Author Description

<p><b>The definitive biography of Robin Williams, a comedy genius whose life both reached dazzling heights and plumbed devastating lows</b><br><br>From his rapid-fire stand-up comedy riffs to his breakout role in Mork & Mindy and his Academy Award-winning performance in Good Will Hunting, Robin Williams was a singularly innovative and beloved entertainer. He often came across as a man possessed, holding forth on culture and politics while mixing in personal revelations – all with mercurial, tongue-twisting intensity as he inhabited and shed one character after another with lightning speed.<br><br>But as Dave Itzkoff reveals in this insightful biography, Williams's comic brilliance masked a deep well of conflicting emotions and self-doubt, which he drew upon in his comedy and in celebrated films like <i>Dead Poets Society</i>; <i>Good Morning, Vietnam</i>; <i>The Fisher King</i>; <i>Aladdin</i>; and <i>Mrs Doubtfire</i>, where he showcased his limitless gift for improvisation to bring to life a wide range of characters. And in <i>Good Will Hunting</i> he gave an intense and controlled performance that revealed the true range of his talent.<br><br><i>Robin</i> by Dave Itzkoff shows how Williams struggled mightily with addiction, depression, and later, a debilitating condition that affected him in ways his fans never knew. Drawing on more than a hundred original interviews with family, friends and colleagues, as well as extensive archival research, <i>Robin</i> is a fresh and original look at a man whose work touched so many lives.<br><br>'This well-written page-turner is the definitive biography of the genius of Robin Williams, whose life redefines the highs and lows of the American dream' – Steve Martin<br><br>'Tenderly written . . . frequently hilarious' – <i>Sunday Times</i><br><br>'[Itzkoff] has written a book about the truth and the pain that lies in comedy, and the price paid by a sensitive soul' - Amy Poehler<br><br>'An amazing read' – Patton Oswalt</p>