This exhaustively researched book, written by NY Times reporter Dave Itzkoff, delves into every aspect of Williams's life, from his lonely but privileged childhood, to his early successes and his later uneven career in films, to his demons, philandering and substance abuse and finally his gut-wrenching suicide after developing Lewy body dementia. As a lifelong fan of Robin's work, I found this biography to be a bittersweet read knowing how his life came to a tragic end but reliving all the joy he brought to the world with his performances. I found that upon finishing the book, instead of the crazy, fast talking genius comic I saw the lonely, little boy playing with his beloved toy soldiers in a third floor attic. I recommend this no holds barred, warts and all biography to all Robin's fans.

A great look at a great actor and person gone way too soon, this is a heart wrenching but great book.

We all knew Robin Williams was a genius; but most of us didn't know the intimate details that made up the man, and ultimately, his death. We knew he was an intellectual, studied drama at Julliard before he left after 3 years to devote his life to comedy and acting. Even Oliver Sacks, the renowned neurologist he portrayed in the film, "Awakenings," marveled at the workings of Robin's brain.
In "Robin," Dave Itzkoff leaves no stone unturned. He spoke to everyone and anyone who knew or worked with Robin, including his family and especially his adult children. He researched every aspect of Robin's life from his childhood in Detroit to his family's move to San Francisco. Robin took to California lifestyle like a fish to water.
He started working locally acting in small plays, studying acting and carefully working with Improv groups. As he got better friends urged him to try the bigger comedy clubs in L.A. to try stand-up. His following grew which eventually led to a new show, "Mork & Mindy." Fame hit, then meteoric rise, drugs and alcohol, all while working constantly. Robin needed an audience, affirmation that he was good at his craft either comedy or acting. He thrived on it like oxygen; and couldn't live without it.
Eventually, the physical toll caught up with him; he had major heart surgery to fix a faulty valve. After recuperation he wanted to tour again but different physical ailments began to surface. He was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease. But Robin told a few close comedy friends, "he felt like he was loosing his mind." For someone so brilliant, so quick, with an ardent memory; "if he didn't have his mind, then what was he?"
We know that Robin took his own life.
What many of us may not know was the final findings of Robin's brain, done three weeks after his death. "Diffuse Lewy body dementia (DLBD, aka diffuse Lewy body disease). Frequently presents with Parkinson's motor symptoms." "....documented the presence of a devastating brain disorder that accounted for much of what Robin was experiencing in his final years and had never been fully diagnosed in his lifetime."
Robin gave us his fans unending joy during his lifetime. I thank him for that. I also thank the people who had the sense to record his talents in various ways so I and others can pop in a DVD and watch him and hear him whenever we want. (which I did!) What a concept!

Thank you NetGalley, Holt Publishing, and Dave Itzkoff

When he was at the top of his form, Robin Williams was the craziest, most intense comedian. He was a bright light among a lot of dull bulbs in Hollywood. Itzkoff has presented us with a full complex biography of Williams that traces his path from childhood to his end when his flame blew out. From Williams' childhood among armies of toy soldiers to his adventures in the San Francisco comedy clubs, from his struggles with celebrity status and fears of the fleeting character of success, to his three marriages, and his final agonizing decline into dementia, it's all here. By the time you read about how this towering giant of comedy ended, even though you know it's coming, it still hits you like a shock.

Itzkoff is absolutely thorough in this biography, detailing all the twists and turns of Williams' career, including the various studio decisions about Mork and Mindy and each of Williams' movies. You tend to forget how few of them were really successful when you remember Good Morning Vietnam, Good Will Hunting, and Jumanji. It is, be warned, a lengthy volume of well over five hundred pages and there's probably more material here than a casual fan needs. But, it is well written and give a most revealing look at Williams' life.

I saw this book on netgalley and was like I need to read this. I have been a huge Robin Willaims fan since I was a kid. I was also a little worried, I didn’t want his name and legacy to be tarnished. Well that was not the case in this book. Dave Itzkoff wrote a moving biography about such a troubled man.
This book is very sad because it deals with Robin’s sadness, his loneliness and his death. But the pages are also filled with the greatness that was Robin Williams. Like his work with the American troops, the amazing movies he made and the love he had for his kids.

This book will be released on May 15, 2018.
When I got approved for an advanced copy I was ecstatic. I was also nervous that maybe the author won't do the man justice but that thankfully was not the case. This book is so thoroughly researched with a lot of cooperation from his family and friends. The author doesn't judge or take jabs at Robin but lays out the facts and lets you form your own opinions without being pushy.

It would be an understatement to say I got lost in this book. It was as engrossing as watching Robin perform. Robin Williams was not a perfect man. He had doubt and insecurities and health problems. He was upfront about his many addictions and got help. He was sober when he passed away by his own hand. He had an undiagnosed brain disease that may have caused him to take his own life without ever knowing he was doing so. Again my heart broke all over again.

Robin Williams was disputably the funniest man in the world. He could make anyone laugh and was so beloved but he didn't know how much. Since he wasn't a typical model type movie star he was very insecure and didn't see what the rest of the world saw, a comic genius that could make your heart swell and bring happy tears to your eyes. No one will ever be close to the stand up genius of comedy that he was. He had a magical way about him that as soon as you saw his face you smiled because you knew whatever he was about to do was going to be great.

I loved reading about how great of a dad and friend he always was and even though I knew he dies at the end of this, I kept hoping it wouldn't happen. Robin made a difference in so many people's lives and I just wish he knew every person's heart he touched. He has kind of a Van Gogh quality to him. Though Van Gogh never saw that he was beloved because his art wasn't famous til much later, he suffered through life the same way Robin did. It just makes you ache.

This book is about Robin the man and I learned so much about his life I never knew. I would say this is going to be the best biography about Robin Williams that you will find. This author knew what he was doing. It's written so you are drawn in by Robin and you never want it to end.

Thank you to Henry Holt & Company and NetGalley for giving me and ARC of this book for a fair and honest review.

Dates read 4/20-4/23

What an amazing look into Robin Williams personal and career life. This book takes you through so many emotions-funny, movie highs and lows, loneliness, depression, marriage, medical lows, divorce, births, drugs, lewy body dementia, sadness, and shock.

I didn't know a lot about Robin's life until this book, like his upbringing, parents, brother, movie flops, children, and wives. I enjoyed the step back in time to learn about Robin Williams the person from the beginning. His dedication to the troops so heartwarming. I absolutely love that about him.

I've heard of people suffering from depression cover up their personal demons by making jokes and just being funny all the time, poor Robin he was suffering so bad behind closed doors.

The funny parts of the book that stood out to me is when Robin's makeup artist says that Winnipeg is an dismal place, that there is nothing there and Robin says you can watch your dog runaway for a week. OMG that is so funny. Also, the part about the Heimlich retriever. Robin was such a funny man with a quick wit.

Then that heartbreaking day comes when we receive the shocking news, Robin Williams is dead. The world just couldn't believe it. Then later to find out he has a neurological disease and committed suicide. I loved the make shift shrines people went to lay flowers and candles to kind of make peace that this loving, caring, funny father of comedy is gone, really gone. This part had me in tears. The make shift shrines were where Robin had once been.

The Author made a good point about Robin's demise, was Robin in his right mind when he hung himself or did he know what he was doing? I guess we will never know. We all know that this book will not have a happy ending. It's nice to know we can always sit back and watch his movies and just let Robin make us laugh. That's what he would have wanted.

Quote from the World's Greatest Dad, Robin's line:
I used to think the worst thing in life is ending up all alone, It isn't. The worst thing in life is ending up with people that made you feel all alone.

The author does a fantastic job writing this book, I highly recommend and I thank Net Gallery, the author Dave Itzkoff, Henry Holt and Company for the pleasure of reviewing Robin'.

Cherie'

Thanks to Henry Holt & Co. and Netgalley for the advanced reader copy of this book. I’m not typically a big reader of celebrity biographies and autobiographies, so I’m not sure what compelled me to request this book from Netgalley. But I’m glad I did. It was very interesting to learn more about Robin Williams’ trajectory and gave some insight into what may have led to his suicide. That said, the book is quite long (500+ pages) although the last 20% or so are the extensive notes. The author did extensive research and had access to a number of Williams’ friends and acquaintances and the book is filled with specific details. I would recommend this book, but I think it would mainly appeal to those who were around to see Williams’ star rise from the late 70s to the 90s.

Genre: Biography
Publisher: Henry Holt & Company
Pub. Date: May 15, 2018

The author, Dave Itzkoff, is a culture reporter writing about film, television, and comedy for The New York Times. In this bittersweet biography, he portrays the artist, Robin Williams, not as a tormented soul who ends his own life, but more as a tender man desperate for validation of his. We all know that Robin was a comic genius. But not many, including myself, know that he had a great memory (some would say photographic). He could show up on sets, late and hung-over, often in the same clothes from the night before, to discover that the writers made major script changes while he was out partying. While other actors struggled and fumbled to remember the new lines, Robin would just glance it over once and proceed to nail it. This skill flabbergasted many over the years. From his breakthrough television role on “Mork and Mindy” to his long movie career, his stage shenanigans fascinated his audiences, especially when he switched characters on a dime. He was the king of improvisation. No other stand-up comedian came close. Just watching him perform, the man could exhaust you. Itzkoff writes this book as a combination of straight reporting and insightful analysis.

Like most biographies, the book begins when Williams was a child. The son of a well-to-do executive who had two older half-siblings who did not live with him growing up, Robin had a somewhat isolated youth, especially since his family frequently moved. He spent hours alone creating imaginary characters in his mind. It was in his teen years when the family moved to California, that he found acting. Over the decades, he learned to harness his manic talents and became a household name to be endeared by all. The author left me sadly wishing that Robin could absorb that his audience truly did love him.

According to the author, Robin was actually a sweet and shy man known for his caring nature. He was kind to people even while he fought his own darkness. He met Christopher Reeve when they both were studying acting at Julliard. Robin was politely asked to leave the school because there was nothing else that they could teach him. His style of improv was simply too bizarre for his teachers to understand. After Reeve’s accident, Robin helped pay for his medical equipment. He remained a loyal friend. When the Reeve family went on their first vacation with Chris in a wheelchair, Robin joined them just to keep his dear friend’s spirits from spiraling downwards as they often did.

Robin was also consistently honest about himself. While most celebrities go into a hospital for “exhaustion,” Robin was truthful about his demons. Whether in his stand-up acts or during interviews, he openly discussed his troubles with depression and addiction. He eventually conquered his addictions, but his self-esteem remained low throughout his life. He thought of himself as an ugly man since he was not the epitome of a movie star. Robin had hair tufts throughout his body. He did indeed have a hairy body, which embarrassed him. I couldn’t help but think his insecurities over his looks were so adolescent. But then again, in ways, the author shows that he never really grew up, preferring the company of children to adults. Off camera, he could play with his child co-stars endlessly. If he was in the company of a five-year-old, he became five-years-old. I confess, this reminds me of myself. Personally, I find it delightful to be able to connect with a child.
He might not have seen himself as a handsome man, but women sure did. He wasn’t a faithful husband for two of his three wives. There were too many female temptations around him. He was a bit of a promiscuous player. However, he was an excellent father to his three children. After Robin’s death, it was his adult children who insisted that it couldn’t have been depression that caused their dad’s suicide. They are confident of this since they knew that even at his lowest he would never hurt them in any way. They were all in constant contact with him, they adored him and he adored them. What his fans learn via his family, is that in the months before his death Williams was diagnosed with Parkinson’s. He couldn’t remember his lines while filming his last movie. Can you imagine how this must have felt for a man with a photogenic memory? However, not until the coroner's report, three months after his death, did we learn that he was actually suffering from a little-known but deadly brain disease, Lewy Body Dementia (LBD.) LBD is a neurological disease that is often misdiagnosed as Parkinson. It was LBD that was causing his paranoia and confusion.

The author’s best writing moments are when he describes LBD symptoms. The last year of Robin’s life, the actor suffered from tremors, insomnia, impaired senses, and extreme anxiety. He had difficulty reasoning and was often hallucinating. When coherent, he told many that he was losing his mind. Sadly, he was. The disease was eating away at his brain. Throughout all of this, Robin remained clean and sober while searching for a possible cure. Reading how this gentle and sensitive man suffered put tears in my eyes. Itzkoff wrote an in-depth, impressively researched biography on the life of Robin Williams. At times, I felt the book is packed with too much detail on his career. There are dozens of pages with footnote citations. I feel that the author was torn between writing a scholarly research paper or a compassionate book on the actor. He tried to do both and I believe that he mostly succeeded.

I downloaded this new biography last week and devoured it over a weekend. This author was unknown to me prior to this book. The topic was very interesting to me (Robin Williams). I thought the author did a fantastic job with this work. His writing is terrific. Insightful and kept me glued. I learned so much about Robin Williams life. Of course, the ending is heartbreaking. I think most people felt a huge sense of loss when Robin Williams passed.

Heartily recommend this title and I will look forward to this authors next work.

Itzkoff provides an engrossing and bittersweet portrayal of the man behind the actor. Robin Williams was a chameleon, a comedian crying the tears of a clown. The author sensitively breaks down the complexities of his character, the insecurities and doubt hidden underneath his zany antics, and the mental and physical illnesses he fought against. He will forever be remembered as a man who made the world laugh and did his best to bring some lightness into others' lives even while he fought his own darkness. Fans of Mr. Williams who want to understand him better will want to read this book.

Incredibly in-depth, impressively researched, mostly strong prose. The only fault is when it moves from reporting facts to analysis, which tends to be surface-y or shakily drawn. Part of this may be that after 500 pages, the biographer is convinced and convincing that no one but Robin Williams actually knew Robin Williams. But I will be visiting or revisiting some movies and haunting YouTube as I lay this book down, so mission accomplished for the biography of an entertainer.

I received an advance copy of this book from Net Galley.

I absolutely adored this book, almost as much as I loved Robin Williams as an actor, comedian, & philanthropist. I loved getting a chance to peek behind the curtain a bit.

Fascinating inside look into the life of Robin Williams. Dave Itzkoff takes readers backstage, creating an up close and personal look at both Robin's career and his personal life...at least as close a look as Mr. Williams allowed. I was struck by the feeling that Robin Williams never showed all of himself to any one person, but Itzkoff pieces together an interesting portrait of comedic genius that is very readable and entertaining.

Itzkoff has written a really thorough book about Robin Williams and digs up plenty of new information from first hand interviews with his family and relatives, notably Zak, his son. Itzkoff has known Williams for years through his work at the New York Times and his insight into what made the comedian tick is revealing. 'Robin' is a sensitively handled book but isn't afraid to tackle difficult subjects like Williams groping his co-star on Mork and Minday, something which hasn't been reported before.

‘Robin’ by Dave Itzkoff’s is the biography of actor/comedian Robin Williams. This is a long read with more footnotes than all my college textbooks. The book is an incredibly thorough biography. The book begins in Robin’s youth and travels through every major event, movie, marriage, birth, friendship, bad decision and death in his life. It reads as slow march that allows you to thoroughly examine each part of his life.

It celebrates all that his fans love about Robin Williams and lets the reader peek behind the curtain to see inside the man who tried so hard to make everyone laugh. The book takes us through the low points in his life that lead him down a path he wasn’t proud of. Unfortunately he had an addictive personality. He was addicted to performing, acting, making people laugh, as well as drugs, alcohol and infidelity. The book does not criticize or stand in judgement of Robin or his bad decisions in any way. This book is not written like a supermarket tabloid. It is written with much input from his friends (the list is pages long), his children and the children’s moms and his many co-workers, over a hundred interviews in total. Mr. Izkoff has done a wonderful job of being fair and balanced and has probably written what will become the definitive biography of Robin Williams.

Robin William had a beautiful, crazy mind that was rare and often misunderstood. Robin’s life story pulls you in. Unfortunately, we all know how this biography sadly ends and the story gently pulls the reader toward that end. It delves deeper in the causation of his death. It refers to the autopsy information that leaves open the possiblility that he was not aware of what he was doing when he took his life. That possibility overwhelmingly adds to this tragic loss.

I would like to thank NetGalley, Mr. David Itzkoff, Henry Holt & Company Henry Holt and Co. for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

A beautiful and sad life of one of my favorite actors. A lot to love here.

0ne of the best show business biographies I hav read in a long time. Detailed , impassioned, insightful and well written by someone who cares about Williams but who never lost his objectivity. Itzkoff interviews William’s family, except his ,last wife, his friends, business associates, co-stars and teachers to paint a picture of the life of an artist.; and his ups and downs throughout over forty years in the entertainment busines. Williams was a hard person to really know; (he did not seem to always know who he was) but Itzkoff comes close. Highly recommended if you are interested in comedy, show business , films and the life of a man and father.

Wow. That's all I can actually say about this book. Robin is like taking a trip through the mind of this extraordinary performer. and coming out the other side.. The entire time I was reading this book I was hoping the real-life ending would come out differently. This book will be a winner in the sales department.

Me having been an energetic, oddball boy named Mark, with brown hair & blue eyes, born in the early 1970’s, I got called “Mork” a lot in school, thanks to Robin Williams on “Mork & Mindy”. And I never took it as an insult, because the man and the character were both magical to me. I even had the rainbow suspenders. Nearly 40 years later, having an opportunity to read an advance copy of a biography of Robin Williams on the condition that I write a review, I was both eager and hesitant. Biographies of celebrities typically tend to fall into one of three categories: The lazy, hastily ensembled pastiche of commonly known information, written for a quick buck; the scandalous, cynical tell-all; and the gushing, overlong love letter that glosses over the negative stuff. Dave Izkoff’s “Robin” is thankfully none of these. The book’s lighthearted approach, and steady advancement through events initially worried me for a couple chapters. But this friendly, optimistic approach to Williams’ life and career ends up making the serious stuff pack that much more wallop when it comes along. Not unlike when a fun, lighthearted movie like “Mrs. Doubtfire” suddenly injects an unexpected serious note out of nowhere, and instead of putting you off, it pulls you in. With the full cooperation and input from Williams’s children, ex-wives, and close friends like Billy Crystal, Bobcat Goldthwait, Eric Idle, and countless others, and more footnotes of sources than a textbook, this is an incredibly thorough biography, without ever feeling too heavy. It celebrates all that was great about Robin Williams, and never apologizes for his reckless mistakes in life. It shows us what got him to low points in life, leading to drinking/drugs/infidelity, never excusing it or justifying it, but also never treating it like tabloid scandal. It’s the biography of a man who had struggles, made some bad decisions, but who also made some truly great decisions and brought joy to people’s lives. Despite making the occasional stinker movie , he truly was magic. I was about halfway through the book when it occurred to me that it was inching along ever closer to his ultimate death, and I didn’t want it to ever get there. I had somehow overlooked that, enjoying long ago tales of Mork & Mindy, and of Popeye (shush, Popeye was magical, in its own quirky, plotless way), forgetting that I was reading the life of someone who was gone, whose death had crushed me at the time. This book comfortably, casually pulls you into a mood of comfort, to where when it finally reaches his death, it hurts all over again. I had forgotten the post-death announcement of his Parkinson’s diagnosis, but I had correctly remembered that he was clean and sober when he ended his life. This isn’t a book with any sort of calculated, shocking revelation, but it does contain a piece of autopsy information about his health that I had not heard before, that makes it possible that he was not aware what he was doing when he took his life. And that possibility just adds to the tragedy. I applaud the author for somehow crafting a true rarity - a biography that is sentimental and adoring, while pulling absolutely no punches.