10 things you did not know about Robin Williams

The world has received some devastating news. In the worst kind of irony, the man most widely known for his comedy, wit and cheer took his life without warning. Actor Robin Williams was found dead Monday, at the age of 63. We know how great he was at his craft, but here are 10 very interesting facts you didn’t already know about the late, great, Robin Williams.

1. According to IMDB, was a very overweight child and nobody wanted to play with him. So, he started talking in different voices to keep himself entertained.

2. Garry Marshall gave Williams his first big break by casting him as the lead in the late 1970s ABC comedy “Mork and Mindy.” After a memorable first meeting (producer Garry Marshall told him to sit down, Williams immediately sat on his head on the chair), the two forged a friendship that endured long after Williams became a mega star.

3. Early in his career as a standup, Williams was part of a clutch of Los Angeles-based comedians that included Jay Leno and David Letterman.

4. Williams attended Redwood High School in California where, during his senior year, he was voted both "the funniest and least likely to succeed”. Later in life, Williams would win five Grammys, two Emmys and an Academy Award. He won a supporting actor Oscar for Good Will Hunting for his portrayal of a wise and morose psychologist.

5. One week after Christopher Reeve's crippling horse-riding accident, Robin visited him in the hospital. However, he was dressed from head to toe in scrubs, spoke with a Russian accent, and had a surgical mask on. He was acting as if he was a real doctor and did a bunch of wacky antics.

6. Williams used to be a big-drinking cocaine addict, but quit both before the birth of his eldest son in 1983 and stayed sober for 20 years. In 2004, the death of one of his best friends, American actor Christopher Reeve, made Robin head again towards drinking, in an act of selfishness and fear, as he described it. Williams recently checked in to a renewal facility affiliated with the 12-step program in a move to focus on his ongoing sobriety.

7. In 1996, Robin Williams reached an amazing milestone which not many actors can ever claim. He had two movies both reach the $100 million mark in the same week in the U.S. Can you guess them? Write a comment and we will tell you if you are right.

8. Was a huge fan of the sport of Rugby Union, and in particular New Zealand All Black star Jonah Lomu, who flew to San Francisco and gifted him with a signed All Black jersey. He enjoyed cycling and many times trained with Lance Armstrong.

9. He co-owned the Rubicon restaurant in San Francisco with Robert De Niro and fellow Bay area resident Francis Ford Coppola. Williams became a vegetarian following his open heart surgery in 2009.

10. Had English, French, German, Irish, Scottish and Welsh ancestry.

by The Riddler

More amazing facts on Imdb.