Robin Williams

A life to be Remembered
Profile by: Gabriel Nogueras

You would be hard pressed to

find an individual who has never
crossed
paths
with
the
incredible work of Robin. He has
inspired comedians and actors
around the world to find their
true self expression. From Mrs.
Doubtfire to The Dead Poets
Society Williams has always
put on a great show, but it goes
deeper than that. He has this
innate ability to be loveable,
express
flawlessly
heavy
emotions and be incredibly
inspiring. Though he is one of
the best known artist of our
time, not everyone knew the
demons that he struggled with
for a very large portion of his
life and exacerbated by the

Robin Williams was born July 21st, 1951 in

Chicago, Illinois to Ford Motors executive
Robert and fashion model Laurie. Growing
up he did not have the easiest time fitting
the mold, he was a bit overweight and
spent most of his adolescent life before
High School at home escaping from the
bullying and tormenting. When he got a bit
older he realized his ability to say things
that made others laugh. This was his way of
making his mark on the complex social
scene of childhood and gaining the love and
respect of his peers.
When he was 16 his father retired and their
family relocated to Marin County where he
attended Redwood High School and
Graduated in 1969. Then it was off to
Claremont Mens College where he studied
political science and had his first adventure
with improv.

After toying with

improv in college
Williams
began
his acting career
in the late 70s
and had a very
fruitful career all
the way up until
his death in 2014.
Spanning
his
career he played
over 103 different
roles on both TV
and movies. He
also had quite the
flourishing standcareer, selling out
shows
and
performing at the
world renowned
Madison Square
Garden.

Upon talking to others about their knowledge of Robin and his struggle with
alcohol most arent aware this is something that he experienced for a great
deal of time. I have been pretty aware of his circumstances my whole life
because I grew up in the area that he lived and it was common knowledge
in our community. From what I could see he was never looked down up for
his activities relating to alcohol and drugs because of the lasting positive
impact he has had on people through comedy and film. We all have our
journeys in life and this was apart of his quest for discovering himself.

Throughout his life he described many

things to assist him in kicking his drug
and alcohol habits, but it all really
came back to him as an individual
(Williams, Robin Williams on Addiction
and Comedy). Robin is able to
communicate
about
troubling
experiences in a way that paints a
perfect picture of the mechanisms
and make you laugh at the same
time. He recalls his blackouts as
your conscience going into a witness
protection program: your about to
have sex with a hobbit, good luck, I
am checking out now. (Williams,
Robin Williams on Addiction and
Comedy) Maybe only a certain cynical
sense of humor finds this funny, but
beyond
laughs
the
hyperbole
illuminates the ridiculousness of
decisions alcoholics and addicts make

If you take it a step deeper, you uncover that not only are the
decisions bad but the actual individuals connection to these decisions
in inexistent to the point where anything goes and you almost cannot
connect responsibility to that person. This is a very scary idea to
many, that some people are doing things in their lives based on a
drug induced automaticity without any real sense of moral connection
to possible ramifications. This can be a large barrier to public
reacceptance and a contributing factor to the stigmatized label put on

After labeling comes the re-labeling

process, where it is time for society
to accept the addict back and
remove behavioral labels placed
upon them as a deviant. One way
this occurs is when an individual
goes through some sort of
ceremony or activity that indicates
to members of society they have
change and can be normal (Trice
and Roman). In the present day,
rehab is probably the most common
rite of passage for an addict or
alcohol to go through that serves
the purpose of behavioral change
and assists in reintegration with the
common man. When Robin first got
sober, rehab was not the trip that
he took on his first play with
sobriety, the birth of his child was
his defining moment. He states I
remember stopping it on my own,
because I was about to have a son

Robin Williams &

Family

After labeling comes the re-labeling process, where it is time for society to
accept the addict back and remove behavioral labels placed upon them as a
deviant. One way this occurs is when an individual goes through some sort of
ceremony or activity that indicates to members of society they have change
and can be normal (Trice and Roman). In the present day, rehab is probably
the most common rite of passage for an addict or alcohol to go through that
serves the purpose of behavioral change and assists in reintegration with the
common man. When Robin first got sober, rehab was not the trip that he took
on his first play with sobriety, the birth of his child was his defining moment. He
states I remember stopping it on my own, because I was about to have a son
and I didnt want to be coked up going, heysniff.dad loves you. Not only
can rehab be a great way to show change to others, so is the cognitive
awareness of a real life responsibility like bringing another life into this world.
Most can respect a man who lifts himself by his own bootstraps and realizes
accountability to action as well as servitude to their own flesh and blood. For
Robin it did just that, he stayed sober for 20 years until he relapsed briefly and
got back on the wagon (Williams, Robin Williams on Addiction and Comedy).
More importantly, he starred in many critically acclaimed movies, made millions
of dollars and sold out comedy shows all across the country up until he took his
own life August 11th, 2014. Though this was the process he went through, many
of his famous drug addicted peers live the luxury of not having to get sober and
stay loved by a large portion of individuals; this may seem to them like a