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Robin Williams Case Study

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Case Study
Robin Williams will go down in history as one of America’s favorite stand-up comedians and actors. Movies like Mrs. Doubtfire, Flubber, and Patch Adams filled homes with laughter and showcased Williams’ comedy talent. Other classics such as, Dead Poet Society and Good Will Hunting, showcased a different side of Williams and his dynamic talent. In 2014, Ameri-cans were devastated when the news broke that Robin Williams had committed suicide. Many questioned how America’s favorite smiling, funny guy could have committed such a dark act. It left the whole world wondering who Robin Williams really was, and what he was dealing with when the cameras weren’t rolling.
Robin Williams grew up in an upper middle class family with both parents having successful careers that often required time spent away from home and away from Williams. Despite having estranged parents and moving several times during childhood, Williams remained a successful student. Due to Williams’ outstanding academic achievements, he fell victim to constant bullying. As a coping mechanism, Williams used comedy as a way to deflect the bullying or show real emotion. This was when Williams discovered that he had talent and later joined the drama club. This was the beginning of a new dream for Williams, and the path which ultimately led to his success. (Evans, 2016)
In the years after his high school graduation, Williams landed himself a scholarship to Juilliard School of Arts to study theater. It was another step in the journey of his dream to becoming a Hollywood actor. Although he had great success while at Juilliard, he ended up leaving before graduating and moving to San Francisco to perform as a stand-up comedian.
It was here that he began to be successful, but unfortunately, along with that success came his involvement with drugs and alcohol. Williams once explained in an interview that he used cocaine because it had a reverse effect on him and made him talk less. (Lincoln, 2015)
Robin Williams was successful in his endeavors to be discovered on stage. His career began to take off as he started getting small acting roles in shows like "Happy Days," which lead to his own spinoff show "Mork and Mindy." Author Brian Morris says, "Despite

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