I was terribly sad when I heard that Robin Williams had passed away. He was without doubt one of the greatest and most iconic actors ever to have lived. Robin Williams is known to have suffered from severe depression and he was found to have committed suicide in in his California property in August 2014. It is thought he took his own life because he was diagnosed with depression and also a form of dementia called Lewy body dementia. His wife, Susan, said that the disease started to take hold of the actor in the last year before his death, with the symptoms worsening in the months before he took his own life. Robin Williams, 63, had also been diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease three months before he died. It is apparent that he just could not live with such an awful diagnosis. Robin’s dementia would have taken over him very quickly. "If Robin was lucky, he would’ve had maybe three years left,” Susan said. “And they would’ve been hard years.”
Susan said Williams was well aware he was losing his mind, and tried to “keep it together until he hit a breaking point in his last month”.
At least one in five people in the UK will have depression at some time in their lives. However, it is also common in people with dementia, particularly if they have vascular dementia or Parkinson’s disease dementia. “Depression is often diagnosed when a person is in the early stages of dementia. However it can develop at any stage. Depression can also come and go.” (1)
He was found to have therapeutic levels of the antidepressant Mirtazapine in his blood as well as Quetiapine, an atypical antipsychotic.
Robin Williams was a lovely person who made a lasting impression on all those that met him.
“He had fame, he was rich, people loved him, great kids – the world was his oyster,” Sam Neil wrote. “And yet I felt more sorry for him than I can express. He was the loneliest man on a lonely planet.”
Below I describe two of his important films:
Good Morning Vietnam (1987)
This comedy / war film featured Robin Williams as an army disc jockey in Vietnam. He is famous for his improvised acting as he got into the role and his “Good Morning Vietnam!” introduction to his program. The film can be seen as a comedy but it also has some serious undertones reflecting the Vietnam war of the time.
There is a montage of the war featuring the emotional song Louie Armstrong - What A Wonderful World- see the video below:
Robin Williams makes this film very special with his wonderful, emotional acting. He comes across as really, really kind.
Good Will Hunting (1997)
Robin Williams stars as a counsellor (or psychiatrist) who takes on a young genius as his patient, played by Matt Damon. Robin Williams’ actor has trouble getting through to him because he has so many problems. He has, for example, been subjected to physical abuse. Robin Williams, at the end of the film, manages to ‘break him’ in what is a very emotional scene.
The film received 9 Oscar nominations and won 2 including best supporting actor (Robin Williams). It shows what an amazing actor he was.
Enjoy the clip below featuring a classic line “it’s not your fault “.
Robin Williams was an incredibly kind and talented person whose life was devastated by his dementia diagnosis and ultimately his diagnosis of depression.
He will be missed by all that knew him, whether on the big screen or personally. So sad…