He was forced to accept a string of second-rate but lucrative acting roles which insiders say made his battle with depression even tougher.
The actor had admitted that he was on the verge of bankruptcy and was relying on the success of an upcoming TV series which was then ignominiously cancelled, affecting him deeply. Hollywood and the showbusiness world was stunned after the 63-year-old star of Mrs Doubtfire and Good Morning, Vietnam was found dead at his home in Tiburon, near San Francisco, on Monday.
Goodbye: Robin Williams, as seen in one of his
most iconic films Good Morning Vietnam, faced 'serious money troubles'
shortly before his death and had admitted he was on the verge of
bankruptcy
Police confirmed he appeared to have died from asphyxia after hanging himself. There were also superficial injuries to his left wrist.
His wife Susan Schneider last saw him at around 10.30pm the night before, when she
went to sleep in a separate bedroom.
The following morning, she left the house, thinking he was still alive. He was discovered by his personal assistant at 11:45am when he failed to respond to a knock on his door. It is not known if he left a suicide note. Police confirmed Williams – who had fought alcohol and cocaine addiction for years – was being treated for depression. The father of three had not been seen in public since his birthday three weeks ago. Only last month, he was back in rehab to ‘fine tune’ his sobriety.
There were claims yesterday that the actor’s emotional problems were compounded by a flailing career. Although he left behind four upcoming films, they were a far cry from his starring roles in such box office hits as Dead Poets Society and Good Will Hunting, for which he won an Oscar.
Scene: Hollywood was stunned after the
63-year-old star of Mrs Doubtfire and Good Morning, Vietnam was found
dead at his home in Tiburon, near San Francisco, on Monday
Confirmation: Lieutenant Keith Boyd, Assistant
Chief Deputy Coroner of the Marin Country Sheriff's Office Coroner
Division, speaks at a press conference regarding Williams's death.
Police confirmed he appeared to have died from asphyxia after hanging
himself
In May, he finished filming a second sequel to the Night In The Museum children’s films, in which he plays the former US president Theodore Roosevelt.
Also due out in December is a low-budget independent family comedy, Merry Friggin’ Christmas, in which Williams joined an otherwise little-known cast.
He had voiced the character of an animated dog in Absolutely Anything, a British comedy starring Simon Pegg and Kate Beckinsale. A fourth project, a drama called Boulevard, has yet to even find a distribution deal.
Film industry insiders told showbusiness website Radaronline that Williams had never liked making sequels and he wasn’t even keen on reprising one of his most famous roles when Mrs Doubtfire 2 started filming this summer.
According to Radaronline, he had confided to a family friend that he had ‘serious money troubles’ and was worried about his family’s financial security. The same source also said Williams was ‘frustrated’ at having to take film and TV roles simply for the cash.
Project: In May, he finished filming a second
sequel to the Night In The Museum children's films, in which he plays
the former US president Theodore Roosevelt alongside Ben Stiller (left)
Axed: The comedy drama series, The Crazy Ones,
in which he played a comic version of Mad Men advertising executive Don
Draper, was cancelled by the US network CBS in May after just one season
Last September, Williams revealed he was having to put his huge California ranch and vineyard up for sale for £22million to cover some of his debts.
Although he was famously generous to both charities and his friends, the actor blamed his money woes chiefly on two divorces.
He divorced his first wife – Valerie Velardi – in 1988 and ended his second marriage, to Marsha Garces, his oldest child’s former nanny, in 2008 after 19 years together.
The two divorces reportedly cost him at least £12million. In addition, he agreed to pay a mistress an estimated £4million in damages in 1986, after she sued him for infecting her with herpes.
‘Divorce is expensive. It’s ripping your heart out through your wallet,’ Williams told Parade magazine last year.
Worries: Williams reportedly confided to a
family friend that he had 'serious money troubles' and was worried about
his family's financial security
Accepting work he would otherwise have shunned was one way making ends meet.
For the first time since he starred in Mork & Mindy 30 years earlier, he had to return to TV. But the comedy drama series, The Crazy Ones, in which he played a comic version of Mad Men advertising executive Don Draper, was cancelled by the US network CBS in May after just one season.
‘The idea of having a steady job is appealing,’ he said last year, alluding to the TV series. The only alternative, he said, was making low budget films for little money or returning to stand-up comedy – which he also tried.
‘There are bills to pay. My life has downsized, in a good way,’ said Williams in September. ‘I’m selling the ranch up in Napa. I just can’t afford it any more.’
When The Crazy Ones was scrapped, Williams ‘slipped into a deep depression’, a source told Radaronline. ‘He felt embarrassed and humiliated. It was very hard for Robin to accept. Here he was in his 60s, and forced to take a role on television for the money. It’s just not where he thought he would be at this point in his life.’
Yesterday a neighbour of the actor in Tiburon told MailOnline Williams appeared ‘very drawn and thin’ over the weekend.
The neighbour added: ‘He was a shell of himself, exhausted and not in the best spirits, but still the nice guy I had always known. There seemed to be something on his mind. He was not at all like his stage persona.
‘He was more quiet and down-to-earth. He listened well. He was often quiet and very private. The last time I saw him he seemed to be in a bad place emotionally.’
Williams’ generosity to others may not have helped his bank balance either. In 1996, he told Christopher Reeve, a close friend from drama school, that he would pay his medical bills after a riding accident left the Superman star paralysed. Williams was also worried about how much he would be able to leave to his three children, reported entertainment website TMZ.
Generous: In 1996, he told Christopher Reeve, a
close friend from drama school, that he would pay his medical bills
after a riding accident left the Superman star paralysed
Shrine: Flowers are left outside the house which
featured in Mrs Doubtfire. He reportedly was not keen on returning to
the role when Mrs Doubtfire 2 started filming this summer
It said it had obtained details of a trust that he set up in 2009 to ensure they were paid in stages so it couldn’t be squandered.
Barack Obama paid tribute to the star by referring to his best-known roles, saying: ‘He was an airman, a doctor, a genie, a nanny, a president, a professor, a Peter Pan, and everything in between. But he was one of a kind.
‘He arrived in our lives as an alien – but he ended up touching every element of the human spirit.
‘He gave his immeasurable talent freely and generously to those who needed it most – from our troops stationed abroad to the marginalised on our own streets.’
Prince Charles, who met Williams in 2008 for his 60th birthday celebrations, led British tributes.
He said: ‘He was a remarkable man, whose wonderful frenetic humour brought a special kind of laughter into people’s lives.
‘I greatly enjoyed meeting him on several occasions and his irreplaceable contribution to life will be greatly missed by countless people, including myself.’
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