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Becoming a heavy hitter in Hollywood isn’t something just anybody can do. It takes amazing talent, an unmatched drive for success and a healthy dose of luck, as well. Only a very small percentage of people possess the qualities it takes to make it big on the silver screen. The comedic virtuoso Robin Williams is someone who had all three of these characteristics from the very beginning of his career. If you watch any performance of his, comedic or dramatic, you instantly realize why he was a star. He was a magnetic personality that you just couldn’t take your eyes off of. You’ll be even more impressed after reading these 18 little-known facts about this respected and accomplished actor. 1. Williams graduated from Redwood High School where he was voted “Least Likely to Succeed,” which begs the question: Why do they even have that award?! KickassFacts 2. Williams has claimed that, when he was a child, he was quite overweight and nobody would play with him. As a result, he would entertain himself by talking in different voices. people.com Robin Williams childhood photo… looks like he’s in good shape to me! 3. When Williams began training at Julliard, he was told to focus more on his stand-up comedy than waste time in acting classes. dailymail.co.uk 4. To make money, Williams would perform on the street outside of New York City’s Metropolitan Museum of Art as a mime. boredomtherapy.com 5. Early in his career, he told a reporter that he was born in Scotland. He later recanted that statement, claiming he was “under the influence” at the time. He was actually born in Chicago. pinterest.com 6. Williams’ first big break was when he was cast as Mork the alien on Happy Days back in 1978 when this sort of plot device made sense. His character was spun off into the hit series Mork & Mindy. thegeektwins.com 7. In the late 70s and early 80s, Williams was heavily addicted to cocaine and alcohol. It was the death of his close friend John Belushi and the birth of his oldest son that finally convinced him to quit. forbes.com 8. His film debut was in Robert Altman’s disastrous Popeye, an ill-advised live-action version of the comic strip that respected critic Leonard Maltin described as a bomb. commonsensemedia.org 9. During his first marriage, Williams had an affair with a cocktail waitress who sued him for giving her herpes. This incident lends credence to the mathematical formula: Tragedy + Time Comedy. FamousBirthsDeaths 10. Williams’ favorite celebrity to impersonate was Jack Nicholson. On the flip side, Williams said that Dana Carvey did the best impression of him. telegraph.co.uk 11. Williams and Superman actor Christopher Reeve became really good friends when they both attended Julliard. Williams claimed that Reeve was “literally feeding me because I don’t think I literally had money for food or my student loan hadn’t come in yet, and he would share his food with me.” Superman indeed. buzzfeed.com 12. After Reeve’s tragic equestrian accident left him paralyzed, Williams showed up at the hospital pretending to be an eccentric Russian proctologist who was going to perform a rectal exam on him. Reeve claims this was the first time he laughed following the accident, and that it prevented him from sinking into a deep despair. etonline.com 13. When Steven Spielberg was filming Schindler’s List, Williams would call and tell him jokes to try and lift his spirits because, apparently, the Holocaust is depressing. pinterest.com 14. Williams’ daughter Zelda was named after the eponymous video game character in the Legend of Zelda. It was Williams’ son Zachary who came up with the idea. hollywoodlife.com 15. Williams owned a vineyard in California. Joking about it, he said it was “weird,” like “Gandhi owning a delicatessen.” sfgate.com 16. While he earned only $75,000, the Screen Actor’s Guild minimum, for his voice work in Aladdin, a film that will be remembered forever, Williams also earned a whopping $20 million dollar paycheck for the 1999 movie Bicentennial Man, a movie that nobody remembers at all. There’s probably a lesson in there somewhere but we have no idea what it is. imdb.com 17. Williams decided to test the believability of his Mrs. Doubtfire costume by walking into a sex shop, dressed as the nanny, and buying something. He managed to ask the clerk some very specific questions involving a double-headed sex implement before they realized who he was and kicked him out. However, he did manage to successfully purchase scented lube. laweekly.com 18. Despite his fame, Williams always remembered how he struggled to achieve his successes so, to give back, he set up a scholarship fund for incoming Julliard students. One of its recipients was two-time Oscar nominee Jessica Chastain. “Robin Williams changed my life,” she said. “His generous spirit will forever inspire me to support others as he supported me. He will forever be missed.” NBC News Credits: factinate Share this story on Facebook with your friends.