Talk:Robin Williams/Archive 1

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Archive 1
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Archive This is an archive of past discussions. Do not edit the contents of this page. If you wish to start a new discussion or revive an old one, please do so on the current talk page.

Contents

Clarification

Hi, I'm well aware Wikipedia is not a link repository; can somebody show me a better way to list the other famous Robin Williams'? Thanks! Harris7 22:53, 26 Jan 2004 (UTC)

I've changed the page. If two people have the same name sometimes incorporating middle names into the page title can be useful, alternatively a link to Robin Williams (designer) can be just as effective. A good example of multiple names is the Peter Taylor disambiguity page. SimonMayer 23:26, 26 Jan 2004 (UTC)

Diambiguation needed

There is another notable Robin Williams, a female writer and designer - author of The Non-Designer's Design Book, The Pc is Not a Typewriter, among others. [1]

Being extremely hairy?

Comon guys, I know he probably would've gotten a kick out of it...but "Because he is extremely hairy, many jokes about him refer to that."? Now if there was a joke that someone can cite, or if he himself can verify this sure, but otherwise it's heresay and not really part of a good article (btw that was me making the edit I just forgot to sign in) :P -Moocats 16:17, 5 January 2006 (UTC)

Actually I saw him joke about his hairyness in a PBS dolphin documentary.

He also joked about his hairyness on his Inside the Actor's Studio appearance as well as his cameo on Carlos Mencia's show.  ALKIVAR™ 01:54, 15 May 2006 (UTC)
He also made a joke about it on Robin Williams: Live on Broadway a few times, if I recall correctly. His Ryanness 00:14, 22 May 2006 (UTC)

He makes a joke about seeing a monkey in a zoo and the monkey saying something like "hey what's with the simian on the outside" or something like that. Rfwoolf 17:21, 27 April 2007 (UTC)

On video games

Just a suggestion, and I like video games just as much as the next recovering Civilization addict... maybe the tidbits about what games RW likes to play would be better under a similar section on the pages of the individual video games? There are probably many more games out there (or various other products for that matter) that he enjoys, but would it be important to list them all on the Robin Williams page? Tranio24 07:45, 6 January 2006 (UTC)

On the Warhammer 40,000 reference, I've heard it said several times that Williams does indeed play, but do we have any sources for this? 88.110.69.40 00:22, 15 April 2006 (UTC)

Was it true that Robin Williams plays on World of Warcraft as Jett on Mannoroth server? I know it said citation needed but if it is true that awesome. (ACC)

Yea, im on Mannoroth and in <iconoclast> and Jett definitely is Robin Williams... I attribute our downing of C'thun to his humor and to the cast iron dictator he can be... But it is him, he just hates to be randomly annoyed by people. HawkShark 03:40, 23 May 2006 (UTC)

Self references are not allowed here. See WP:SELF. --Zeno McDohl 01:14, 25 May 2006 (UTC)
Just because someone in your guild claims to be Robin Williams, doesn't mean they are Robin Williams. Unless you've been to a real-life guild meeting or have some other valid proof of this, I think it's more likely to assume Williams is not Jett on Mannoroth. It's fairly well known that he is a gamer, but I would imagine that he would be inclined to keep his identity secret if he were playing WoW... it's not really that fun to get constant random tells, etc.--Caliga10 12:53, 26 May 2006 (UTC)

Jewish?

I read on wiki that he was Jewish. What is that about?

JJstroker 10:13, 16 January 2006 (UTC)


He is not Jewish, but Episcopalian. He makes several references to this fact in his comedy. The mistaken reference to him being Jewish most likely stems from his close friendship to Whoopi Goldberg who is, in fact, Jewish.

Tronk 00:33, 20 May 2006 (UTC)

I have just removed the reference to his recently becoming a Christian. I can find no reference to this anywhere else on the web. But if somebody else can, please put it back! --Slp1 00:35, 2 July 2006 (UTC)

I heard about his recently becoming a Christian from two quite reliable sources within my own denomination...as he'd been attending a church in New York in the denomination (and visiting one while filming in Canada)...but there are no reliable written references that I can find yet! --BeautifulMess 02:01, 14 December 2006 (UTC)

I also thought he was Jewish, I'm sure I heard somewhere that he was Jewish, but maybe I've just been fooled by his mannerisims?? Also I don't think Whoopi Goldberg is Jewish?? See her article. --loren3 23:27, 23 April 2007 (UTC)

True or False?

I was watching something not long ago with Williams on it and he said that at High School he was voted "Most Likely Not To Succeed". Maybe I'm wrong. Mr. Turcotte 21:17, 2 May 2006 (UTC)

Having Herpes

Seriously, Robin Williams has herpes, and it is crazy that this would be taken off. Is wikipedia trying to protect Robin Williams reputation at the expense of all of the cheap floozies who think they will get a part in "Toys 2" by having sex with him? RISE ABOVE THIS EDITORS OF WIKIPEDIA AND SPEAK THE TRUTH

Check out this link about his herpes

[2]

Just because he "forked over" the money doesn't mean he has it. --Zeno McDohl 22:29, 26 May 2006 (UTC)

career launched in porn?

this might not be true, or it might be a rumour started after his relationship with christi canyon...but i have heard that williams got his start in the adult film industry. can anyone prove or disprove this? regardless, ive already spread this rumour to several other people, but id at least like to know if it were true. Strawberryfire 02:10, 25 May 2006

He currently is involved with the movie "One thousand Nights at Baghdad", now in its second part. A sadistic sort of cinema financed by the usual suspects and supported by the usual idiots of the media and entertainment. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 201.19.186.138 (talk) 21:04, 25 April 2007 (UTC).

Controversy?

Should there be a controversy section about Williams' reputation as a joke thief? He is a notorious thief in the comedy community. Google search "joke thief" and he is the first page that comes up. [3] is a website that cites a few sources and quotes from other comedians...There was a famous instance of Williams stealing a Ray Romano joke about having cell phones implanted in your head, call waiting in each ear, and a fax coming out your ass; Williams used the joke on Letterman. I havent been able to find the actual proof, but from what Ive seen on several sources, it was nearly word for word the same bit Romano had performed 12 years earlier.Atticus2020 06:27, 16 June 2006 (UTC)

This is not actually Romano's joke either. It's been performed by other comics as well. SidP 07:42, 27 August 2006 (UTC)
Ray Romano’s no comedic genius… Anyway, yeah; I guess within the next few days I’ll be bold and throw a Criticism section in there. Wiki Wikardo 21:45, 12 September 2006 (UTC)

Filmography format?

Hmm, after I added a bunch of character names to the table of his films, I realized that other actors don't have that style listing. Check out Forest Whitaker for the format that seems most common. Thinking that it should be changed, but wanted to get some feedback. -- MrDolomite 16:00, 28 June 2006 (UTC)

Heh, it turns out that as usual, WP has been there and done that. See Wikipedia_talk:Filmographies and Wikipedia:Filmographies -- MrDolomite 19:23, 28 June 2006 (UTC)

SCA Knight?

In 26 years in the Society for Creative Anachronism, I've never heard a mention of Robin Williams being a member, and I'm pretty sure that's somebody's idea of a joke. It's hard to see how Mr. Williams would ever have had time, given a very busy career, to participate in the SCA, let alone gain knighthood in that organization.

    Deleted reference to SCA, as it wasn't referenced anywhere, and I could find nothing after looking on-line to show that it was true. 67.176.60.82 01:07, 27 August 2006 (UTC)

Coke habit?

Isn't it well known that he had a coke habit while he was doing Mork & Mindy? Even it's just a rumor, perhaps it should be mentioned here. Or is that too tabloidy?

Xzqx 20:31, 10 August 2006 (UTC)

Wikipedia is no place for rumors. Iolakana•T 14:33, 24 September 2006 (UTC)
Robin Williams was one of the last people to see John Belushi the night he died, and did some coke with him according to Bob Woodwards "Wired : The Short Life and Fast Times of John Belushi". In Empire Magazine, June 1996, Williams talks about how Belushi's death inspired/shocked him to get clean from drugs. Belushi died in 82, Mork and Mindy ended in 82, so yes, he was on coke for most of the run of the show. Static Universe 23:57, 2 October 2006 (UTC)
Rumor?!? Williams himself has admitted his early drug use on a number of occasions. He even mocked it and himself in early 1980s comedy routines (the famous "captain herbal life" joke and others). So even a cursory examination of reputable Hollywood record and Williams own admission will show it isn't a rumor.Yanqui9 17:08, 3 February 2007 (UTC)

Aladdin vandalism

Vandals keep popping up in this article (and any others related to the movie) adding misinformation- particularly that Williams played Genie in Return of Jafar. This is false- he was Genie in the original and the final. --Wafulz 23:25, 17 August 2006 (UTC)

As a further clarification, Dan Castellaneta (Voice of Homer Simpson on The Simpsons) was the voice of Genie in Return of Jafar, several direct to video series including Aladdin's Arabian Adventures: Creatures of Invention, Aladdin's Arabian Adventures: Fearless Friends, Aladdin's Arabian Adventures: Magic Makers, Aladdin's Arabian Adventures: Team Genie while Williams in addition to being the voice of Genie in the Aladdin movie reconciled with Disney and then did the voice of Genie in an Aladdin video game called Aladdin's Math Quest and a TV special Disney's Aladdin on Ice as well as direct to video titles Aladdin and the King of Thieves, This is per the Internet Movie Database credit listings for Williams and Castellaneta. User:Misterrick 20:48, 18 August 2006 (UTC)

Juilliard

I know that Robin Williams attended Juilliard, it is already mentioned in the article, but what about his expulsion? I've actually heard him mention his expulsion although I don't know why he was expelled. If anyone can help find a citation I think that would make a good addition to the article. --Rockerflutist1 19:10, 1 October 2006 (UTC)

Christopher Reeve's Medical Bills

It should at least be addressed that there is a long standing rumor that Williams helped Reeve after the riding accident with paying for medical expenses. Depending on where you read it is either listed as truth, fiction, or rumor. Williams' bio at http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000245/bio under "Trivia" has an entry for this. If he helped Chris out (which I like to think he did) I think it's wonderful.

Citation & Clarification

Would someone clarify the statement on the page about Robin Williams is Al Pacino's idol? --Yancyfry jr 03:58, 25 October 2006 (UTC)

There is a citation needed link on the line "Williams was a close friend and frequent partier alongside John Belushi." but the Belushi article lists Williams as present at the time of his death by drug overdose. Then next lines quote William's appearance on Inside the Actor's Studio where he refers to Belushi as a friend. I'm going to remove the citation needed unless there is an objection. Mra 15:35, 20 February 2007 (UTC)

Siblings?

I've heard that Robin Williams has half-brothers, any photos of them?68.57.186.163 14:57, 25 November 2006 (UTC)Sharon 11-25-05

Turret's Syndrome???

My wife toled me (seriously) that Robin Williams suffers from Turret's syndrom....

True or false???

I presume you mean Tourettes? And no, as far as I can determine he doesn't suffer from it. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 80.192.37.30 (talk) 15:06, 5 February 2007 (UTC).

I say FALSE!

thanks!

ROB-USA 17:13, 29 November 2006 (UTC)Rob-USA

Charity Work

He has done a recent commercial with kids with cancer. -Yancyfry 06:11, 9 December 2006 (UTC)

Bipolar Disorder

There's a giant rumor going around the Mental Health community that Robin Williams once said in an interview that he was diagnosed at an early age with Bipolar disorder. Supposedly, he also said he refused medication because he liked the effect a manic upswing and high energy had on his comedy. I have never seen, nor can I find, such an interview. However, a CNN article quotes him as saying (following his stint in rehab) simply "Club medicated"[[4]]. As a fairly successful person with Bipolar disorder myself, it would be nice if a gentle allusion were made to this. Since I am too close, I won't comment on this page, nor will I attempt to write this myself. NinaEliza (talk • contribs • logs) 03:24, 27 December 2006 (UTC)

Middle Name

i know for a fact his middle name is Mclaurim. not mclaurin.The mitten man 03:14, 19 January 2007 (UTC) The Mitten Man

And your source for that fact would be ..... ?? JackofOz 03:18, 19 January 2007 (UTC)

his biography by andy dougan and several interviews in which he said so himself. T he Mitten Man

How come it has both on the article page??? ! WikiDon 20:33, 23 June 2007 (UTC)

Scotland?

I read somewhere the Williams spent some time in the (early?) 1970's in Dundee in Scotland? Is this true?

Correction required

I read the article and there's something wrong in the "Early stand-up/TV career" section. Unfortunately, I don't know enough about Robin Williams to be able to fix it. The complete sentence reads "After studying at Claremont McKenna College (then called Claremont Men's College) with the Strut and Fret theatre group in Claremont, California.". There's something missing! - Lyverbe 13:17, 7 February 2007 (UTC)

birth year

i'm pretty sure he was born in 1952 but alot of people say it was 1951. Can someone help me? The mitten man 07:12, 12 February 2007 (UTC) The Mitten Man

http://www.robin-williams.net/ -->Site-->FAQ says it was 1951, not 1952 74.102.178.223 15:57, 16 February 2007 (UTC)
Does his biography have that information? It would make life much easier.... --Wafulz 18:57, 16 February 2007 (UTC)

his biography by Andy Dougan says he was born in 1952 but eveyone else seems to think it was 1951 so i was wondering if maybe the biography could be wrong.69.141.70.165 16:41, 17 February 2007 (UTC)The Mitten Man

Yes, the biography is wrong. I'm not a big Williams fan but I'm here because there's a lot of vandalism to it (for some unknown reason) and I help keeping the article clean. I did a quick and easy research on his fan site and found this article: http://robin-williams.net/phpBB/viewtopic.php?t=467&sid=51772138c56795738d19064299eca61b. According to it, it was his 55th birthday July 21, 2006 and hundreds of people agree. That would make it 1951. If anyone doesn't agree with this, discuss it HERE and leave the article as is until an agreement has been reached. An article is not a fight zone. -- Lyverbe 12:09, 5 April 2007 (UTC)
This "article" is a forum post. Since when is an online forum more reliable than his biographer? The fansite provides no justification other than "he is wrong and we are right". The book is more verifiable since it was written by a biographer and had extensive editorial oversight. It doesn't matter if "hundreds of people agree". I could make a forum post and have hundreds of people agree that he loves cha-cha dancing on bars of soap, and that doesn't make it any more true than this. --Wafulz 14:15, 5 April 2007 (UTC)
That article is a forum post. There are statements by Williams on his web site that he was born in '51. That seems, at first glance, more reliable than a single biography. The dispute needs to be in the article, though. — Arthur Rubin | (talk) 14:51, 5 April 2007 (UTC)
Where are these statements? Williams doesn't seem to have his own website- the closest thing is robinwilliams.com --Wafulz 14:53, 5 April 2007 (UTC)
I disagree. A biography author is 1, fans are hundreds and it does matter. This single biographer is human and can be wrong. True fans surely have read this biography, and yet, they don't disagree when people say he was born in 1951. Now, since you've changed the article once again believing you are the almighty source of truthful information, what makes you REALLY sure that it's 1952? is it this single author? -- Lyverbe 15:06, 5 April 2007 (UTC)
(edit conflict) My mistake, he doesn't have a web site. I'm still looking for an interview where he reports his age. Still, the concensus of more-or-less reliably edited web sites and of sources presently listed in the article lead to 1951. Please insert a comment in the article that his birth year is disputed, and I'll let it go, whichever way it ends up. It is NOT reasonble to push a published (celebrity biography) book over a (generally) reliable web site. However, I disagree with User:Lyverbe; a forum is not a WP:RS, so the thread mentioned is not relevant. — Arthur Rubin | (talk) 15:12, 5 April 2007 (UTC)
What generally reliable website are you talking about? There's a lot of vague mentions about "general consensus" of something. This Google comparison [5] [6] shows no consensus online. While I don't believe that his book is "almighty", I do believe that since someone put their reputation and job at stake and since it has gone through an editorial process and since the author did research that it is more reliable than random websites. This isn't just the view of a single author. I'm sure Robin Williams has read his own biography, and I'm sure his agent and the book editors went over it as well. --Wafulz 16:25, 5 April 2007 (UTC)
Also, I think I should point out that the threshold for inclusion is verifiability, not truth. The biography is the most verifiable source that we have, as opposed to the websites which are (very often) user-submitted content. --Wafulz 16:41, 5 April 2007 (UTC)
Well, Wikipedia talks about websites not being an acceptable source of information, but here, we're talking about the opinion of hundreds of people on a website instead of a single information written on a single page (like a FAQ section on a celebrity). Still, I'm satisfied with the changes you have made to the article. -- Lyverbe 16:51, 5 April 2007 (UTC)
It's very easy for hundreds of people to be wrong, particularly on the internet. See Argumentum ad populum. My point is more specifically that the basis for most of those opinions tends to be "I heard it somewhere" or "a website told me" as opposed to any sort of actual research. --Wafulz 17:21, 5 April 2007 (UTC)

Rush Limbaugh

In the "Personal Life" section, the paragraph about entering rehab in August 2006 mentioned that he made jokes about Rush Limbaugh being addicted to painkillers a few months before entering rehab. Clearly this was an attempt to make Williams look like a hypocrite. This is commentary and is not appropriate for Wikipedia. If there was a "controversy" where Rush made the issue public, then phrase it that way. Not to mention that being addicted to alcohol is legal, and illegally obtaining prescription drugs is illegal, and that Robin voluntarily entered rehab while Rush had to be outed by the media and the police. Andrewdoane 16:02, 19 February 2007 (UTC)

Robin Williams an Apple fan?

In a video done by David Pouge about Macworld 07 and the iPhone, David (seemingly) interviewed Robin Williams. Does this mean that Robin Williams is an Apple fan? If so should he be mentioned as such? Nabeel_co 07:28, 1 March 2007 (UTC)

Does it matter? Unless he's a sponsor, I don't think it's a big deal. --Wafulz 13:41, 1 March 2007 (UTC)

birth year discussion

the biography i have by andy dougan says that he was born in 1952. unless someone has another book that says otherwise and not just a website that could be written by anyone, keep it 1952 or come up with some other way to prove that it was 1951 and write about it either in the discussion page or edit summary. The mitten man 03:35, 13 March 2007 (UTC)The Mitten Man

Needs a citation for the birth year in the article, then. — Arthur Rubin | (talk) 17:53, 29 March 2007 (UTC)

I don't really agree with the recent change to put two birth dates in the infobox. It looks weird. Opinions? -- Lyverbe 11:09, 31 May 2007 (UTC)

Yeah, that just looks goofy. I'm taking it out. --Wafulz 13:33, 31 May 2007 (UTC)

Political views

Robin Williams has proven to be an outspoken critic of the Bush administration, yet none of this is reflected in this article. Aren't his political views worth mentioning? Syrion 20:46, 1 April 2007 (UTC)

Would you care to read what he orders when he goes to McDonald's? I mean, there's a limit to what a reader wants to know and what should go in an "encyclopedia". Personally, I wouldn't put it in. -- Lyverbe 12:03, 2 April 2007 (UTC)

Picture

I love this picture. :-) I really do. But you can't really see his face in it. Can't anybody change it? Dewberry 20:56, 8 May 2007 (UTC)

I think this is the only free picture we have. --

Wafulz 22:01, 8 May 2007 (UTC)


who's line is it anyway

he appeared in an episode, but i'm not sure whether it was straight after his coke addiction. during the show he says "im back now". it's one of the funniest improv shows ever, and deserves a mention, but where? help. And1superstar 18:52, 11 May 2007 (UTC)

Other interests

Surely this should include Poker?

wrong link

There is a link to the article "mimic", but it should actually go to "Mimic_(entertainment)". I would change it myself but I'm not sure how to keep just the word mimic as the link text using wiki tags.

Done. Simply use "mimic (entertainment)|" in the double brackets. Note the pipe at the end...that instructs the wiki to ignore anything in parentheses. WildCowboy 03:57, 4 June 2007 (UTC)

Robin William's Biography

I notice that his birthdate seems to be reverted all the time. Here is a link that has is biography in it:[7]. Hopefully this is good enough to stop the questions about when he was born. "Born in Chicago in 1951, Williams attended high school in Marin County, California, where he was known for his natural comedic talents. In his senior year, his classmates voted Williams Most Humorous and Least Likely to Succeed." --CrohnieGalTalk 14:16, 25 June 2007 (UTC)

Please ignore, this site also says 1951 and 1952. Sorry. --CrohnieGalTalk 14:23, 25 June 2007 (UTC)
The two print biographies that I found (Amazon link and other Amazon link) list his birthday as 1952. The printed "scrapbook" is also categorized under July 21, 1952. Britannica also has him as 1952. I think 1952 seems to be the consensus among reliable sources.-Wafulz 18:34, 25 June 2007 (UTC)
Well if what I say matters than I say use just the 1952 year. It really looks ridiculous having both years. Put the links that show this year next to it. This of course is just my opinion. --CrohnieGalTalk 20:54, 25 June 2007 (UTC)
Weird the above post I did said I was in an edit problem but it still posted this time. Strange!--CrohnieGalTalk 20:58, 25 June 2007 (UTC)
I made the change to his birth year to 1952. Please feel free to correct it or what ever as I am coming late to this article. Thanks,--CrohnieGalTalk 21:33, 25 June 2007 (UTC)
I popped in a footnote to specify the three titles and the Britannica article.--Wafulz 21:43, 25 June 2007 (UTC)
So you are the one it kept telling me I was in an edit war with! :) Thanks, --CrohnieGalTalk 21:49, 25 June 2007 (UTC)
Sorry the one link worked when I checked it. Thank you for fixing it.--CrohnieGalTalk 22:51, 25 June 2007 (UTC)