Robin Williams 1951-2014

Actor and comedian Robin Williams, known for playing the alien Mork on the TV show Mork and Mindy, and for roles in numerous films, died today at his house in Tiburon, California.  Emergency personnel had responded to a 9-1-1 call, but he died soon after their arrival.  His death is suspected to be a suicide by asphyxiation.

Robin McLaurin Williams was born in Chicago and graduated from high school in San Francisco.  He attended Claremont Men's College, the College of Marin, and The Julliard School in New York.  He worked in a bar and an ice cream store before becoming successful as a comedian.  Williams was nominated four times for an Oscar and won best supporting actor for Good Will Hunting.

Read more at The Hollywood Reporter, NBC Bay Area, Variety, USA Today and Entertainment Weekly.  The Hollywood Reporter states that Robin Williams was born in 1952, but other outlets say that he was 63, which would mean that he would have been born in 1951 at the latest.  (UPDATE: THR now indicates that Williams was born in 1951.)