Book Review: Robin Williams: The Definitive Biography of Robin Williams

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Robin Williams was a comic genius whom few understood but countless loved. He had the ability to come on stage during a stand-up routine and completely envelop the audience in his impressions and satire.

In Dave Itzkoff’s tell-all biography of the comic, he tells of a genius who hit the scene at just the right time and captured audience’s hearts with his off-the-cuff impersonations and lively antics.

Beginning his career in Los Angeles in the 1970’s, Williams scored himself a lead role as Mork on Mork and Mindy. An extraterrestrial that comes to Earth from the planet Ork who rooms with Mindy (Pam Dawber) and shenanigans ensue.

Itzkoff then describes the epoch of Williams’ career with his Oscar win for Best Supporting Actor in Good Will Hunting. The well deserved Oscar showed the range and control of his acting ability and opened countless doors for the middle-aged actor.

The author captures the fascinating life of the rancourous actor through anecdotes and real-life experiences he, as one of Williams’ best friends, experienced.

Itzkoff does not hold back from the dark times either. He writes of the hard times experienced by the clinically-depressed actor and his often misrepresented last days.

In the end, Williams is misdiagnosed with Parkinson’s, when he is in fact suffering from Lewy body dementia. The similar symptoms cause depression and tremors similar to those of Parkinson’s.

In the end, Williams could not imagine living out his life in the perceived pain caused by Parkinson’s and decided to take his own life in August of 2014.

The in-depth exploration into Williams’ human dynamic in The Definitive Biography is something extraordinary for a human being that lived an extraordinary life.


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