Robin Williams

Robin McLaurin Williams (1951-2014) was a stand-up comedian and actor who first became famous as the star of Mork & Mindy. That series also helped make his mark as a hailed master of improvisational comedy, whom writers of various productions learned it was often best to accommodate him considering his off-the-cuff humor was often better than their more carefully prepared material.

He later became known for his starring roles in the films Good Morning, Vietnam, Dead Poets Society, Mrs. Doubtfire, and Good Will Hunting, for which he won an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor. He was also well-known for voicing the Genie in Disney's Aladdin and its sequel Aladdin and the King of Thieves.

In 1979, he was announced as a guest star on The Muppet Show in an issue of The Muppet Show Fan Club Newsletter, but did not appear on the show.

He appeared on the cover of two issues of Muppet Magazine: Issue 1 (1983) and Issue 14 (1986).

He appeared in several Sesame Street segments:
 * Williams uses his shoe to demonstrate what makes something alive
 * The celebrity version of "Monster in the Mirror"
 * Williams talks to Elmo about what you can do with a stick. The basic script was written by Sonia Manzano, but Williams improvised during taping, including the reference to Gene Shalit's moustache.
 * Willams talks about his knees.
 * Williams shows off the wonders of feet
 * Williams asks Elmo and the kids whether they would allow a nonsense talking, horned two-headed stranger to play baseball with them. The Two-Headed Monster shows up to play.
 * Williams talks to a robin (Kevin Clash) about how similar and different they are, and the robin sings "Lullaby of Birdland."
 * Williams and the Two-Headed Monster explain the word "conflict" in a Season 42 Word of the Day segment.