Robin's fame on the small screen inevitably aroused the interest of movie makers. His first starring role came in 1980's Popeye. The movie was a financial and critical flop and it looked like Williams' film career was over before he'd even gotten out of the gate. But then, in 1982's The World According to Garp, he was able to show more of his dramatic acting talents. The film was well received, with critic Roger Ebert calling Robin's performance 'unconventional and absorbing.' Following a couple of smaller roles he got his big screen break in 1987's Good Morning Vietnam. The role of Adrian Cronauer, a real life Armed Forces DJ stationed in Saigon during the war, was tailor made for Williams' manic style. In fact, nearly everything that he did on screen was improvised. The performance was good enough to earn him an Academy Award nomination for Best Actor. Over the next decade, Williams appeared in an impressive number of films, displaying a huge range and appeal across the generations. He shone as both a dramatic and a comic actor, with his first and only Oscar coming for Best Supporting Actor playing a psychologist in 1997's Good Will Hunting. He had previously received two nominations, for 1988's Dead Poet's Society and 1991's The Fisher King. Perhaps Williams' most versatile role was one in which he was never actually on screen.

His role as the genie in the 1992 Disney animated musical Aladdin showcased his amazing vocal range. The role had been specifically written for him, although he improvised much of the dialogue, just as he had done in Good Morning Vietnam. Williams played what would prove to be his most beloved character in 1993's Mrs Doubtfire, in which he portrayed a recently divorced actor who takes on the persona of an elderly Scottish housemaid to get closer to his children. He spent four hours every day putting on his makeup to play the part. The movie was a great success and a sequel was in the works at the time of Williams' death in 2014. His darkest role came in 2002's One Hour Photo. Williams played a lonely photo technician who becomes obsessed with a family whose photos he has developed for years. He received rave reviews from such esteemed critics as Leonard Maltin and Roger Ebert. Robin's last appearance on the big screen was in 2014's Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb, in which he reprised his role as President Theodore Roosevelt. In the 2015 animated film Absolutely Anything he provided the voice of Dennis the Dog. It closed out a 38 year career that encompassed 74 movies.

In 1996, together with fellow celebrities Whoopi Goldberg and Billy Crystal, Robin founded Comic Relief, USA. The charity helped the homeless, with $80 million being raised as of last year. Together with his second wife, he also created the Windfall Foundation to help donate money to a variety of causes, including St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. On May 27th, 1995 Robin's close friend Christopher Reeve was thrown from a horse and paralysed. Robin dropped everything and rushed to his bedside. He turned up in full costume as a crazed Russian doctor, giving Reeve the first laugh since his tragic accident. Robin would go on to to donate huge sums to research into spinal cord injury. When Reeves died in 2004, Robin was devastated. Williams was also passionate about supporting the military. He traveled and performed at so many bases around the globe that he was known as the modern day Bob Hope. During his career, he entertained over a hundred thousand troops in thirteen countries.

Addict

Williams managed to quit alcohol and cocaine in the early 1980s. However, in 2003 he lapsed back into alcohol abuse while working on the movie The Big White on location in Alaska. For the next three years he denied that he had a problem. Finally, he was confronted by family and friends, who convinced him to check himself into a substance-abuse rehabilitation center in Newberg, Oregon. There he admitted that he was an alcoholic. After sixty days in rehab, rather than returning to his family, Robin began living with a sober companion, who was charged with ensuring that he didn't relapse. Shortly after that his second wife, Marcia left him. A depressed Robin did what he always did when life got too tough - he threw himself into his work, going on tour to do stand up. But in the middle of the tour it was discovered that he needed heart surgery. The operation went well, but it required quiet rest time to recuperate. This forced time of inactivity allowed the demons in his head to have free reign. William's addictive personality led to marathon cycling and video gaming sessions. Cycling was a healthy obsession for him, but, for a man who had struggled with depression his whole life, being alone in a room with a computer was very dangerous. He soon began drinking again. This time he didn't care who knew. In May of 2014, Williams' new TV show, The Crazy Ones, was cancelled after just one season.

In July, he was back in rehab. Around that time he also learned that he had Parkinson's Disease. After his death it was discovered what had been diagnosed as Parkinson's was actually Lewy body dementia. After his death, Robin's wife Susan revealed that Robin had been been having severe and prolonged episodes of fear and anxiety, insomnia, constipation, stress and hand tremors for over a year. She said that he would constantly tell her, 'I just want to reboot my brain.' On August 11th, 2014, Robin Williams committed suicide by hanging himself with a belt. He died from asphyxiation. His wife, Susan, stated that he was killed by the 'terrorist inside my husband's brain.' Within hours of the tragic news of his passing, thousands of fans were posting images of themselves standing on their desks with the caption, 'O' Captain, my captain,' in reference to Robin's character in 'Dead Poet's Society.' It was a fitting tribute and a beautiful standoff to this brilliant man.

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