Editing Robin Williams (section)

===1976–1982: Stand-up comedy and ''Mork and Mindy'' ===
[[File:Robin Williams 1978.jpg|thumb|upright=0.75|Robin Williams stars as Mork on ABC Television's ''[[Mork & Mindy|Mork and Mindy]],'' 1978. ]]
Williams began performing stand-up comedy in the [[San Francisco Bay Area]] in 1976.<ref>{{Cite web|last1=Hartlaub|first1=Peter|first2=Leah |last2=Garchik |date=August 12, 2014|title=Robin Williams' heart never strayed far from San Francisco|url=https://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/Robin-Williams-heart-never-strayed-far-from-San-5682602.php|access-date=June 27, 2020|website=San Francisco Chronicle|language=en|archive-date=June 28, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200628161700/https://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/Robin-Williams-heart-never-strayed-far-from-San-5682602.php|url-status=live}}</ref> His first performance took place at the [[Holy City Zoo]], a San Francisco comedy club where he worked his way up from tending bar.<ref name=Zehme/> During the 1960s, San Francisco had been a hub for rock music, the [[hippie]] movement, [[Recreational drug use|drugs]], and a [[sexual revolution]]. By the late 1970s, Williams played a leading role in what critic [[Gerald Nachman]] described as the city's "comedy renaissance".<ref name=Nachman>{{cite book|first=Gerald|last=Nachman|title=Seriously Funny: The Rebel Comedians of the 1950s and 1960s|publisher=Pantheon Books|location=New York City|date=2003|isbn=978-0-375-41030-7}}</ref>{{rp|6}} Reflecting on that era, Williams said that he found out about "drugs and happiness" during that period, adding that he saw "the best brains of my time turned to mud".<ref name=Maslon/> Williams moved to Los Angeles and continued performing stand-up at clubs, including [[The Comedy Store]]. There, in 1977, he was seen by television producer [[George Schlatter]], who asked him to appear on a revival of his show [[Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In|''Laugh-In'']]. The show aired later that year and marked Williams' television debut.<ref name=Maslon/> That same year, he performed a show at the [[The Improv|L.A. Improv]] for [[Home Box Office]].<ref>video: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FH7crqRvhhc "Young Robin Williams at the Los Angeles Improv, 1977] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200201195819/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FH7crqRvhhc |date=February 1, 2020 }}</ref> Although the ''Laugh-In'' revival failed, it opened doors for Williams' television career; he continued performing stand-up at comedy clubs such as the [[Roxy Theatre (West Hollywood)|Roxy]] to help keep his improvisational skills sharp.<ref name=Maslon/><ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LsIh5z7oYyY&t=2m25s |title=Robin Williams Live at the Roxy 1978 |date=December 27, 2012 |via=YouTube |access-date=August 31, 2023 |archive-date=May 18, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150518175047/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LsIh5z7oYyY&t=2m25s |url-status=bot: unknown }}</ref> Williams also took his act overseas and performed at [[The Fighting Cocks]] in England.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Sharman |first=Jon |date=2014-08-12 |title=Comedy night organiser remembers Robin Williams surprise performance at Fighting Cocks |url=https://www.yourlocalguardian.co.uk/news/11404684.comedy-night-organiser-remembers-robin-williams-surprise-performance-at-fighting-cocks-kingston/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240304163635/https://www.yourlocalguardian.co.uk/news/11404684.comedy-night-organiser-remembers-robin-williams-surprise-performance-at-fighting-cocks-kingston/ |archive-date=March 4, 2024 |access-date=2024-03-04 |website=Your Local Guardian |language=en}}</ref>

[[David Letterman]], who knew Williams for nearly 40 years, recalled first seeing him perform as a newcomer at The Comedy Store in Hollywood. Letterman, already an established comedian at the time, described Williams' arrival as "like a hurricane", saying that he thought to himself, "Holy crap, there goes my chance in show business".<ref name=":0">{{cite web|last=Lockett|first=Dee|date=August 19, 2014|title=Letterman Remembers the First Time He Met Robin Williams|url=http://www.slate.com/blogs/browbeat/2014/08/19/david_letterman_s_robin_williams_tribute_the_late_show_host_remembers_when.html|access-date=October 23, 2014|website=Slate|archive-date=October 23, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141023180951/http://www.slate.com/blogs/browbeat/2014/08/19/david_letterman_s_robin_williams_tribute_the_late_show_host_remembers_when.html|url-status=live}}</ref> Williams' first credited film role was a minor part in the 1977 low-budget comedy ''[[Can I Do It... 'Til I Need Glasses?]]''. However, his first starring performance was as [[Popeye the Sailor|the title character]] in ''[[Popeye (film)|Popeye]]'' (1980), in which Williams showcased the acting skills previously demonstrated in his television work. Accordingly, the film's commercial disappointment was not blamed on his performance.<ref>{{cite web | url = http://articles.philly.com/2014-08-13/news/52732960_1_golden-globe-aladdin-role | title = Robin Williams, 63, comic genius | first = Steven | last = Rea | author-link = Steven Rea | date = August 13, 2014 | access-date = August 18, 2014 | work = The Philadelphia Inquirer | archive-date = March 4, 2016 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160304043346/http://articles.philly.com/2014-08-13/news/52732960_1_golden-globe-aladdin-role | url-status = dead }}</ref><ref name="VF-20140812">{{cite web |last=Spitznagel |first=Eric |title=Popeye Is the Best Movie Robin Williams Ever Made |url=https://www.vanityfair.com/vf-hollywood/2014/08/robin-williams-popeye |date=August 12, 2014 |work=[[Vanity Fair (magazine)|Vanity Fair]] |access-date=August 13, 2014 |archive-date=August 13, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140813212404/http://www.vanityfair.com/vf-hollywood/2014/08/robin-williams-popeye |url-status=live }}</ref>

'''Mork and Mindy'''
{{Main|Mork & Mindy}}
[[File:Robin williams by michael dressler 1979.jpg|thumb|upright=0.75|left|Photo by Michael Dressler, used as cover photo for [[Time (magazine)|''Time'']] magazine, March 12, 1979]]<!-- wp:caption "Not every image ..." -->

After the ''[[Laugh-In]]'' revival, and appearing in the cast of ''[[The Richard Pryor Show]]'' on [[NBC]], Williams was cast by [[Garry Marshall]] as the alien Mork in a 1978 episode of the television series ''[[Happy Days]]'' titled "[[My Favorite Orkan]]".<ref name=Maslon/><ref name="actors">{{cite episode | title = Robin Williams | series = Inside the Actors Studio | season = 7 | number = 710 | airdate = June 10, 2001 | network = Bravo | url = http://www.bravotv.com/Inside_the_Actors_Studio/guest/Robin_Williams | credits = [[James Lipton]] (host) | url-status=dead | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070204093734/http://www.bravotv.com/Inside_the_Actors_Studio/guest/Robin_Williams | archive-date = February 4, 2007 | df = mdy-all }}</ref> Sought after as a last-minute cast replacement for a departing actor, Williams impressed the producer with his quirky sense of humor when he sat on his head when asked to take a seat for the audition.<ref>{{cite web|title=Robin Williams Biography |url=http://www.thebiographychannel.co.uk/biographies/robin-williams.html |publisher=Biography Channel |access-date=September 27, 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120716212135/http://www.thebiographychannel.co.uk/biographies/robin-williams.html |archive-date=July 16, 2012 }}</ref> As Mork, Williams improvised much of his dialogue and physical comedy, speaking in a high, nasal voice, and he made the most of the script. The cast and crew, as well as television network executives, were deeply impressed with Williams's performance. As such, the executives moved quickly to get the performer on contract just four days later before competitors could make their own offers.<ref>{{cite magazine |title='Happy Days' Cast Reveals How Robin Williams Got Cast as a "Martian" in Show's "Worst Script" |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/happy-days-cast-reveals-how-750779 |access-date=August 10, 2018 |magazine=The Hollywood Reporter |date=November 20, 2014 |archive-date=August 10, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180810042224/https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/happy-days-cast-reveals-how-750779 |url-status=live }}</ref>

Mork's appearance proved so popular with viewers that it led to the spin-off television sitcom ''Mork & Mindy'', which co-starred [[Pam Dawber]], and ran from 1978 to 1982; the show was written to accommodate his extreme improvisations in dialogue and behavior. Although he portrayed the same character as in ''Happy Days'', the series was set in the present in [[Boulder, Colorado]], instead of the late 1950s in [[Milwaukee]]. ''Mork & Mindy'' at its peak had a weekly audience of sixty million and was credited with turning Williams into a "superstar".<ref name="Maslon" /> Among young people, the show was very popular because Williams became "a man and a child, buoyant, rubber-faced, an endless gusher of ideas", according to critic [[James Poniewozik]].<ref name="Corliss">{{cite magazine |last=Corliss |first=Richard |author-link=Richard Corliss |url=https://time.com/3110842/robin-williams-the-heart-of-comedy/ |title=Robin Williams: The Heart of Comedy |magazine=Time |date=August 25, 2014 |access-date=August 20, 2014 |archive-date=August 19, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140819223702/http://time.com/3110842/robin-williams-the-heart-of-comedy/ |url-status=live }}</ref>
[[File:Robin Williams and Pam Dawber 1978.jpg|thumb|251x251px|Williams with co-star [[Pam Dawber]] in a promotional photo for ''[[Mork & Mindy]]'', 1978]]
Mork became popular, featured on posters, coloring books, lunch-boxes, and other merchandise.<ref>{{cite web |title=Mork & Mindy |url=http://www.retrojunk.com/article/show/2981/mork-mindy|website=retrojunk.com |access-date=August 12, 2014|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20141024040353/http://www.retrojunk.com/article/show/2981/mork-mindy|archive-date = October 24, 2014|url-status=live}}</ref> ''Mork & Mindy'' was such a success in its first season that Williams appeared on the March 12, 1979, cover of ''[[Time (magazine)|Time]]'' magazine.<ref>{{cite magazine |url=https://content.time.com/time/covers/0,16641,19790312,00.html |title=Robin Williams – March 12, 1979 |year=2014 |access-date=August 12, 2014 |magazine=[[Time (magazine)|Time]] |archive-date=August 14, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140814190551/http://content.time.com/time/covers/0,16641,19790312,00.html |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine |url=https://time.com/3102046/robin-williams-dead-hollywood-television-movies/ |title=How Robin Williams Went From Unknown To Star in 5 Months |magazine=Time |date=March 12, 1979 |access-date=August 13, 2014 |archive-date=August 12, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140812083546/http://time.com/3102046/robin-williams-dead-hollywood-television-movies/ |url-status=live }}</ref> The cover photo, taken by Michael Dressler in 1979, is said to have "[captured] his different sides: the funnyman mugging for the camera, and a sweet, more thoughtful pose that appears on a small TV he holds in his hands", according to Mary Forgione of the ''[[Los Angeles Times]]''.<ref name="latimes photo" /> This photo was installed in the [[National Portrait Gallery (United States)|National Portrait Gallery]] in the [[Smithsonian Institution]] shortly after Williams died to allow visitors to pay their respects.<ref name="latimes photo">{{cite news | url = https://www.latimes.com/travel/deals/la-trb-robin-williams-national-portrait-gallery-20140812-story.html | title = The lighter side of Robin Williams, now at National Portrait Gallery | work = Los Angeles Times | date = August 12, 2014 | access-date = August 14, 2014 | first = Mary | last =Forgione |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20140814213020/http://www.latimes.com/travel/deals/la-trb-robin-williams-national-portrait-gallery-20140812-story.html|archive-date=August 14, 2014 |url-status=live}}</ref> He also appeared on the cover of the August 23, 1979, issue of ''[[Rolling Stone]]'', photographed by [[Richard Avedon]].<ref>Williams, Robin. ''Rolling Stone'', May 18, 2006</ref><ref>{{cite magazine |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/pictures/comedy-on-the-cover-20080903/comedy-covers-rs-298-robin-williams-97021537 |title=A History of Comedy Stars on the Cover of Rolling Stone |date=June 1, 2011 |access-date=August 19, 2014 |magazine=[[Rolling Stone]] |archive-date=August 20, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140820101421/http://www.rollingstone.com/music/pictures/comedy-on-the-cover-20080903/comedy-covers-rs-298-robin-williams-97021537 |url-status=live }}</ref>

With his success on ''[[Mork & Mindy]]'', Williams began to reach a wider audience with his stand-up comedy, starting in the late 1970s and throughout the 1980s, including three [[HBO]] comedy specials: ''Off The Wall'' (1978), ''An Evening with Robin Williams'' (1983), and ''[[A Night at the Met]]'' (1986).<ref>{{cite news|last1=Benedictus|first1=Leo|date=December 6, 2012|title=Comedy gold: Robin Williams' A Night at the Met|newspaper=[[The Guardian]]|location=London, England|url=https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2012/dec/06/robin-williams-night-met-comedy-gold|access-date=December 3, 2014|archive-date=June 26, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190626201217/https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2012/dec/06/robin-williams-night-met-comedy-gold|url-status=live}}</ref> Williams won a [[Grammy Award for Best Comedy Album]] for the recording of his 1979 live show at the [[Copacabana (nightclub)|Copacabana]] in New York City, ''Reality{{nbsp}}... What a Concept''.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.awardsandshows.com/features/grammy-awards-1980-228.html|title=Grammy Award Nominees 1980 – Grammy Award Winners 1980|website=Awardsandshows.com|access-date=August 9, 2019|archive-date=June 13, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170613025031/http://www.awardsandshows.com/features/grammy-awards-1980-228.html|url-status=live}}</ref>