Talk:Robin Williams

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[edit] "Notable roles"

We're going to need some sort of clear criteria for what makes a role notable, because the infobox gets changed on a regular basis. I'm thinking the following: A role is notable if:

  • It was his first role
  • It was his first starring role
  • He (or the film) has been nominated for or has won a major award

Any other thoughts?-Wafulz 13:51, 1 July 2007 (UTC)

Agreed, no other thoughts really. --Rwlinda 19:29, 4 July 2007 (UTC)

[edit] McLaurim?

According to the bio on imdb.com, Robin's middle name is McLaurin, not McLaurim as this page states. I'd edit it myself but this page has been locked. Not a big deal, but it ought to be fixed.

I believe "McLaurin" is a typo on their site. His biographies say "McLaurim".-Wafulz 12:20, 3 July 2007 (UTC)
I know for a fact that the correct spelling of his middle name is Mc Laurim. As Wafulz mentioned, it says so in his biographies, but Robin himself also mentioned it several times in interviews. --Rwlinda 19:11, 4 July 2007 (UTC)
Strange that IMDB would list his middle name as "McLaurin", and his mother's name is "Laura McLaurin Smith" (listed in the article), but his middle name is "McLaurim"?? Doesn't make sense. This needs further research. --Schmendrick 21:18, 2 October 2007 (UTC)
The Biography Channel states his middle name as "McLaurin". Can someone else find a stronger case against changing it? http://www.thebiographychannel.co.uk/biography_home/83:730/Robin_Williams.htm --Schmendrick 21:29, 2 October 2007 (UTC)
There's this. The website might have misspelled the name, but it appears to be a transcript of his own words. From what I've been able to glean, McLaurim seems to be a variation of McLaurin. It does look odd to have a middle name that's almost - but not quite - identical to one's mother's maiden name, but I suppose this is one of those odd cases. I can't find anywhere that this issue has been discussed in favour of one or other spelling. I think we have to accept it's McLaurim. -- JackofOz 03:19, 4 October 2007 (UTC)
You can watch the interview on YouTube and he does indeed say "McLaurim". I won't include the links but you can search "Robin Williams Actors Studio". MrBlondNYC 09:04, 4 October 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Add External Link ?

Links to fansites are generally not allowed on wikipedia, but I think this fansite deserves a link on this page as it contains a huge amount of official news and information on the actor. It'd be great to have the link added to this page. I think www.robin-williams.net should be added to the external link section. Any thoughts? --Rwlinda 18:34, 4 July 2007 (UTC)

If it adds to the article greatly, i don't see why not. --Vergency (talk) 01:28, 14 March 2008 (UTC)

[edit] Year of birth

Robin Williams was born in 1951. That's a fact, as he celebrated his 50th birthday in the summer of 2001 and said many times this year (for example, during his "working on material" shows in San Francisco this past may) that he's 55 and will turn 56 this july. IMDB as well as his fansite that's filled with official information has the correct date/year listed as well.--Rwlinda 12:01, 8 July 2007 (UTC)

Strange as it seems, any given person is not necessarily the best source of accurate information about their own date of birth, as they were far too young at the time to be aware of it and they have to rely on information provided by their family, and their memories of that are fallible. Further, actors are notorious for having an interest in having the public think they're older or younger than they actually are (I'm not saying that RW is guilty of this, just that it's a consideration). Finally, Wikipedia is sourced from published material, not from hearsay. The best source would be his birth certificate. Anyone got it? But thanks for the information. I'll make an edit to the footnote about his birthday. -- JackofOz 11:56, 7 September 2007 (UTC)
Williams states that he is 55 in an interview published July 4, 2007 (before his birthday on July 21) - "But at 55, you know, I'm a character actor". I can see no reason why he would be wrong about his own birthdate. Usually actors lie to make themselves seem younger. All Hallow's Wraith (talk) 21:28, 8 February 2008 (UTC)
Celebrities are often wrong about their birthdays. They might like pretending to be older or younger or they might just like messing with people.-Wafulz (talk) 02:30, 9 February 2008 (UTC)
I don't know, Williams stated "I was born outside Chicago in 1951" in this 1999 interview.[1]. This March 2002 interview states that he just turned 50.[2] And so does this interview from February of that year.[3] This October 2002 interview states that he is 51 at the time, and describes the details of his "50th birthday party" celebration "last year" (2001).[4] Why should we trust Encyclopedia Britannica, which has an error rate equal to Wikipedia? (or other reference books, that I doubt are any more reliable than that) All Hallow's Wraith (talk) 17:26, 9 February 2008 (UTC)
At this point only some sort of official documentation (ie, birth certificate) will answer the question.-Wafulz (talk) 17:30, 9 February 2008 (UTC)
Yes, it is unfortunate that the sources conflict. But which is most reliable? Williams himself stating it would seem the best one, but as has been said he may not be the most accurate. In the interview for 2007, it was done in April, before he turned 56 later in the year. Where do Britanicca and the other bios get their info from? If not from Williams himself, they must have their data wrong, and we shouldn't be relying on incorrect data. I suggest we switch it back to just 1951. --Vergency (talk) 01:27, 14 March 2008 (UTC)
It's not our decision to say who is most reliable. The only authoritative answer can come from official government documentation, so something like a birth certificate, driver's license, or similar. Other articles (Nancy Reagan, Ann Coulter, and Audrey Hepburn come to mind) use this solution when resolving disputes.-Wafulz (talk) 23:00, 23 March 2008 (UTC)
Right anyone got access to a database to find this out then? --Vergency (talk) 23:19, 23 March 2008 (UTC)
I don't think there's an easy way to see it for free.-Wafulz (talk) 01:04, 24 March 2008 (UTC)

[edit] Christian?

I heard rumor recently that Robin has become a Christian - which has my absolute attention ;) Just imagine.. what a person who knows the core of the industry might say.

Like what?--Threedots dead (talk) 14:30, 15 February 2008 (UTC)

[edit] joke theft?

it says nothing here about the apparent theft of jokes (see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joke_thievery)

This definitely needs to be mentioned, I just can't find a good source for it - Hellkyte —Preceding unsigned comment added by 146.7.123.51 (talk) 21:30, 4 June 2008 (UTC)

[edit] Williams' interest in cycling is mentioned too often.

In this section of the page:

""" He is also a cycling fan, known to own hundreds of bicycles and to attend the Tour de France. Through his interest in cycling, he has been a friend and supporter of Lance Armstrong and his foundation, performing at events for the foundation. """

Williams' interest in cycling is over-emphasised; especially considering this is an excerpt from the "Charity" section.

His cycling has already been explained in the section above Charity (Other Interests).

The above excerpt I have showed should show the link between Williams' interest in cycling and the charity work; not details of his bicycling hobby.

[edit] Incongruity

In the intro section of this article it mentions that Robin's first impressions were of his Grandma to his Mother.

While later on it mentions that these impressions were of his aunt...

Which one is true? 58.161.112.76 11:42, 7 September 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Plagarism

Has anybody else noticed that most of this article is an exact copy of the LA Auditions source 13 October 2007 —Preceding unsigned comment added by Dandan44sou (talk • contribs) 00:40, 14 October 2007 (UTC)