The words were there. I read it. The first time I read it, I wanted to do it. That speech by the pond, that's why I wanted to do it. 88 >> Oh, it's extraordinary. It's like I mean, it's the golden dude.

[00:31:10]Yeah.

[00:31:11]>> [laughter] >> Uh I mean, I holding it I've I've imagined I've been here three times before in Boston. It's always I had the You asked about my odds before.

[00:31:18]Basically, my odds before were about the same as the Jamaican bobsled team winning.

[00:31:22]And then tonight, it was just It was kind of interesting cuz I didn't think I had a chance, but when they said it, it was truly shock. And it's a great honor.

[00:31:29]I mean, the SAG one, it was a great honor. This is a great honor. It's extraordinary. You don't know. It's like I'm sailing. It's much cheaper than Prozac.

[00:31:37]>> [laughter] >> 119 Yes, we have a plane coming over. We have to go. 119, you've won.

[00:31:43]It was a crapshoot, really. I mean, I thought I had a 50/50 shot. For the first time, I even had a chance.

[00:31:48]Most of the time, I had about as much chance as Gary Coleman joining the NBA.

[00:31:52]So, you know, or Mike Tyson, you know, they having the whole buffet. But you know, I think it was it was very interesting cuz the day of the Oscars, it was kind of a very It was a weird kind of tranquility of going, "I've actually have a chance."

[00:32:06]So, maybe that allowed you to be genuinely shocked cuz I also part of you is also going, "Ah, it's a sucker punch.

[00:32:12]You're going to get nailed again.

[00:32:13]They're going to open the envelope. And the winner is somebody else." Neenie neenie. And it was like, "Oh." And but part of you was, you know, still thinking, "Oh, it's possibility." So, when they announced it, Marsha had to literally kind of poke me. I went, "Oh, it's real." That thing that you kind of visualize. There have been dreams, you know, of that, and then you're there.

[00:32:29]And then the kind of the horrific thing is when they hand it to you and you go, "Hala hala hala hala la."

[00:32:34]That moment where you don't know what you do. It really strikes you. I've for And I wasn't no lie, was genuinely struck. I didn't know what to say. And then you realize there's a billion people. Find something.

[00:32:44]>> [music] >> And don't grab yourself.

[00:32:49]After the success of Goodwill Hunting, he acted in Patch [music] Adams in 1998, which received unfavorable critics, but was a box office hit.

[00:33:00]It's Robin Williams. Happy 2000, Los Angeles. Don't be afraid of the word Oh.

[00:33:09]I I mean, doot you.

[00:33:12]Guys, my my name Guys, What do you Thank you, Robin.

[00:33:29]His career continued, and he went on to perform in smaller films such as Bicentennial Man. No, I'm just looking for anything interesting, things that kind of change perception. I'm looking for obviously darker roles cuz everyone thinks that warm and cuddly. There was something today in the paper said a cuddle fest with Robin Williams. Oh, a cuddle fest. That's like What's that?

[00:33:48]With a bunch of squids? Cuddle.

[00:33:51]But you just try and find interesting characters, you know, that really either use the technology or something really simple. So, you'd like to play a villain. Maybe that's your next role, a killer or something. A killer? Yeah.

[00:34:01]Yeah. I could very easily.

[00:34:04]Don't be afraid of me. Yeah. You got almost sent your eyes when Yeah. You're real pretty. Yeah.

[00:34:09]>> [laughter] >> I almost sent She's like, "Don't do that now." Yeah, it's all right. I'm okay now. But is that exactly the sort of thing you'd like to Yeah, it'd be interesting. It's just once again to show the darker side, too. We all have it.

[00:34:21]One of his darkest roles came in 2002 in One Hour Photo, where he played a creepy and lonely photographer.

[00:34:30]In 2005, he voiced Fender, a robot who was constantly falling apart.

[00:34:35]The film? Just a a skid robot, a guy who's just barely trying to hold it together, living hand to foot, trying to make ends meet, literally. And what kind of voice do you do?

[00:34:45]So, it's pretty much me being 53, falling apart myself, so it works easy.

[00:34:49]And why do you think it's Thank you, guys, very much.

[00:34:52]>> [applause] >> One is not just During you came from a background as a comedian, and now you're being validated as an actor. Right.

[00:35:00]Yeah. A lot of times, you know, it's strange because people talk about Oscar and the Academy, you know, with the comics. Maybe now people say, "What's next?" I said, "Maybe now I should go out and I'll just try I'll concentrate on comedy for the next 10 years."

[00:35:12]But I It's always strange when when you're a comic, sometimes you feel kind of like the slightly damaged person.

[00:35:16]Like they go, "Oh, you're a comedian.

[00:35:17]This way, park over here."

[00:35:29]There's a We have one down. That thing of when you're really old, they bring you out. "Thank you for this award.

[00:35:36]Where the hell were you?"

[00:35:38]Yeah, oh, you understand me.

[00:35:41]No, it's sorry.

[00:35:44]Okay.

[00:35:50]Williams had managed to quit alcohol and cocaine in the early 1980s.

[00:35:55]He remained sober for a long time until he relapsed in 2003 on location in Alaska.

[00:36:01]He was [music] feeling more and more isolated.

[00:36:05]For the next 3 years, he denied the problem, but in the summer of 2006, he suffered a drug relapse, and after a family intervention, he checked himself [music] into a rehab facility.

[00:36:17]He quickly rebounded, and in 2007, he starred as a reverend in the comedy License [music] to Wed.

[00:36:24]But his addiction led to the breakdown of his second marriage.

[00:36:28]In 2010, [music] they divorced, citing irreconcilable differences.

[00:36:34]His second wife left [music] a depressed Robin, who did what he always did when life got too tough.

[00:36:41]He threw himself [music] into his work.

[00:36:44]In 2006, he was the voice of Lovelace the penguin in Happy Feet Two.

[00:36:49]In September 2008, [music] Williams started touring for his stand-up comedy show Weapons of Self-Destruction.

[00:36:57]The comedian poured his energy into sold-out shows, but health problems would derail him in March of 2009.

[00:37:05]In the midst of his stand-up, fast-paced [music] tour, he began experiencing shortness of breath.

[00:37:11]Complications led him to be flown to a Cleveland Clinic, where he ended up undergoing heart surgery and to cancel performances.

[00:37:20]At the same time, Williams faced another crisis.

[00:37:23]His career became shaky.

[00:37:26]In 2009, [music] he acted in the black comedy film World's Greatest Dad as Lance, a grotesque [music] high school teacher.

[00:37:34]The film didn't connect with audiences.

[00:37:37]In 2010, there were no films released at all.

[00:37:42]When you go to Los Angeles, it seems such a beautiful place. It's such a charming, friendly, gracious place, much of it. And yet it's described as one of the most treacherous cities in the world. I mean, do you >> Ah, sir. Um is it It can be interesting, you know. Yeah. A place where even people put their children on hold. Yeah.

[00:37:56]>> It's how vicious it is. Yeah. Hold on, I'm getting a fax. One second.

[00:38:00]>> [laughter] >> Um that's that whole thing of Yeah, it's in it. But I The place that's even more vicious is Washington, you know, that's makes Hollywood look like a daycare center. Has Hollywood been kind to you?

[00:38:11]You've had your ups and downs.

[00:38:12]>> I've had my ups and downs, so that's But Hollywood's been nice, but that's why I live in San Francisco, so I don't have to worry about it. So, it's like living in Switzerland if there's ever an atomic war, so you can go, "What was that noise?" You know, comedy and the Academy, I don't know why it is sometimes. Maybe it's because we're unusual people that we scare you.

[00:38:27]Thank you.

[00:38:27]>> What's he going to He's going to touch himself. I didn't, I swear. Thank you very much.

[00:38:33]Grazie, signora. Oh, it is good to be a here as an international star. Very. I love this place. I give you like a big kiss. Roberto Benigni. Bravo.

[00:38:46]I have an extraordinary life. And that's why sometimes people say, "I mean, I got to go out and just try and help and help other people as much as you can." And that's the thing. You mentioned that you have you have done so much for people comedy-wise and in your charity. What's waiting for you in heaven?

[00:39:00]In the afterlife? I hope my father. I hope he's proud. I hope he saw I hope some cable network works in heaven. The 24-hour The Vatican Rome Shopping Network.

[00:39:10]Hello. We now have the t-shirt of Torin.

[00:39:13]Look, the eyes Back in 1996, Robin, Whoopi [music] Goldberg, and Billy Crystal founded Comic Relief, a charity that helped the homeless.

[00:39:24]As of 2016, [music] they had raised $80 million. created the Windfall Foundation to help donate money to various causes, including St. Jude Children's Research Hospital.

[00:39:40]The comedian is like a lone wolf of the entertainment tundra. You know, there are people who want everything for themselves, all the attention. And what that comes from is a is a a dire need to to to control and to to make people laugh and to be loved. You could see that tremendous drive in Robin that he he had to perform, you know, and that that's what made him great, you know, that the that dire need is what is what made him fantastic, that that dedication. But it obviously it you know, you pay a price for that, you know. No normal person would put up with the rejection, you know. If an audience if you die in front of an audience, you know, that's the language the comedians use, then it's you know, you can't blame the set or the other actors.

[00:40:22]It's you they hate. And you know, you're always teetering on that knife edge really, you know, of rejection.

[00:40:35]It helps to you know, be wild and then come down because the wild kind of energizes you and then what you have is residual energy combined with a kind of a mind going, "What's next?" You got a lot going on and that helps rather than being, "I'm in my character now."

[00:40:50]You know, that can be kind of a little dangerous. How else do you beat those winter blues?

[00:40:55]At home I ride a bike. That's my favorite thing to do and and listen to great music. And I have great My wife is amazing. I just look at her and all of a sudden I'm I'm happy. It's amazing.

[00:41:06]In 2014, Robin's last appearance [music] on the big screen was in Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb, the third film in the family comedy franchise.

[00:41:17]The project was his first big [music] budget feature in some time, but it was clear to them that whatever had been afflicting him was getting worse.

[00:41:25]He was was so kind [music] and generous and he's like, "Can you talk to me?" And I'm like, "Oh my god, yes." Robin Williams.

[00:41:33]Uh and [music] yeah, and we just talked about comedy and it was just I could I feel very blessed to have had that you know, bit of time with him.

[00:41:43]>> Okay, I'm still alive.

[00:41:45]A lifetime achievement, good. I I'm I'm still continent. I didn't have to put on the special pants.

[00:41:51]And it's nice to be here and among people that I admire, which is kind of cool.

[00:41:55]WE LOVE ROBIN WILLIAMS.

[00:41:57]>> [screaming] >> ARE YOU KIDDING? SEE, IT'S A GOOD NIGHT.

[00:42:00]ALREADY WE made friends.

[00:42:02]>> Yes. And we ain't cowboys. That's totally crazy.

[00:42:05]Uh Williams was begged to slow things down, but it was his own desire to keep working through the pain as he had always done.

[00:42:14]>> I got to hang home for a while.

[00:42:15]Be good. Just ride bikes.

[00:42:17]Go long. Be nice. I mean, besides the promotion for the films that I've already made, I'll do that, but then I'll just hang at home.

[00:42:25]Williams had always been a workaholic and even when life got tough, he couldn't stop working. By the time he reached Vancouver to film the rest of his scenes, Robin had lost even more weight.

[00:42:37]Even his memory became affected and he was having difficulty remembering his lines.

[00:42:44]For more than 35 years, he made people laugh and cry. But when everything came to an end, the human being behind the entertainer couldn't confront the reality.

[00:42:57]One night, Williams said goodbye to the crowd one last time.

[00:43:03]My father was a very elegant man and uh he he seriously said that to me when I said I wanted to be an actor, he said, "Find have a backup profession like welding."

[00:43:13]And I went to my first welding class and the teacher had one eye and I went, "I have to go."

[00:43:18]But he was very supportive and you know, he understood he he had a dream. I don't know what it was when he was a boy that he had to give up and work like crazy to support his family. So when he saw that I found something I loved, he really helped me and he's he stood by it and it was really wonderful and I miss him and that's why this is really great for him. The last question will be 259. There'll be no other questions after that for the rest of the evening.

[00:43:41]I Did I feel lonely? Yeah, I mean, it's cuz you look around there was nobody else. Yeah, there is a thing when you get to be 47 and the doctor's doing the old "What are you doing?"

[00:43:51]You know what a difference between a $40 exam and $80 prostate exam? $40 exam, $80.

[00:43:59]>> [laughter] >> That's not necessary.

[00:44:04]"What are you doing?" "Is that for Is that Is that for the prostate?" "No, that's for me."

[00:44:09]Um yeah, you start to have a certain sense of your own mortality you know, that you know, death or the idea of you're mortal or that voice going, Insanity returns, you know.

[00:44:21]I couldn't I have to leave bring these flowers. I just feel I don't know how What can I say? I'm speechless. He real down-to-earth man, just Who is that?

[00:44:32]What is that? Who is that?

[00:44:34]He was a very gifted man. He entertained many of us for a number of years and he was such a talent that it was really sad to hear that he decided to um end it today. So he will be missed and we're very grateful that he blessed us with so many good um memories. Then as you get older and older and older that I mean, when I talk to >> [music] >> friends who you know, it's when people get in their 80s and in their 90s that they're they're actually like they're saying, "No, let me go." Or they sometimes they say, you know, that's why Kevorkian's business is doing not bad, you know, it's He'll be missed.

[00:45:09]He was a true legend. Hello. Hello. How are you today? Very good. I'm happy are you right now?

[00:45:15]>> I'm really happy.

[00:45:16]>> [laughter] >> Much better now that you are here.

[00:45:19]My feeling about going with your gut instinct?

[00:45:22]It's not a bad thing to follow your instinct.

[00:45:25]My instinct right now is to run, but I'm fighting that.

[00:45:33]On August 11th, 2014, the world received some news that left his friends, family, and millions of fans devastated.

[00:45:42]Robin Williams took his own life in his California home.

[00:45:49]His personal assistant discovered him unconscious, but it was too late.

[00:45:56]His publicist [music] released this statement. Robin Williams passed away this morning.

[00:46:01]>> [music] >> He has been battling severe depression of late.

[00:46:04]This is a tragic and sudden loss.

[00:46:08]The final report released in November 2014 revealed no alcohol or illegal drugs had been found in his system. [music] Schneider disclosed that her late husband had been diagnosed with Parkinson's disease [music] back in May 2014, which he had not revealed publicly. A prognosis that carried its own heavy [music] burden.

[00:46:31]She also confirmed that the actor was battling depression and anxiety, but that he had maintained [music] his sobriety.

[00:46:38]Just breaks my heart to have him be hurting inside and we never knew.

[00:46:44]Someone so happy and and making us laugh was sad on inside.

[00:46:49]In November 2014, [music] it was revealed that prior to his death, Williams was also suffering from [music] Lewy body dementia, a form of dementia that exacerbated his depression.

[00:47:01]However, the [music] doctor had misdiagnosed him and he never knew.

[00:47:05]Although he was aware of himself losing his mind.

[00:47:09]Long time ago, I was in Oscar green room. I standing there >> [music] >> because my English not very good. I was very shy and I'm hiding. I afraid to talk people. I'm afraid. Then suddenly there's a guy in front of me. I Wow, Robin William. Jackie Chan, big fan. You know how how much I love you? Then he just keep talking. I try to say something back, but I can't because she's so fast.

[00:47:35]Okay, you stay, okay? I'm go. Oh, you good. You're the man. Then he gone.

[00:47:39]Then I look at him. I just I I call my manager. You know, we Robin [clears throat] William talking him. Can I ask him a photo for autograph? Then he call him. He send me a photo. But this day today I just shock. Even I don't really know him, seems I lost best friend.

[00:47:56]Robin received an outpouring of affection and admiration from the millions of people whose lives he touched.

[00:48:04]His greatest legacy besides his three children is the joy and happiness he offered to others, particularly to those fighting personal battles. Well, it's hard to not be inspired by someone with such an articulate way of expressing himself and such a great imagination, but he was wonderful on the set. I mean, very playful, like a schoolyard in a good way. There wasn't anything that wasn't joyous about him on stage and I think in film as well, he brought a lot of joy to a lot of people.

[00:48:32]>> And there was this amazing thirst [music] on his part to perform, to constantly entertain, to make people laugh. How do you explain that?

[00:48:41]Well, I think a lot of performers feel a constant >> [music] >> uh need to entertain. I'm at the Edinburgh Fringe right now, surrounded by thousands of them and I think also for him, it was a way of perhaps, I don't know, becoming closer with the people around him. [music] And um whilst off stage in the green room around other comics, he was completely fresh and open >> [music] >> about what he knew and what he was willing to share.

[00:49:04]I I was really in admiration of him for a very long time. I still am.

[00:49:19]Within hours of the [music] stunning tragic news of his passing, thousands of fans posted images of themselves standing on their desks with a caption, "O Captain, my Captain" in [music] reference to Robin's character in Dead Poets Society.

[00:49:34]It was a fitting tribute.

[00:49:36]Your favorite role would that be grown up in [music] Good Morning, Vietnam? No, actually it'd be the teacher in Dead Poets Society. Okay.

[00:49:44]>> [music] >> Mr. Keating. Oh, captain.

[00:49:50]My captain.

[00:49:55]Seize the day, boys.

[00:50:00]Make your lives extraordinary.

[00:50:10]In July 2015, [music] his final film Boulevard hit theaters.

[00:50:15]The film closed [music] out a 38-year career that encompassed in total 74 films.

[00:50:22]>> [snorts] >> When you first see him on screen here, it sort of hits you.

[00:50:24]>> [music] >> And then for the first time there Yeah.

[00:50:26]it's you know, obviously incredibly sad you won't be seeing him again in new film.

[00:50:30]>> But is that the the beauty of your industry, the fact that [music] he can leave such a legacy in in 10, 15 years time people can go watch this film and Yeah. it's a fitting way for him to to go out.

[00:50:40]>> Well, he's he made so many [music] great movies and and so many incredible performances and live performances and you know, what he did on Comic Relief and just you know, there he just left an incredible [music] amount of work behind and um so you know, that that's going to live on forever for sure.

[00:51:01]He was set to appear on the screen several more times in the near future.

[00:51:04]Such as the comedy A Merry Friggin' Christmas.

[00:51:08]His managers were awaiting a script for sequel to Mrs. Doubtfire. But they never got the chance to make those projects come to life. His last film Night at [music] the Museum premiered in December 2014.

[00:51:21]I always find it a strange and poignant to see actors on [music] screen either years after they've died or weeks after they've died.

[00:51:33]Uh there's something about an after an echo that a film actor is able to leave [music] behind that no other craft does leave behind. It's quite extraordinary.

[00:51:44]You know, he's he's made such an incredible range [music] of of films as well and made audiences, you know, cry as much as laugh and um and I think he does both in this film in an extraordinary way. Um you know, it's quite a sad film anyway, you know, it's sort of the end of a trilogy and and bidding farewell [music] to some, you know, much loved characters and you know, the theme of moving on and growing up and [music] um you know, it does have a eerie poignancy now and Robin, I mean, I was always a fan since I was about 13 years old. So for me, I never got over that working with him. And uh you know, I just felt lucky to have the opportunity to have got to know him a little bit and he was incredibly kind and warm and generous and the persona on screen that everybody sees was really who he was. Always funny.

[00:52:26]On October 5th, 2016 the SAG-AFTRA Foundation >> [music] >> opened the Robin Williams Center for Entertainment and Media.

[00:52:35]An educational space in New York City named in his honor. Of all the movie stars that I've been fortunate enough to meet and work with, he was genuinely the most loving, concerned for his fellow actor and everybody really, whether you know, it was the a producer, another actor, a hot, you know day player or co-star or craft service person or teamster or whoever you know, he was working with. Genuine loving concern uh for everybody. Truly.

[00:53:07]You know, it's easy to say that about the dearly departed, but it happened to be true of Robin. And so it's very fitting that that he'd be honored in this way. It's an an incredible tribute.

[00:53:18]I think that it's Robin Williams meant so much to so many people. I mean, truly a celebration of life. And so I look at this as a celebration of his life.

[00:53:27]>> He's he was one of the greatest performers in so many ways. An amazing comedian, a fantastic actor. Um for me, the greatest friend. And um that he was everyone felt like he was their friend. And I think that's the great gift that he really united the world in laughing and feeling and caring. And that was that was the center of his of his soul. The one moment. How did you get in? What? Why? What? It's a Jewish event. I can dress like a priest.

[00:53:56]What?

[00:53:57]You're Jewish? Very Jewish. Look, it's all right.

[00:54:00]>> [laughter] >> In our lifetimes, we can only hope to make a difference and he's made an incredible difference. He had a poet's soul. He had that much love and and compassion in his heart.

[00:54:12]And you know, that's partly why he left us so early. And it's nice that he can be remembered this way.

[00:54:30]Fast forward to July 21st, 2021 [music] which would have been Robin Williams' 70th birthday.

[00:54:37]His son Zak pays tribute to the late star [music] saying "Dad, on what would be your 70th birthday, I would want you [music] to know that your incredible spirit lives within us.

[00:54:48]Our family will be celebrating you and your memory today.

[00:54:52]We miss you [music] and love you always."

[00:54:58]>> [music] >> There will never be another Robin Williams.

[00:55:07]The funny man lit up all of our screens with his frenetic energy and unbelievably quick wit. [music] The loving and wonderful genius made not just America, but the whole world laugh until the very [music] end.

[00:55:21]My my father was this very kind of very dry, very elegant man. My mother gave me a kind of a wild, kind of a very kind of a a performing sense and he gave me this kind of >> [music] >> a drier kind of, you know, the acting sense of, you know, that I I mean I can only say it is a kind of an ethical kind of a drive. That's him.

[00:55:38]The tragic details of Robin Williams' life inspire us to look past the mask of those people who seem to have a perfect [music] life.

[00:55:47]They bring to light our blindness to depression and offers [music] an ever timely reminder that everybody needs support and understanding.

[00:55:57]>> [music] >> His [music] legacy reaching way beyond his body of work lives on.

[00:56:10]Are you happy man or are you sad man?

[00:56:12]Happy man. [music] Yeah. Happy man. This is very happy man. I have great friends and wonderful family and that is a gift.

[00:56:18][music] A miracle, you know. Yes.

[00:56:21]I'm no, I'm not worried about growing old. I What are you working on now?

[00:56:23]Nothing.

[00:56:24]You can rest? Yeah. No, no. Yeah. We cannot let you rest. You can. We cannot.

[00:56:29]Lincoln freed everybody. No, we need you. No, I'll be back.

[00:56:32]I will.

[00:56:34]No, I'll be back.

[00:56:36]I will.

[00:56:48]>> [music]