Sildenafil citrate, sold as Viagra, Revatio and under various other trade names, is a drug used to treat erectile dysfunction and pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH). It was originally developed by British scientists and then brought to market by the US-based pharmaceutical company Pfizer. It acts by inhibiting cGMP-specific phosphodiesterase type 5, an enzyme that delays degradation of cGMP, which regulates blood flow in the penis. Since becoming available in 1998, sildenafil has been the prime treatment for erectile dysfunction; its primary competitors on the market are tadalafil (Cialis) and vardenafil (Levitra).

Medical uses

Sexual dysfunction

The primary indication of sildenafil is treatment of erectile dysfunction (inability to sustain a satisfactory erection to complete intercourse). Its use is now standard treatment for erectile dysfunction in all settings, including diabetes.

People on antidepressants may experience sexual dysfunction, either as a result of their illness or as a result of their treatment. A 2003 study showed that sildenafil improved sexual function in men in this situation. Following up to earlier reports from 1999, the same researchers found that sildenafil was able to improve sexual function in female patients on antidepressants as well.

Pulmonary hypertension

As well as erectile dysfunction, sildenafil citrate is also effective in the rare disease pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH). It relaxes the arterial wall, leading to decreased pulmonary arterial resistance and pressure. This, in turn, reduces the workload of the right ventricle of the heart and improves symptoms of right-sided heart failure. Because PDE-5 is primarily distributed within the arterial wall smooth muscle of the lungs and penis, sildenafil acts selectively in both these areas without inducing vasodilation in other areas of the body. Pfizer submitted an additional registration for sildenafil to the FDA, and sildenafil was approved for this indication in June 2005. The preparation is named Revatio, to avoid confusion with Viagra, and the 20-milligram tablets are white and round. Sildenafil joins bosentan and prostacyclin-based therapies for this condition.

Altitude sickness

Sildenafil has been shown to be useful for the prevention and treatment of high-altitude pulmonary edema associated with altitude sickness such as that suffered by mountain climbers. While this effect has only recently been discovered, sildenafil is already becoming an accepted treatment for this condition, in particular in situations where the standard treatment of rapid descent has been delayed for some reason.

Dosage

Viagra pills are blue and diamond-shaped with the word "Pfizer" engraved on one side, and "VGR xx" (where xx stands for "25", "50" or "100", the dose of that pill in milligrams) engraved on the other. The dose of sildenafil for erectile dysfunction is 25 mg to 100 mg taken not more than once per day between 30 minutes and 4 hours prior to sexual intercourse.

The dosage for pulmonary arterial hypertension (Revatio) is one 20 mg tablet three times a day. Revatio pills are white, round, film-coated tablets imprinted with "RVT 20" embossed on one side.

Adverse effects

In clinical trials, the most common adverse effects of sildenafil use included headache, flushing, dyspepsia, nasal congestion and impaired vision, including photophobia and blurred vision. Some sildenafil users have complained of seeing everything tinted blue (cyanopsia). Some complained of blurriness and loss of peripheral vision. In July 2005, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration found that sildenafil could lead to vision impairment in rare cases and a number of studies have linked sildenafil use with nonarteritic anterior ischemic optic neuropathy.

Rare but serious adverse effects found through postmarketing surveillance include priapism, severe hypotension, myocardial infarction (heart attack), ventricular arrhythmias, stroke, increased intraocular pressure, and sudden hearing loss. As a result of these postmarketing reports, in October 2007, the FDA announced that the labeling for all PDE5 inhibitors, including sildenafil, required a more prominent warning of the potential risk of sudden hearing loss.

Interactions

Care should be exercised by patients that are also taking protease inhibitors for the treatment of HIV. Protease inhibitors inhibit the metabolism of sildenafil, effectively multiplying the plasma levels of sildenafil, increasing the incidence and severity of side effects. It is recommended that patients using protease inhibitors limit their use of sildenafil to no more than one 25 mg dose every 48 hours.

Concomitant use of sildenafil and an alpha blocker may lead to low blood pressure, but this effect does not occur if they are taken at least four hours apart.

Contraindications

Contraindications include: When taking nitric oxide donors, organic nitrites and nitrates, such as glyceryl trinitrate (nitroglycerin), sodium nitroprusside, amyl nitrite ("poppers")

In men for whom sexual intercourse is inadvisable due to cardiovascular risk factors

Severe hepatic impairment (decreased liver function)

Severe impairment in renal function

Hypotension (low blood pressure)

Recent stroke or heart attack

Hereditary degenerative retinal disorders (including genetic disorders of retinal phosphodiesterases)

Non-medical use

Recreational use

Sildenafil's popularity with young adults has increased over the years. Sildenafil's trade name "Viagra" is widely recognized in popular culture, and the drug's association with treating erectile dysfunction has led to its recreational use. The reasons behind such use include the belief that the drug increases libido, improves sexual performance, or permanently increases penis size. Studies on the effects of viagra when used recreationally are limited, but suggest that it has little effect when used by those not suffering from erectile dysfunction. In one study, a 25 mg dose was shown to cause no significant change in erectile quality, but did reduce the post-ejaculatory refractory time. This study also noted a significant placebo effect in the control group.

Unprescribed recreational use of sildenafil and other PDE-5 Inhibitors is noted as particularly high among users of illegal drugs. Sildenafil is sometimes used to counteract the effects of other substances, often illicit. Some users mix it with methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA, ecstasy), other stimulants, or opiates in an attempt to compensate for the common side effect of erectile dysfunction, a combination known as "sextasy", "rockin' and rollin'," or "trail mix." Mixing with amyl nitrite is particularly dangerous, and is potentially fatal.

Jet lag research

The 2007 Ig Nobel Prize in Aviation went to Patricia V. Agostino, Santiago A. Plano, and Diego A. Golombek of Universidad Nacional de Quilmes, Argentina for their discovery that Viagra aids jet lag recovery in hamsters. Their research was published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Use in sports

Professional athletes have been documented using sildenafil, believing the opening of their blood vessels will enrich their muscles. In turn, they believe that it will enhance their performance.

Analogs

Acetildenafil is a structural analog of sildenafil, one of the PDE₅ inhibitors found in a number of "herbal" aphrodisiac products sold over-the-counter. This class of analogs has not undergone any of the rigorous testing that drugs like sildenafil have passed, and, thus, has an unknown side-effect profile. Some attempts have been made to ban these drugs, but progress has been slow so far, as, even in those jurisdictions that have laws targeting designer drugs, the laws are drafted to ban analogues of illegal drugs of abuse, rather than analogues of prescription medicines. However, at least one court case has resulted in a product being taken off the market.

The United States FDA has banned numerous products claiming to be ''Eurycoma longifolia'' that, in fact, contain only analogs of sildenafil. Peddlers of such fake herbals typically respond by just changing the names of their products.

Detection in biological fluids

Sildenafil and/or N-desmethylsildenafil, its major active metabolite, may be quantitated in plasma, serum or whole blood in order to assess pharmacokinetic status in those receiving the drug therapeutically, to confirm the diagnosis in potential poisoning victims or to assist in the forensic investigation in a case of fatal overdosage.

Mechanism of action

The mechanism of action of sildenafil involves the protection of cyclic guanosine monophosphate (cGMP) from degradation by cGMP-specific phosphodiesterase type 5 (PDE5) in the corpus cavernosum. Nitric oxide (NO) in the corpus cavernosum of the penis binds to guanylate cyclase receptors, which results in increased levels of cGMP, leading to smooth muscle relaxation (vasodilation) of the intimal cushions of the helicine arteries. This smooth muscle relaxation leads to vasodilation and increased inflow of blood into the spongy tissue of the penis, causing an erection. Robert F. Furchgott, Ferid Murad and Louis Ignarro won the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1998 for their independent study of the metabolic pathway of nitric oxide in smooth muscle vasodilation.

Sildenafil is a potent and selective inhibitor of cGMP-specific phosphodiesterase type 5 (PDE5), which is responsible for degradation of cGMP in the corpus cavernosum. The molecular structure of sildenafil is similar to that of cGMP and acts as a competitive binding agent of PDE5 in the corpus cavernosum, resulting in more cGMP and better erections. Without sexual stimulation, and therefore lack of activation of the NO/cGMP system, sildenafil should not cause an erection. Other drugs that operate by the same mechanism include tadalafil (Cialis) and vardenafil (Levitra).

Sildenafil is metabolised by liver enzymes and excreted by both the liver and kidneys. If taken with a high-fat meal, absorption is reduced; the time taken to reach the maximum plasma concentration increases by around one hour, and the maximum concentration itself is decreased by nearly one-third.

Chemical synthesis

The preparation steps for synthesis of sildenafil are as follows: # Methylation of 3-propylpyrazole-5-carboxylic acid ethyl ester with hot dimethyl sulfate # Hydrolysis with aqueous NaOH to free acid # Nitration with oleum/fuming nitric acid # Carboxamide formation with refluxing thionyl chloride/NH₄OH # Reduction of nitro group to amino # Acylation with 2-ethoxybenzoyl chloride # Cyclization # Sulfonation to the chlorosulfonyl derivative # Condensation with 1-methylpiperazine.

History

Origins

Sildenafil (compound UK-92,480) was synthesized by a group of pharmaceutical chemists working at Pfizer's Sandwich, Kent, research facility in England. It was initially studied for use in hypertension (high blood pressure) and angina pectoris (a symptom of ischaemic heart disease). The first clinical trials were conducted in Morriston Hospital in Swansea. Phase I clinical trials under the direction of Ian Osterloh suggested that the drug had little effect on angina, but that it could induce marked penile erections. Pfizer therefore decided to market it for erectile dysfunction, rather than for angina. The drug was patented in 1996, approved for use in erectile dysfunction by the US Food and Drug Administration on March 27, 1998, becoming the first oral treatment approved to treat erectile dysfunction in the United States, and offered for sale in the United States later that year. It soon became a great success: annual sales of Viagra peaked in 2008 at US$1,934 million.

The British Press portrayed Peter Dunn and Albert Wood as the inventors of the drug, a claim that Pfizer disputes. Their names are on the manufacturing patent application drug, but Pfizer claims this is only for convenience.

Marketing and sales

Even though sildenafil is available only by prescription from a doctor, it was advertised directly to consumers on U.S. TV (famously being endorsed by former United States Senator Bob Dole and soccer star Pelé). Numerous sites on the Internet offer Viagra for sale after an "online consultation", often a simple web questionnaire. The "Viagra" name has become so well known that many fake aphrodisiacs now call themselves "herbal viagra" or are presented as blue tablets imitating the shape and colour of Pfizer's product. Viagra is also informally known as "Vitamin V", "the Blue Pill", "Blue Diamond" as well as various other nicknames.

In 2000, Viagra sales accounted for 92 percent of the global market for prescribed erectile dysfunction pills. By 2007, Viagra's global share had plunged to about 50 percent due to several factors, including the entry of Cialis and Levitra, along with several counterfeits and clones, and reports of vision loss in people taking PDE5 inhibitors.

In February 2007, it was announced that Boots, the UK pharmacy chain, would try over-the-counter sales of Viagra in stores in Manchester, England. Men between the ages 30 and 65 would be eligible to buy four tablets after a consultation with a pharmacist.

Patent issues and expirations

A UK patent held by Pfizer on the use of PDE5 inhibitors (see below) as treatment of impotence was invalidated in 2000 because of obviousness; this decision was upheld on appeal in 2002. But there are two other patents covering the methods for manufacturing Viagra, and Pfizer has maintained its monopoly on the drug in the UK.

Pfizer's patent on sildenafil citrate expired in Brazil in 2010 and will expire in the United States in March 2012.

References

External links

Official Viagra Website

Official Viagra UK Website

Official Revatio Website

prescribing information for Viagra and prescribing information for Revatio from Pfizer

FDA Information

MedlinePLUS information, including side effects

U.S. National Library of Medicine: Drug Information Portal - Sildenafil

Category:PDE5 inhibitors Category:Citrates Category:Pfizer Category:Piperazines Category:Phenol ethers Category:Pyrazolopyrimidines Category:Lactams

ar:سيلدينافيل ca:Sildenafil cs:Sildenafil da:Viagra de:Sildenafil es:Sildenafilo eu:Sildenafilo fa:سیلدنافیل fr:Sildénafil ko:실데나필 id:Sildenafil it:Sildenafil he:ויאגרה hu:Szildenafil arz:سيلدنافيل nl:Sildenafil ja:シルデナフィル no:Sildenafil ps:سيلدينافيل pl:Sildenafil pt:Sildenafila ru:Силденафил sq:Sildenafil scn:Sildenafil simple:Sildenafil sl:Sildenafil sr:Sildenafil fi:Sildenafiili sv:Sildenafil ta:வயாகரா th:ซิลเดนาฟิล tr:Sildenafil uk:Силденафіл vi:Viagra bat-smg:Sildenafil zh:西地那非

Coordinates	52°38′0″N6°39′43 }}″N
name	Robin Williams
birth name	Robin McLaurin Williams
birth date	July 21, 1951
birth place	Chicago, Illinois, United States
medium	Stand-up, film, television
nationality	American
active	1972–present
genre	Character comedy, physical comedy, improvisational comedy, satire/political satire, observational comedy, blue comedy
influences	Richard Pryor, Jonathan Winters, George Carlin, Chuck Jones
influenced	Conan O'Brien, Frank Caliendo, Dat Phan, Jo Koy
spouse	Valerie Velardi (1978–88; 1 child) Marsha Garces Williams (1989–2011; 2 children)
website	RobinWilliams.com

Robin McLaurin Williams (born July 21, 1951) is an American actor and comedian. Rising to fame with his role as the alien Mork in the TV series ''Mork and Mindy'', and later stand-up comedy work, Williams has performed in many feature films since 1980. He won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his performance in the 1997 film ''Good Will Hunting''. He has also won two Emmy Awards, four Golden Globes, two Screen Actors Guild Awards and five Grammy Awards.

Early life

Williams was born in Chicago, Illinois. His mother, Laura McLaurin (née Smith, 1922–2001), was a former model from New Orleans, Louisiana. His father, Robert Fitzgerald Williams (September 10, 1906 – October 18, 1987), was a senior executive at Ford Motorship in charge of the Midwest area. His maternal great-great-grandfather was senator and Mississippi governor Anselm J. McLaurin. Williams is of English, Welsh, Irish, and French ancestry. He was raised in the Episcopal Church (his mother practiced Christian Science). He grew up in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, where he was a student at the Detroit Country Day School, and later moved to Woodacre, Marin County, California, where he attended the public Redwood High School. Williams studied at Claremont McKenna College (then called Claremont Men's College) for four years. He has two half-brothers: Todd (who died August 14, 2007) and McLaurin.

Williams has described himself as a quiet child whose first imitation was of his grandmother to his mother. He did not overcome his shyness until he became involved with his high-school drama department.

In 1973, Williams was one of only 20 students accepted into the freshman class at the Juilliard School, and one of only two students to be accepted by John Houseman into the Advanced Program at the school that year, the other being Christopher Reeve. In his dialects class, Williams had no trouble mastering all dialects quickly. Williams left Juilliard in 1976.

Television career

After appearing in the cast of the short-lived ''The Richard Pryor Show'' on NBC, Williams was cast by Garry Marshall as the alien Mork in the hit TV series ''Happy Days''. As Mork, Williams improvised much of his dialogue and physical comedy, speaking in a high, nasal voice. Mork's appearance was so popular with viewers that it led to a spin-off hit television sitcom, ''Mork and Mindy'', which ran from 1978 to 1982; the show was written to accommodate Williams' improvisations. Although playing the same character as in his appearance in ''Happy Days'', the show was set in the present day, in Boulder, Colorado, instead of the late '50s in Milwaukee. Mork was an extremely popular character, featured on posters, coloring books, lunchboxes, and other merchandise.

Starting in the late 1970s and throughout the 1980s, Williams began to reach a wider audience with his standup comedy, including three HBO comedy specials, ''Off The Wall'' (1978), ''An Evening with Robin Williams'' (1982), and ''Robin Williams: Live at the Met'' (1986). Also in 1986, Williams reached an ever wider audience to exhibit his style at the 58th Academy Awards show.

His stand-up work has been a consistent thread through his career, as is seen by the success of his one-man show (and subsequent DVD) ''Robin Williams: Live on Broadway'' (2002). He was voted 13th on Comedy Central's list "100 Greatest Stand-ups of All Time" in 2004.

After some encouragement from his friend Whoopi Goldberg, he was set to make a guest appearance in the 1991 ''Star Trek: The Next Generation'' episode, "A Matter of Time", but he had to cancel due to a scheduling conflict; Matt Frewer took his place as a time-traveling con man, Professor Berlingoff Rasmussen. Williams, along with Billy Crystal, appeared in a cameo together at the beginning of an episode of the third season of ''Friends''. Both Williams and Crystal's parts weren't originally in the script. They were apparently in the building where the show was shooting and were asked to improvise their lines.

Williams appeared on an episode of the American version of ''Whose Line Is It Anyway?'' (Season 3, Episode 9: November 16, 2000). During a game of "Scenes from a Hat", the scene "What Robin Williams is thinking right now" was drawn, and Williams stated "I have a career. What the hell am I doing here?" On December 4, 2010, he appeared with Robert De Niro on SNL in the sketch ''What Up with That''.

Movie roles

Most of Williams' acting career has been in film, although he has given some performances on stage as well (notably as Estragon in a production of ''Waiting for Godot'' with Steve Martin). His performance in ''Good Morning, Vietnam'' (1987) resulted in Williams being nominated for an Academy Award. Many of his roles have been comedies tinged with pathos.

His role as the Genie in the animated film ''Aladdin'' (1992) was instrumental in establishing the importance of star power in voice actor casting. Williams also used his voice talents in ''Fern Gully'', as the holographic Dr. Know in the 2001 film ''A.I. Artificial Intelligence'', in the 2005 animated film ''Robots'', the 2006 Academy Award-winning ''Happy Feet'', and an uncredited vocal performance in the film ''Everyone's Hero''. Furthermore, he was the voice of The Timekeeper, a former attraction at the Walt Disney World Resort about a time-traveling robot who encounters Jules Verne and brings him to the future.

In 1998, he won an Oscar as Best Supporting Actor for his role as a psychologist in ''Good Will Hunting''. Williams has also starred in dramatic films, which earned him two subsequent Academy Award nominations: First for playing an English teacher in ''Dead Poets Society'' (1989), and later for playing a troubled homeless man in ''The Fisher King'' (1991); that same year, he played an adult Peter Pan in the movie ''Hook''. Other acclaimed dramatic films include ''Awakenings'' (1990) and ''What Dreams May Come'' (1998). In the 2002 film ''Insomnia'', Williams portrays a writer/killer on the run from a sleep-deprived Los Angeles policeman (played by Al Pacino) in rural Alaska. And also in 2002, in the psychological thriller ''One Hour Photo'', Williams played an emotionally disturbed photo development technician who becomes obsessed with a family for whom he has developed pictures for a long time. In 2006 Williams starred in ''The Night Listener'', a thriller about a radio show host who realizes he has developed a friendship with a child who may or may not exist.

He is known for his improvisational skills and impersonations. His performances frequently involve impromptu humor designed and delivered in rapid-fire succession while on stage. According to the ''Aladdin'' DVD commentary, most of his dialogue as the Genie was improvised.

In 2006, he starred in five movies including ''Man of the Year'' and was the Surprise Guest at the 2006 Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards. He appeared on an episode of ''Extreme Makeover: Home Edition'' that aired on January 30, 2006.

At one point, he was in the running to play the Riddler in ''Batman Forever'' until director Tim Burton dropped the project. Earlier, Williams had been a strong contender to play the Joker in ''Batman''. He had expressed interest in assuming the role in ''The Dark Knight'', the sequel to 2005's ''Batman Begins'', although the part of the Joker was played by Heath Ledger, who went on to win, posthumously, the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor.

He was portrayed by Chris Diamantopoulos in the made-for-TV biopic ''Behind the Camera: The Unauthorized Story of Mork & Mindy'' (2005), documenting the actor's arrival in Hollywood as a struggling comedian.

Disputes with Disney

In gratitude for his success with the Disney/Touchstone film ''Good Morning, Vietnam'', Robin Williams voiced the Genie in the Disney animated film ''Aladdin'' for SAG scale pay ($75,000), on condition that his name or image not be used for marketing, and his (supporting) character not take more than 25% of space on advertising artwork, since ''Toys'' was scheduled for release one month after ''Aladdin'''s debut. The studio went back on the deal on both counts, especially in poster art by having the Genie in 25% of the image, but having other major and supporting characters portrayed considerably smaller. Disney's Hyperion book, ''Aladdin: The Making Of An Animated Film'', listed both of Williams' characters "The Peddler" and "The Genie" ahead of main characters, but was forced to refer to him only as "the actor signed to play the Genie".

Williams and Disney had a bitter falling-out, and as a result Dan Castellaneta voiced the Genie in ''The Return of Jafar'', the ''Aladdin'' animated television series, and had recorded his voice for ''Aladdin and the King of Thieves.'' When Jeffrey Katzenberg was fired from Disney and replaced by former 20th Century Fox production head Joe Roth (whose last act for Fox was greenlighting Williams' film ''Mrs. Doubtfire''), Roth arranged for a public apology to Williams by Disney. Williams agreed to perform in Hollywood Pictures' ''Jack'', directed by Francis Ford Coppola, and even agreed to voice the Genie again for the ''King Of Thieves'' sequel (for considerably more than scale), replacing all of Castellaneta's dialogue.

When Williams re-teamed with ''Doubtfire'' director Chris Columbus for 1999's ''Bicentennial Man'', Disney asked that the budget be cut by approximately $20 million, and when the film was released on Christmas Day, it flopped at the box office. Williams blamed Disney's marketing and the loss of content the film had suffered due to the budget cuts. As a result, Williams was again on bad terms with Disney, and Castellaneta was once again recruited to replace him as Genie in the ''Kingdom Hearts'' video game series and the ''House of Mouse'' TV series. The DVD release for ''Aladdin'' has no involvement whatsoever from Williams in the bonus materials, although some of his original recording sessions can be seen.

Robin Williams has recently made peace with the Walt Disney Company and in 2009 agreed to be inducted into the Disney Hall of Fame, designated as a Disney Legend.

Stand-up career

Williams has done a number of stand-up comedy tours since the early 1970s. Some of his most notable tours include ''An Evening With Robin Williams'' (1982), ''Robin Williams: At The Met'' (1986) and ''Robin Williams LIVE on Broadway'' (2002). The latter broke many long-held records for a comedy show. In some cases, tickets were sold out within thirty minutes of going on sale.

After a six year break, in August 2008 Williams announced a brand new 26-city tour titled "Weapons of Self Destruction". He was quoted as saying that this was his last chance to make cracks at the expense of the current Bush Administration, but by the time the show was staged only a few minutes covered that subject. The tour started at the end of September 2009, finishing in New York on December 3, and was the subject of an HBO special on December 8, 2009.

Accusations of plagiarism

Williams was accused of stealing material from other comics to the extent that David Brenner claims that he confronted Williams personally and threatened him with bodily harm if he heard Williams utter another one of his jokes.

Theater career

In theatre, Williams has headed his own one-man show, ''Robin Williams: Live on Broadway'', that played at The Broadway Theatre in July 2002. He made his Broadway acting debut in Rajiv Joseph's ''Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo'', which opened on Broadway at the Richard Rodgers Theatre on March 31, 2011. He previously appeared opposite Steve Martin at Lincoln Center in an Off-Broadway production of ''Waiting for Godot''.

Personal life

Robin Williams' first marriage was to Valerie Velardi on June 4, 1978, with whom he has one child, Zachary Pym (Zak) (born April 11, 1983). During Williams' first marriage, he was involved in an extramarital relationship with Michelle Tish Carter, a cocktail waitress whom he met in 1984. She sued him in 1986, claiming that he did not tell her he was infected with the herpes simplex virus before he embarked on a sexual relationship with her in the mid-1980s, during which, she said, he transmitted the virus to her. The case was settled out of court. Williams and Velardi divorced in 1988.

On April 30, 1989, he married Marsha Garces, his son's nanny who was already several months pregnant with his child. They have two children, Zelda Rae (born July 31, 1989) and Cody Alan (born November 25, 1991). However, in March 2008, Garces filed for divorce from Williams, citing irreconcilable differences.

On August 20, 2007, Williams' elder brother, Robert Todd Williams, died of complications from heart surgery performed a month earlier.

Williams is a member of the Episcopal Church. He has described his denomination in a comedy routine as "Catholic Lite – same rituals, half the guilt."

While studying at Juilliard, Williams befriended Christopher Reeve. They had several classes together in which they were the only students, and they remained good friends for the rest of Reeve's life. Williams visited Reeve after the horse riding accident that rendered him a quadriplegic, and cheered him up by pretending to be an eccentric Russian doctor (similar to his role in ''Nine Months''). Williams claimed that he was there to perform a colonoscopy. Reeve stated that he laughed for the first time since the accident and knew that life was going to be okay.

During the late 1970s and early 1980s, Williams had an addiction to cocaine; he has stated that he has since quit. Williams was a close friend of and frequent partier alongside John Belushi. He says the death of his friend and the birth of his son prompted him to quit drugs: "Was it a wake-up call? Oh yeah, on a huge level. The grand jury helped too."

On August 9, 2006, Williams checked himself in to a substance-abuse rehabilitation center (located in Newberg, Oregon), later admitting that he was an alcoholic. His publicist delivered the announcement:

After 20 years of sobriety, Robin Williams found himself drinking again and has decided to take proactive measures to deal with this for his own well-being and the well-being of his family. He asks that you respect him and his family's privacy during this time. He looks forward to returning to work this fall to support his upcoming film releases.

Williams was hospitalized in March 2009 due to heart problems. He postponed his one-man tour in order to undergo surgery to replace his aortic valve. The surgery was successfully completed on March 13, 2009, at the Cleveland Clinic.

Other interests

Williams is an avid enthusiast of games, even naming both his children after game characters. He named his daughter after Princess Zelda from ''The Legend of Zelda'' action-adventure game series. They both have even been featured in an advert for the Nintendo 3DS remake of The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time.http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/111044-New-Zelda-Ad-Stars-Robin-Williams-and-his-Daughter-Zelda On this note, his son may have been named after Cody from the beat 'em up game ''Final Fight''. He also enjoys pen-and-paper role-playing games and online video games, recently playing ''Warcraft 3'', ''Day of Defeat'', ''Half-Life'', and the first-person shooter ''Battlefield 2'' as a sniper. He was also previously a fan of the ''Wizardry'' series of role-playing video games.

On January 6, 2006, he performed live at Consumer Electronics Show during Google's keynote. In the 2006 E3, on the invitation of Will Wright, he demonstrated the creature editor of ''Spore'' while simultaneously commenting on the creature's look: "This will actually make a platypus look good." He also complimented the game's versatility, comparing it to ''Populous'' and ''Black & White''. Later that year, he was one of several celebrities to participate in the Worldwide Dungeons & Dragons Game Day.

A fan of professional road cycling, he was a regular on the US Postal and Discovery Channel Pro Cycling team bus and hotels during the years Lance Armstrong dominated the Tour de France. He owns over 50 bicycles.

He also enjoys rugby union and is a big fan of former All Black, Jonah Lomu.

Williams is a supporter of eco-friendly vehicles. He currently drives a Toyota Prius, and is on the waiting list for an Aptera 2 Series electric vehicle.

Williams has recently announced that he would love to play The Riddler in the next installment to the ''Batman'' films by director Christopher Nolan, though Nolan has stated that The Riddler will not be featured in the film.

Charity work

Williams and his former wife, Marsha, founded the Windfall Foundation, a philanthropic organization to raise money for many different charities. Williams devotes much of his energy to charity work, including the ''Comic Relief'' fundraising efforts (the program is hosted by himself, Billy Crystal, and Whoopi Goldberg). In December 1999, he sang in French on the BBC-inspired music video of international celebrities doing a cover of the Rolling Stones' "It's Only Rock & Roll" for the charity Children's Promise.

In response to the 2010 Canterbury Earthquake, Williams donated all proceeds of his "Weapons of Self Destruction" Christchurch performance to helping rebuild the New Zealand city. Half the proceeds were donated to the Red Cross and half to the mayoral building fund with the words "I hope this donation will go some way to helping the extensive rebuilding effort in the city." Williams has performed with the USO for U.S. troops stationed in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Filmography

+ Film credits
! Year	! Title	! Role	Notes
1977	''Can I Do It 'Till I Need Glasses?''	Himself
1980		Popeye
1982	''''
1983		Donald Quinelle
1984	''Moscow on the Hudson''	Vladimir Ivanov	Nominated—Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy
1986		Tommy Wilhelm
1986	''Club Paradise''	Jack Moniker
1986	''''	Jack Dundee
1987	''Good Morning, Vietnam''	Adrian Cronauer
1988	''''	King of the Moon
1988	''Portrait of a White Marriage''	Air Conditioning Salesman	Uncredited
1988	''Rabbit Ears: Pecos Bill''	Narrator	Voice
1989	''Dead Poets Society''	John Keating
1989	''I'm from Hollywood''	Himself
1990	''Cadillac Man''	Joey O'Brien
1990	''Awakenings''	Dr. Malcolm Sayer
1990	''Back to Neverland''	Himself
1991	''Dead Again''	Doctor Cozy Carlisle
1991	''''	Parry
1991		Peter Banning/Peter Pan
1991	''Rabbit Ears: The Fool and the Flying Ship''	Narrator	Voice
1992		Leslie Zevo	Nominated—Saturn Award for Best Actor
1992		Genie, merchant
1992	''''	The Timekeeper
1992	''FernGully: The Last Rainforest''	Batty Koda	Voice
1992	''Shakes the Clown''	Mime Class Instructor
1993	''Mrs. Doubtfire''	Daniel Hillard/Mrs. Doubtfire
1993		Hector
1994	''In Search of Dr. Seuss''	Father
1995		Alan Parrish
1995	''To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything! Julie Newmar''	John Jacob Jingleheimer Schmidt
1995	''Nine Months''	Dr. Kosevich
1996	''Aladdin and the King of Thieves''	Genie	Voice
1996		Osric
1996		The Professor
1996		Jack Powell
1996	''''	Armand Goldman
1997	''Good Will Hunting''	Sean Maguire
1997		Professor Philip Brainard
1997	''Deconstructing Harry''	Mel/Harry's Character
1997		Dale Putley
1998
1998	''Junket Whore''	Himself
1998		Chris Nielsen
1999		Andrew Martin
1999	''Jakob the Liar''	Jakob Heym/Narrator
1999	''Get Bruce''	Himself
2000	''Model Behavior''	Faremain
2001	''A.I. Artificial Intelligence''	Dr. Know	Voice
2002	''''	Hans Hänkie
2002		Walter Finch	Nominated—Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actor
2002	''Death to Smoochy''	'Rainbow' Randolph Smiley
2002	''One Hour Photo''	Seymour 'Sy' Parrish
2004		Charlie Boyd/The Priest
2004	''House of D''	Pappass
2004	''''	Alan W. Hakman
2005	''''	Paul Barnell
2005		Fender
2005	''''	Himself
2006		Tom Dobbs
2006	''Night at the Museum''	Theodore Roosevelt
2006	''Happy Feet''	Ramon/Lovelace	Voice
2006	''Everyone's Hero''	Napoleon Cross	Voice
2006		Bob Munro
2006	''''	Gabriel Noone
2007	''License to Wed''	Reverend Frank
2007	''August Rush''	Maxwell "Wizard" Wallace
2009		Holden
2009	''World's Greatest Dad''	Lance Clayton
2009	''Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian''	Theodore Roosevelt
2009		Dan Rayburn
2011	''Happy Feet 2''	Ramon, Lovelace	Voice; filming

+ Television credits
! Year	! Title	! Role	Notes
1977	''''	Himself
1977
1977	''Eight is Enough''		Episode: "The Return of Auntie V"
1978	''Happy Days''		Episode: "My Favorite Orkan" (There are two versions of this episode. One with the original ending where events were all a dream of Richie Cunningham's and another that sets up the Mork and Mindy spin-off series. Williams appears in both versions.)
1978	''America 2-Night''	Jason Shine	Episodes: "Jason Shine" and "Olfactory Distosis Telethon"
1978–1982	''Mork & Mindy''
1979	''Happy Days''		Episode: "Mork Returns"
1979			Episode: "Random's Arrival"
1981	''Saturday Night Live''	Himself	Host/Various
1982	''''	Himself	Episode: #1.1
1982	''Faerie Tale Theatre''	Frog/Prince Robin	Episode: "Tale of the Frog Prince"
1982		Various	Episode: "Jane Eyrehead"
1984	''Saturday Night Live''	Himself	Host/Various
1984	''Pryor's Place	Gaby	Episode: "Sax Education"
1986	''Saturday Night Live''	Himself	Host/Various
1986	''The Max Headroom Show''	Himself	Episode: "Max Headroom's Giant Christmas Turkey"
1988	''Saturday Night Live''	Himself	Host/Various
1988	''Wogan''	Himself
1991	''Wogan''	Himself
1991	''''	The Kiwi	Voice (Credited as Sudy Nim)
1992	''''	Himself	Episode: "Hank's Contract"
1994	''Homicide: Life on the Streets''	Robert Ellison
1994	''Live & Kicking''	Himself
1994	''''	Himself	Episode: "Montana"
1994	''Nyhetsmorgon''	Himself	Episode: "Filmen 'Mrs. Doubtfire' svensk premiär"
1994	''In the Wild''	Himself	Episode: "In the Wild: Dolphins with Robin Williams"
1995	''Primer Plano''	Himself
1996	''American Masters''	Himself	Episode: "Take Two: Mike Nichols and Elaine May"
1996	''Primer Plano''
1996	''HBO First Look	Himself	Episode: "Fathers Day"
1997	''Friends''	Tomas	Uncredited
1998	''Nyhetsmorgon''	Himself/Sean Maguire	Episode: "Filmen 'Good Will Hunting
1998	''Hollywood Squares''	Himself	Guest appearance
1998	''Noel's House Party''	Himself	Episode: #8.10
1999	''L.A. Doctors''	Hugo Kinsley	Episode: "Just Duet"
2000		Himself	Episode: #3.9
2002	''Comedy Central Canned Ham''	Himself	Episode: "Death to Smoochy"
2002	''Leute heute''	Himself
2002	''Supermarket Sweep''	Himself
2003	''Player$''	Himself	Episodes: "E3 03, Playa", "Players Halloweenie Televizzie"
2003	''Freedoom: A History of Us''	Josiah Quincy/Ulysses S. Grant/Missouri Farmer/Wilbur Wright/Orville Wright	Episodes: "Wake Up America", "A War to End Slavery", "Liberty for All", and "Safe for Democracy"
2003	''Life With Bonnie''	Kevin Powalski	Episode: "Psychic"
2004	''This Hour Has 22 Minutes''	Himself
2005	''Just For Laughs''	Himself
2006	''Extreme Makeover: Home Edition''	Himself
2006	''Mind of Mencia''	Himself	Episode: "That's F**king Historical"
2006	''Getaway''	Himself	Episode: #15.15
2008		Ivan "Bob" Poppanoff the "Russian Idol"/Himself	Episodes: "Idol Gives Back" and "Live Results Show: One Contestant Eliminated"
2008	''Law & Order: Special Victims Unit''	Merrit Rook
2009	''SpongeBob SquarePants''	Himself	Episode: "Truth or Square"
2009	''TV Land Moguls''	Himself	Episode: "The 80s"
2010	''Alan Carr Chatty Man''	Himself
2010	''Pentagon Channel''	Himself	"Promotional Advertisement for the Pentagon Channel"
2011		Himself	Episode: "What Drugs Do To Our Bodies?"

Discography

''Reality...What a Concept'' (1979)

''Throbbing Python of Love'' (1983)

''A Night at The Met'' (1986)

''Pecos Bill'' (1988)

''Live 2002'' (2002)

''Weapons of Self Destruction'' (2010)

Williams appeared in the music video of Bobby McFerrin's hit song "Don't Worry, Be Happy".

He made a cameo in Cobra Starship's Video "You Make Me Feel..." along with his daughter, Zelda Williams.

References

"Road Trip with Robin"

"Robin Williams mimic ends 'fraud'" (BBC News)

"Robin Williams' impersonator stopped" (AskMen.com)

"Robin Williams Enters Rehab", August 9, 2006 (Access Hollywood)

Lovece, Frank, ''New York Newsday'' (April 27, 2006)

Bibliography

External links

Robin Williams – official website

Category:1951 births Category:Actors from California Category:Actors from Chicago, Illinois Category:American comedians of Irish descent Category:American Episcopalians Category:American film actors Category:American impressionists (entertainers) Category:American people of English descent Category:American people of French descent Category:American people of Irish descent Category:American people of Welsh descent Category:American people of Scottish descent Category:American stand-up comedians Category:American television actors Category:American voice actors Category:Audio book narrators Category:Best Musical or Comedy Actor Golden Globe (film) winners Category:Best Musical or Comedy Actor Golden Globe (television) winners Category:Best Supporting Actor Academy Award winners Category:Grammy Award winners Category:Juilliard School alumni Category:Living people Category:Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture Screen Actors Guild Award winners Category:People from Marin County, California Category:People self-identifying as alcoholics Category:Saturn Award winners

ar:روبن ويليامز an:Robin Williams az:Robin Uilyams zh-min-nan:Robin Williams bs:Robin Williams bg:Робин Уилямс ca:Robin Williams cs:Robin Williams cy:Robin Williams (actor) da:Robin Williams de:Robin Williams el:Ρόμπιν Ουίλιαμς es:Robin Williams eo:Robin Williams eu:Robin Williams fa:رابین ویلیامز fr:Robin Williams ga:Robin Williams gl:Robin Williams ko:로빈 윌리엄스 hr:Robin Williams io:Robin Williams id:Robin Williams it:Robin Williams he:רובין ויליאמס ka:რობინ უილიამსი sw:Robin Williams la:Robertinus Williams lt:Robin Williams hu:Robin Williams nl:Robin Williams ja:ロビン・ウィリアムズ no:Robin Williams nn:Robin Williams pl:Robin Williams pt:Robin Williams ro:Robin Williams ru:Уильямс, Робин sq:Robin Williams simple:Robin Williams sr:Робин Вилијамс sh:Robin Williams fi:Robin Williams sv:Robin Williams tl:Robin Williams th:โรบิน วิลเลียมส์ tr:Robin Williams uk:Робін Вільямс vi:Robin Williams yo:Robin Williams zh:羅賓·威廉斯