Williams became a household name in the 1970s as the alien Mork on the ABC TV show Mork and Mindy.
The fish-out-of-water comedy saw Mork, an alien from the planet Ork, trying to make sense of Earth customs with the help of Mindy (Pam Dawber), his human housemate. The character of Mork first appeared in a cameo role on the TV sitcom Happy Days.
Hollywood beckoned and it wasn't long before Williams really hit the big time as irreverent DJ Adrian Cronauer in Barry Levinson's Good Morning, Vietnam. The role, based on a real-life United States Air Force sergeant and radio personality, landed the actor his first Oscar nomination in 1988.
Williams, widely known for his zany, comic roles up until this point, took on a straight role in boarding school drama Dead Poets Society. Once again, Williams was nominated for an Oscar for his portrayal of inspirational English teacher John Keating.
Williams also became a firm favourite with
younger audiences with roles in films such as 1991's Hook, in which he
played an adult Peter Pan.
Williams stole the show when he starred in Disney's 1992 animated version of classic tale, Aladdin. The actor famously improvised much of the larger-than-life genie character.
Mrs Doubtfire saw Williams' character, a voice-over artist, transform into a Scottish housekeeper in a bid to spend more time with his estranged children. Among Mrs Doubtfire's words of of wisdom were: "Dear, I always say, a flawed husband is better than none at all."
In a 1996 remake of French-Italian film La Cage aux Folles - with the simply translated title The Bird Cage - Williams starred opposite Broadway star Nathan Lane.
But it was Good Will Hunting which finally
won Williams recognition from the Academy, when he picked up the best
supporting actor award for his portrayal of psychologist Sean Maguire.
In his Oscar acceptance speech, Williams joked: "Oh man, this might be the one time I'm speechless."
One of his last major roles was as President Dwight Eisenhower in The Butler, which was well received on its release in 2013.
He recently finished filming with Ben Stiller
on the third instalment of A Night at the Museum, subtitled Secret of
the Tomb. He played a wax statue of President Theodore Roosevelt in the
movie, about museum exhibits that come to life after dark.
Tributes have been pouring in from fellow comedians, Hollywood, distraught fans and President Barack Obama.May his soul rest in peace...
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