Coordinates	46°43′54″N116°59′50″N
{{infobox disease | name	Alcoholism | Image King Alcohol and his Prime Minister.jpg | Caption "King Alcohol and his Prime Minister" circa 1820 | DiseasesDB | ICD10 .2 | ICD9 | ICDO | OMIM | MedlinePlus alcoholism | eMedicineSubj | eMedicineTopic 285913 | MeshID D000437 }}

Alcoholism is the addiction to or dependency upon drinking excessive amounts of alcoholic beverages. Since the late twentieth century it has been considered an addictive disorder. It is characterized by compulsive and uncontrolled consumption of alcohol, usually to the detriment of the drinker's health, relationships, and social standing. Like other drug addictions, alcoholism is medically defined as a treatable disease. The term ''alcoholism'' is widely used, and was first coined in 1849 by Magnus Huss, but in medicine the term was replaced by the concepts of "alcohol abuse" and "alcohol dependence" in the 1980s DSM III. (The term ''alcohol dependence'' is sometimes used as a synonym for alcoholism, sometimes in a narrower sense.) Similarly in 1979 an expert World Health Organisation committee disfavoured the use of "alcoholism" as a diagnostic entity, preferring the category of "alcohol dependence syndrome". In the 19th and early 20th centuries, alcohol dependence was called dipsomania before the term "alcoholism" replaced it.

The biological mechanisms underpinning alcoholism are uncertain, however, risk factors include social environment, stress, mental health, genetic predisposition, age, ethnic group, and sex. Long-term alcohol abuse produces physiological changes in the brain such as tolerance and physical dependence. Such brain chemistry changes maintain the alcoholic's compulsive inability to stop drinking and result in alcohol withdrawal syndrome upon discontinuation of alcohol consumption. Alcohol damages almost every organ in the body, including the brain; because of the cumulative toxic effects of chronic alcohol abuse, the alcoholic risks suffering a range of medical and psychiatric disorders.

Alcoholism is the cyclic presence of tolerance, withdrawal, and excessive alcohol use; the drinker's inability to control such compulsive drinking, despite awareness of its harm to his or her health, indicates that the person might be an alcoholic. Questionnaire-based screening is a method of detecting harmful drinking patterns, including alcoholism. Alcohol detoxification is conducted to withdraw the alcoholic person from drinking alcohol, usually with cross-tolerance drugs, e.g. benzodiazepines to manage withdrawal symptoms. Post-medical care, such as group therapy, or self-help groups, usually is required to maintain alcoholic abstention. Often, alcoholics also are addicted to other drugs, most often benzodiazepines, which might require additional medical treatment. Thombs (1999) states according to behavioural sciences alcoholism is described as a “maladaptive behaviour”. He explains this must not be confused with “misbehaviour”. Behavioural scientists explain that addicts have a behaviour pattern, which may lead to destructive consequences for themselves, their families and society. It is important to note that this is not labelling addicts as bad or irresponsible. Compared to men, women are more sensitive to alcohol's deleterious physical, cerebral, and mental effects. ("person suffering from alcohol dependency").

Definition and terminology

Misuse, problem use, abuse, and heavy use refers to improper use of alcohol which may cause physical, social, or moral harm to the drinker. Moderate use is defined by ''The Dietary Guidelines for Americans'' as no more than two alcoholic beverages per day for men and no more than one alcoholic beverage per day for women.

The term "alcoholism" is commonly used, but poorly defined. The WHO calls alcoholism "a term of long-standing use and variable meaning", and use of the term was disfavored by a 1979 WHO Expert Committee. ''The Big Book'' (from Alcoholics Anonymous) states that once a person is an alcoholic, they are always an alcoholic, but does not define what is meant by the term "alcoholic" in this context. In 1960, Bill W., co-founder of Alcoholics Anonymous (AA), said:

:We have never called alcoholism a disease because, technically speaking, it is not a disease entity. For example, there is no such thing as heart disease. Instead there are many separate heart ailments, or combinations of them. It is something like that with alcoholism. Therefore we did not wish to get in wrong with the medical profession by pronouncing alcoholism a disease entity. Therefore we always called it an illness, or a malady—a far safer term for us to use.

In professional and research contexts, the term "alcoholism" sometimes encompasses both alcohol abuse and alcohol dependence. and sometimes is considered equivalent to alcohol dependence. Talbot (1989) tells us alcoholism in the classical disease model will follow a progressive course. This basically means if a person continues to drink their condition will worsen. This will lead to harmful consequences in their life, physically, mentally, emotionally and socially. Johnson (1980) explores the emotional progression of the addict’s response to the alcohol. He looks at this in four phases. The first two is considered “normal” drinking and the last two are viewed "typical" alcoholic drinking. Johnson (1980) four phases consists of, 1) learning the mood swing; a person is introduced to alcohol, in some cultures this can happen at a relatively young age. The person enjoys the happy feeling, at this stage there is no emotional cost. 2) Seeking the mood swing, a person will drink to regain that feeling of euphoria; the drinking will increase as intoxication will be required. Again at this stage, there are no significant consequences. 3) At this stage there are consequences, i.e. hangovers, family problems, work problems etc. a person will continue to drink excessively disregarding the problems. 4) This stage can be detrimental as Johnson (1980) describes it as a risk for premature death. A person will drink to feel normal, they block out the feelings of overwhelming guilt, remorse, anxiety and shame they experience when sober. Other theorists such as Milam & Ketcham (1983) focus on the physical deterioration of alcohol. They described the process in three stages. 1) Adaptive stage, the person will not experience any negative symptoms, they will believe they have capacity for alcohol. Physiological changes are happening with the increase tolerance, this will not be noticeable to the drinker or others. 2) Dependent stage, at this stage, symptoms will build gradually. Hangover symptoms may be confused with withdrawal symptoms. Many addicts will maintain their drinking to avoid withdrawal sickness, drinking small amounts frequently. They will try and hide their problem from others and will avoid gross intoxication. 3) The final stage, deterioration, various organs are damaged due to long-term drinking. Medical treatment will be required; otherwise the pathological changes will cause death.

In psychology and psychiatry, the DSM is the most common global standard, while in medicine, the standard is ICD. The terms they recommend are similar but not identical:

! Organization	! Preferred term(s)	! Definition
American Psychiatric Association	"[[alcohol abuse" and "alcohol dependence"		* alcohol abuse = repeated use despite recurrent adverse consequences.	Drug tolerance>tolerance, withdrawal, and an uncontrollable drive to drink.	The term "alcoholism" was split into "alcohol abuse" and "alcohol dependence" in 1980's DSM-III, and in 1987's DSM-III-R behavioral symptoms were moved from "abuse" to "dependence". It has been suggested that DSM-V merge alcohol abuse and alcohol dependence into a single new entry, named "alcohol-use disorder".
	"alcohol harmful use" and "alcohol dependence syndrome"	Definitions are similar to that of the DSM-IV. The World Health Organisation uses the term alcohol dependence syndrome rather than alcoholism. The concept of "harmful use" (as opposed to "abuse") was introduced in 1992's ICD-10 to minimize underreporting of damage in the absence of dependence. The term "alcoholism" was removed from ICD between ICD-8/ICDA-8 and ICD-9.

Despite the imprecision inherent in the term, there have been attempts to define how the word "alcoholism" should be interpreted when encountered. In 1992, it was defined by the NCADD and ASAM as "a primary, chronic disease characterized by impaired control over drinking, preoccupation with the drug alcohol, use of alcohol despite adverse consequences, and distortions in thinking." MeSH has had an entry for "alcoholism" since 1999, and references the 1992 definition.

Historically the name dipsomania was coined by German physician Dr. C. W. Hufeland in 1819 before it was superseded by alcoholism. The term "alcoholism" was first used in 1849 by the Swedish physician Magnus Huss to describe the systematic adverse effects of alcohol.

AA describes alcoholism as an illness that involves a physical allergy (where "allergy" has a different meaning than that used in modern medicine.) and a mental obsession.The doctor and addiction specialist Dr. William D. Silkworth M.D. writes on behalf of AA that "Alcoholics suffer from a "(physical) craving beyond mental control".

A 1960 study by E. Morton Jellinek is considered the foundation of the modern disease theory of alcoholism. Jellinek's definition restricted the use of the word "alcoholism" to those showing a particular natural history. The modern medical definition of alcoholism has been revised numerous times since then. The American Medical Association currently uses the word alcoholism to refer to a particular chronic primary disease.

Dissenting opinion

See Disease theory of alcoholism.

Some physicians, scientists and others within the field reject the theory of alcoholism as a disease. Critics of the disease model tend to use the term "problem" or "heavy drinking" when discussing the negative effects of alcohol consumption. A significant publication called 'Problem Drinking' aimed to 'bridge the wide gap that exists between the modern, scientific account of the nature of alcohol problems, and the popular understanding of the subject. In particular, it presents detailed evidence and arguments against the commonly accepted view that 'alcoholism' is best regarded as a disease.'

Signs and symptoms

Long term mis-use

Alcoholism is characterised by an increased tolerance of and physical dependence on alcohol, affecting an individual's ability to control alcohol consumption safely. These characteristics are believed to play a role in impeding an alcoholic's ability to stop drinking. Alcoholism can have adverse effects on mental health, causing psychiatric disorders to develop and an increased risk of suicide.

Physical

Long term alcohol abuse can cause a number of physical symptoms, including cirrhosis of the liver, pancreatitis, epilepsy, polyneuropathy, alcoholic dementia, heart disease, nutritional deficiencies, and sexual dysfunction, and can eventually be fatal. Other physical effects include an increased risk of developing cardiovascular disease, malabsorption, alcoholic liver disease, and cancer. Damage to the central nervous system and peripheral nervous system can occur from sustained alcohol consumption.

Women develop long-term complications of alcohol dependence more rapidly than do men. Additionally, women have a higher mortality rate from alcoholism than men.

Psychiatric

Long term misuse of alcohol can cause a wide range of mental health problems. Severe cognitive problems are not uncommon; approximately 10 percent of all dementia cases are related to alcohol consumption, making it the second leading cause of dementia. Excessive alcohol use causes damage to brain function, and psychological health can be increasingly affected over time.

Psychiatric disorders are common in alcoholics, with as many as 25 percent suffering severe psychiatric disturbances. The most prevalent psychiatric symptoms are anxiety and depression disorders. Psychiatric symptoms usually initially worsen during alcohol withdrawal, but typically improve or disappear with continued abstinence. Psychosis, confusion, and organic brain syndrome may be caused by alcohol misuse, which can lead to a misdiagnosis such as schizophrenia. Panic disorder can develop or worsen as a direct result of long term alcohol misuse.

The co-occurrence of major depressive disorder and alcoholism is well documented. Among those with comorbid occurrences, a distinction is commonly made between depressive episodes that remit with alcohol abstinence ("substance-induced"), and depressive episodes that are primary and do not remit with abstinence ("independent" episodes). Additional use of other drugs may increase the risk of depression.

Psychiatric disorders differ depending on gender. Women who have alcohol-use disorders often have a co-occurring psychiatric diagnosis such as major depression, anxiety, panic disorder, bulimia, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), or borderline personality disorder. Men with alcohol-use disorders more often have a co-occurring diagnosis of narcissistic or antisocial personality disorder, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, impulse disorders or attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder. Alcoholism is associated with loss of employment, which can lead to financial problems. Drinking at inappropriate times, and behavior caused by reduced judgment, can lead to legal consequences, such as criminal charges for drunk driving or public disorder, or civil penalties for tortious behavior, and may lead to a criminal sentence.

An alcoholic's behavior and mental impairment, while drunk, can profoundly impact those surrounding them and lead to isolation from family and friends. This isolation can lead to marital conflict and divorce, or contribute to domestic violence. Alcoholism can also lead to child neglect, with subsequent lasting damage to the emotional development of the alcoholic's children.

Alcohol withdrawal

As with similar substances with a sedative-hypnotic mechanism, such as barbiturates and benzodiazepines, withdrawal from alcohol dependence can be fatal if it is not properly managed. Alcohol's primary effect is the increase in stimulation of the GABA_A receptor, promoting central nervous system depression. With repeated heavy consumption of alcohol, these receptors are desensitized and reduced in number, resulting in tolerance and physical dependence. When alcohol consumption is stopped too abruptly, the person's nervous system suffers from uncontrolled synapse firing. This can result in symptoms that include anxiety, life threatening seizures, delirium tremens, hallucinations, shakes and possible heart failure. Other neurotransmitter systems are also involved, especially dopamine, NMDA and glutamate.

Acute withdrawal symptoms tend to subside after one to three weeks. Less severe symptoms (e.g. insomnia and anxiety, anhedonia) may continue as part of a post withdrawal syndrome gradually improving with abstinence for a year or more. Withdrawal symptoms begin to subside as the body and central nervous system restore alcohol tolerance and GABA functioning towards normal.

Causes

A complex mixture of genetic and environmental factors influence the risk of the development of alcoholism. Genes which influence the metabolism of alcohol also influence the risk of alcoholism, and may be indicated by a family history of alcoholism. One paper has found that alcohol use at an early age may influence the expression of genes which increase the risk of alcohol dependence. Individuals who have a genetic disposition to alcoholism are also more likely to begin drinking at an earlier age than average. Also, a younger age of onset of drinking is associated with an increased risk of the development of alcoholism, and about 40 percent of alcoholics will drink excessively by their late adolescence. It is not entirely clear whether this association is causal, and some researchers have been known to disagree with this view. A high testosterone concentration during pregnancy may be a risk factor for later development of alcohol dependence.

Severe childhood trauma is also associated with an general increase in the risk of drug dependency. Lack of peer and family support is associated with an increased risk of alcoholism developing. Genetics and adolescence are associated with an increased sensitivity to the neurotoxic effects of chronic alcohol abuse. Cortical degeneration due to the neurotoxic effects increases impulsive behaviour, which may contribute to the development, persistence and severity of alcohol use disorders. There is evidence that with abstinence, there is a reversal of at least some of the alcohol induced central nervous system damage.

Genetic variation

Genetic differences exist between different racial groups which affect the risk of developing alcohol dependence. For example, there are differences between African, East Asian and Indo-racial groups in how they metabolize alcohol. These genetic factors are believed to, in part, explain the differing rates of alcohol dependence among racial groups. The alcohol dehydrogenase allele ADH1 B*3 causes a more rapid metabolism of alcohol. The allele ADH1 B*3 is only found in those of African descent and certain Native American tribes. African and native Americans with this allele have a reduced risk of developing alcoholism. Native Americans however, have a significantly higher rate of alcoholism than average; it is unclear why this is the case. Other risk factors such as cultural environmental effects e.g. trauma have been proposed to explain the higher rates of alcoholism among Native Americans compared to alcoholism levels in caucasians.

Pathophysiology

Alcohol's primary effect is the increase in stimulation of the GABA_A receptor, promoting central nervous system depression. With repeated heavy consumption of alcohol, these receptors are desensitized and reduced in number, resulting in tolerance and physical dependence. The amount of alcohol that can be biologically processed and its effects differ between sexes. Equal dosages of alcohol consumed by men and women generally result in women having higher blood alcohol concentrations (BACs). This can be attributed to many reasons, the main being that women have less body water than men. A given amount of alcohol, therefore becomes more highly concentrated in a woman's body. A given amount of alcohol causes greater intoxication for women due to different hormone release compared to men. In contrast, reduced fear of stigma may lead men to admit that they are suffering from a medical condition, to publicly display their drinking, and to drink in groups. This pattern, in turn, leads family, physicians, and others to be more likely to suspect that a man they know is an alcoholic.

The CAGE questionnaire, named for its four questions, is one such example that may be used to screen patients quickly in a doctor's office.

:The CAGE questionnaire has demonstrated a high effectiveness in detecting alcohol related problems; however, it has limitations in people with less severe alcohol related problems, white women and college students.

Other tests are sometimes used for the detection of alcohol dependence, such as the Alcohol Dependence Data Questionnaire, which is a more sensitive diagnostic test than the CAGE questionnaire. It helps distinguish a diagnosis of alcohol dependence from one of heavy alcohol use. The Michigan Alcohol Screening Test (MAST) is a screening tool for alcoholism widely used by courts to determine the appropriate sentencing for people convicted of alcohol-related offenses, driving under the influence being the most common. The Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT), a screening questionnaire developed by the World Health Organization, is unique in that it has been validated in six countries and is used internationally. Like the CAGE questionnaire, it uses a simple set of questions – a high score earning a deeper investigation. The Paddington Alcohol Test (PAT) was designed to screen for alcohol related problems amongst those attending Accident and Emergency departments. It concords well with the AUDIT questionnaire but is administered in a fifth of the time.

Genetic predisposition testing

Psychiatric geneticists John I. Nurnberger, Jr., and Laura Jean Bierut suggest that alcoholism does not have a single cause—including genetic—but that genes do play an important role "by affecting processes in the body and brain that interact with one another and with an individual's life experiences to produce protection or susceptibility". They also report that fewer than a dozen alcoholism-related genes have been identified, but that more likely await discovery.

At least one genetic test exists for an allele that is correlated to alcoholism and opiate addiction. Human dopamine receptor genes have a detectable variation referred to as the DRD2 TaqI polymorphism. Those who possess the A1 allele (variation) of this polymorphism have a small but significant tendency towards addiction to opiates and endorphin-releasing drugs like alcohol. Although this allele is slightly more common in alcoholics and opiate addicts, it is not by itself an adequate predictor of alcoholism, and some researchers argue that evidence for DRD2 is contradictory.

DSM diagnosis

The DSM-IV diagnosis of alcohol dependence represents one approach to the definition of alcoholism. In part this is to assist in the development of research protocols in which findings can be compared to one another. According to the DSM-IV, an alcohol dependence diagnosis is:

Urine and blood tests

There are reliable tests for the actual use of alcohol, one common test being that of blood alcohol content (BAC). These tests do not differentiate alcoholics from non-alcoholics; however, long-term heavy drinking does have a few recognizable effects on the body, including:

Macrocytosis (enlarged MCV)

Elevated GGT

Moderate elevation of AST and ALT and an AST: ALT ratio of 2:1

High carbohydrate deficient transferrin (CDT)

However, none of these blood tests for biological markers is as sensitive as screening questionnaires.

Prevention

The World Health Organization, the European Union and other regional bodies, national governments and parliaments have formed alcohol policies in order to reduce the harm of alcoholism. Targeting adolescents and young adults is regarded as an important step to reduce the harm of alcohol abuse. Increasing the age at which licit drugs of abuse such as alcohol can be purchased, the banning or restricting advertising of alcohol has been recommended as additional ways of reducing the harm of alcohol dependence and abuse. Credible, evidence based educational campaigns in the mass media about the consequences of alcohol abuse have been recommended. Guidelines for parents to prevent alcohol abuse amongst adolescents, and for helping young people with mental health problems have also been suggested.

Management

Treatments are varied because there are multiple perspectives of alcoholism. Those who approach alcoholism as a medical condition or disease recommend differing treatments than, for instance, those who approach the condition as one of social choice. Most treatments focus on helping people discontinue their alcohol intake, followed up with life training and/or social support in order to help them resist a return to alcohol use. Since alcoholism involves multiple factors which encourage a person to continue drinking, they must all be addressed in order to successfully prevent a relapse. An example of this kind of treatment is detoxification followed by a combination of supportive therapy, attendance at self-help groups, and ongoing development of coping mechanisms. The treatment community for alcoholism typically supports an abstinence-based zero tolerance approach; however, there are some who promote a harm-reduction approach as well.

Detoxification

Alcohol detoxification or 'detox' for alcoholics is an abrupt stop of alcohol drinking coupled with the substitution of drugs, such as benzodiazepines, that have similar effects to prevent alcohol withdrawal. Individuals who are only at risk of mild to moderate withdrawal symptoms can be detoxified as outpatients. Individuals at risk of a severe withdrawal syndrome as well as those who have significant or acute comorbid conditions are generally treated as inpatients. Detoxification does not actually treat alcoholism, and it is necessary to follow-up detoxification with an appropriate treatment program for alcohol dependence or abuse in order to reduce the risk of relapse.

Group therapy and psychotherapy

Various forms of group therapy or psychotherapy can be used to deal with underlying psychological issues that are related to alcohol addiction, as well as provide relapse prevention skills. The mutual-help group-counseling approach is one of the most common ways of helping alcoholics maintain sobriety. Alcoholics Anonymous was one of the first organizations formed to provide mutual, nonprofessional counseling, and it is still the largest. Others include LifeRing Secular Recovery, SMART Recovery, Women For Sobriety, and SOS- Secular Organization for Sobriety.

Rationing and moderation

Rationing and moderation programs such as Moderation Management and DrinkWise do not mandate complete abstinence. While most alcoholics are unable to limit their drinking in this way, some return to moderate drinking. A 2002 U.S. study by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) showed that 17.7 percent of individuals diagnosed as alcohol dependent more than one year prior returned to low-risk drinking. This group, however, showed fewer initial symptoms of dependency. A follow-up study, using the same subjects that were judged to be in remission in 2001–2002, examined the rates of return to problem drinking in 2004–2005. The study found abstinence from alcohol was the most stable form of remission for recovering alcoholics. A long-term (60 year) follow-up of two groups of alcoholic men concluded that "return to controlled drinking rarely persisted for much more than a decade without relapse or evolution into abstinence."

Medications

A variety of medications may be prescribed as part of treatment for alcoholism.

Medications currently in use

''Antabuse'' (disulfiram) prevents the elimination of acetaldehyde, a chemical the body produces when breaking down ethanol. Acetaldehyde itself is the cause of many hangover symptoms from alcohol use. The overall effect is severe discomfort when alcohol is ingested: an extremely fast-acting and long-lasting uncomfortable hangover. This discourages an alcoholic from drinking in significant amounts while they take the medicine. A recent nine-year study found that incorporation of supervised disulfiram and the related compound carbimide into a comprehensive treatment program resulted in an abstinence rate of over 50 percent.

''Temposil'' (calcium carbimide) works in the same way as Antabuse; it has an advantage in that the occasional adverse effects of disulfiram, hepatotoxicity and drowsiness, do not occur with calcium carbimide.

''Naltrexone'' is a competitive antagonist for opioid receptors, effectively blocking the effects of endorphins and opiates. Naltrexone is used to decrease cravings for alcohol and encourage abstinence. Alcohol causes the body to release endorphins, which in turn release dopamine and activate the reward pathways; hence when naltrexone is in the body there is a reduction in the pleasurable effects from consuming alcohol. Naltrexone is also used in an alcoholism treatment method called the Sinclair Method, which treats patients through a combination of Naltrexone and continued drinking.

''Campral'' (acamprosate) stabilises the brain chemistry that is altered due to alcohol dependence via antagonising the actions of glutamate, a neurotransmitter which is hyperactive in the post-withdrawal phase. A 2010 review of medical studies demonstrated that acamprosate reduces the incidence of relapse amongst alcohol dependent persons.

A study of a large number (>27,000) of alcohol dependence-related insurance claims suggested that healthcare utilization, such as the number of inpatient detoxification days, alcoholism-related inpatient days, and alcoholism-related emergency department visits was significantly reduced in the patient population receiving alcoholism medications (naltrexone, naltrexone XR [an injectable sustained-release form of naltrexone], disulfiram [Antabuse], acomprosate) when compared to the patient population that did not take any medications.

Experimental medications

''Topamax'' (topiramate), a derivative of the naturally occurring sugar monosaccharide D-fructose, has been found effective in helping alcoholics quit or cut back on the amount they drink. Evidence suggests that topiramate antagonizes excitatory glutamate receptors, inhibits dopamine release, and enhances inhibitory gamma-aminobutyric acid function. A 2008 review of the effectiveness of topiramate concluded that the results of published trials are promising, however as of 2008, data was insufficient to support using topiramate in conjunction with brief weekly compliance counseling as a first-line agent for alcohol dependence. A 2010 review found that topiramate may be superior to existing alcohol pharmacotherapeutic options. Topiramate effectively reduces craving and alcohol withdrawal severity as well as improving quality-of-life-ratings.

Medications which may worsen outcome

Benzodiazepines, whilst useful in the management of acute alcohol withdrawal, if used long-term cause a worse outcome in alcoholism. Alcoholics on chronic benzodiazepines have a lower rate of achieving abstinence from alcohol than those not taking benzodiazepines. This class of drugs are commonly prescribed to alcoholics for insomnia or anxiety management. Initiating prescriptions of benzodiazepines or sedative-hypnotics in individuals in recovery has a high rate of relapse with one author reporting more than a quarter of people relapsed after being prescribed sedative-hypnotics. Those who are long-term users of benzodiazepines should not be withdrawn rapidly, as severe anxiety and panic may develop, which are known risk factors for relapse into alcohol abuse. Taper regimes of 6–12 months have been found to be the most successful, with reduced intensity of withdrawal.

Dual addictions

Alcoholics may also require treatment for other psychotropic drug addictions. The most common dual addiction in alcohol dependence is a benzodiazepine dependence, with studies showing 10–20 percent of alcohol-dependent individuals had problems of dependence and/or misuse problems of benzodiazepines. Benzodiazepines increase cravings for alcohol and the volume of alcohol consumed by problem drinkers. Benzodiazepine dependency requires careful reduction in dosage to avoid benzodiazepine withdrawal syndrome and other health consequences.

Dependence on other sedative hypnotics such as zolpidem and zopiclone as well as opiates and illegal drugs is common in alcoholics.

Alcohol itself is a sedative-hypnotic and is cross-tolerant with other sedative-hypnotics such as barbiturates, benzodiazepines and nonbenzodiazepines. Dependence upon and withdrawal from sedative hypnotics can be medically severe and, as with alcohol withdrawal, there is a risk of psychosis or seizures if not managed properly.

Epidemiology

thumb|300px|right|Disability-adjusted life year for alcohol use disorders per 100,000 inhabitants in 2002.

Substance use disorders are a major public health problem facing many countries. "The most common substance of abuse/dependence in patients presenting for treatment is alcohol." In the United Kingdom, the number of 'dependent drinkers' was calculated as over 2.8 million in 2001. About 12% of American adults have had an alcohol dependence problem at some time in their life. The World Health Organization estimates that about 140 million people throughout the world suffer from alcohol dependence. In the United States and western Europe 10 to 20 percent of men and 5 to 10 percent of women at some point in their lives will meet criteria for alcoholism.

Within the medical and scientific communities, there is broad consensus regarding alcoholism as a disease state. For example, the American Medical Association considers alcohol a drug and states that "drug addiction is a chronic, relapsing brain disease characterized by compulsive drug seeking and use despite often devastating consequences. It results from a complex interplay of biological vulnerability, environmental exposure, and developmental factors (e.g., stage of brain maturity)."

Alcoholism has a higher prevalence among men, though in recent decades, the proportion of female alcoholics has increased. Current evidence indicates that in both men and women, alcoholism is 50–60 percent genetically determined, leaving 40–50 percent for environmental influences. Most alcoholics develop alcoholism during adolescence or young adulthood.

Prognosis

A 2002 study by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism surveyed a group of 4,422 adults meeting the criteria for alcohol dependence and found that after one year, some met the authors' criteria for low-risk drinking, even though only 25.5 percent of the group received any treatment, with the breakdown as follows: 25 percent were found to be still dependent, 27.3 percent were in partial remission (some symptoms persist), 11.8 percent asymptomatic drinkers (consumption increases chances of relapse) and 35.9 percent were fully recovered — made up of 17.7 percent low-risk drinkers plus 18.2 percent abstainers.

In contrast, however, the results of a long term (60 year) follow-up of two groups of alcoholic men by George Vaillant at Harvard Medical School indicated that "return to controlled drinking rarely persisted for much more than a decade without relapse or evolution into abstinence." Vaillant also noted that "return-to-controlled drinking, as reported in short-term studies, is often a mirage."

The most common cause of death in alcoholics is from cardiovascular complications. There is a high rate of suicide in chronic alcoholics, which increases the longer a person drinks. This is believed to be due to alcohol causing physiological distortion of brain chemistry, as well as social isolation. Suicide is also very common in adolescent alcohol abusers, with 25 percent of suicides in adolescents being related to alcohol abuse. Approximately 18 percent of alcoholics commit suicide, and research has found that over 50 percent of all suicides are associated with alcohol or drug dependence. The figure is higher for adolescents, with alcohol or drug misuse playing a role in up to 70 percent of suicides.

History

Alcohol has a long history of use and misuse throughout recorded history. Biblical, Egyptian and Babylonian sources record the history of abuse and dependence on alcohol. In some ancient cultures alcohol was worshiped and in others its abuse was condemned. Excessive alcohol misuse and drunkenness were recognised as causing social problems even thousands of years ago. However, the defining of habitual drunkenness as it was then known as and its adverse consequences were not well established medically until the 18th century. In 1647 a Greek monk named Agapios was the first to document that chronic alcohol misuse was associated with toxicity to the nervous system and body which resulted in a range of medical disorders such as seizures, paralysis and internal bleeding. In 1920 the effects of alcohol abuse and chronic drunkenness led to the failed prohibition of alcohol being considered and eventually enforced briefly in America. In 2005 the cost of alcohol dependence and abuse was estimated to cost the USA economy approximately 220 billion dollars per year, more than cancer and obesity.

Society and culture

The various health problems associated with long-term alcohol consumption are generally perceived as detrimental to society, for example, money due to lost labor-hours, medical costs, and secondary treatment costs. Alcohol use is a major contributing factor for head injuries, motor vehicle accidents, violence, and assaults. Beyond money, there are also significant social costs to both the alcoholic and their family and friends. For instance, alcohol consumption by a pregnant woman can lead to fetal alcohol syndrome, an incurable and damaging condition.

Estimates of the economic costs of alcohol abuse, collected by the World Health Organization, vary from one to six percent of a country's GDP. One Australian estimate pegged alcohol's social costs at 24% of all drug abuse costs; a similar Canadian study concluded alcohol's share was 41%. One study quantified the cost to the UK of ''all'' forms of alcohol misuse in 2001 as £18.5–20 billion.

Stereotypes of alcoholics are often found in fiction and popular culture. The 'town drunk' is a stock character in Western popular culture. Stereotypes of drunkenness may be based on racism or xenophobia, as in the depiction of the Irish as heavy drinkers. Studies by social psychologists Stivers and Greeley attempt to document the perceived prevalence of high alcohol consumption amongst the Irish in America.

Alcohol consumption is relatively similar between many European cultures, the United States, and Australia. In Asian countries that have a high gross domestic product, there is heightened drinking compared to other Asian countries, but it is nowhere near as high as it is in other countries like the United States. It also inversely seen, with countries that have very low gross domestic product showing high alcohol consumption.

In a study done on Korean immigrants in Canada, they reported alcohol was even an integral part of their meal, and is the only time solo drinking should occur. They also believe alcohol is necessary at any social event as it helps conversations start.

Caucasians have a much lower abstinence rate (11.8%)and much higher tolerance to symptoms (3.4±2.45 drinks) of alcohol than Chinese (33.4% and 2.2±1.78 drinks respectively). Also, the more acculturation there is between cultures, the more influenced the culture is to adopt Caucasians drinking practices.

One reason alcoholism is so rampant in Native American culture is that many attempts to solve the addiction don’t work. Tribe leaders have suggested the use of native cultural beliefs. Peyote, a psychoactive agent, has even shown promise in treating alcoholism. This is interesting because alcohol replaced peyote as Native American’s psychoactive agent in rituals when peyote was outlawed.

See also

Addictive personality

Alcoholism in family systems

Alcohol-related traffic crashes

Drug addiction

High-functioning alcoholic

List of countries by alcohol consumption

;Questionnaires

Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test

CAGE questionnaire

CRAFFT Screening Test

Paddington Alcohol Test

Severity of Alcohol Dependence Questionnaire

References

Further reading

National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism. "Etiology and Natural History of Alcoholism".

The Online Resource for Addiction Recovery, Addiction Treatment & Addiction help. "Addiction Recovery".

Pence, Gregory, "Kant on Whether Alcoholism is a Disease," Ch. 2, ''The Elements of Bioethics'', McGraw-Hill Books, 2007 ISBN 0-07-313277-2.

Thompson, Warren, MD, FACP. "Alcoholism." Emedicine.com, June 6, 2007. Retrieved 2007-09-02.

External links

DMOZ Alcohol abuse links and support groups at the Open Directory Project

Category:Alcohol abuse Category:Drinking culture Category:Drug addiction

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Coordinates	46°43′54″N116°59′50″N
name	Avicii
background	non_vocal_instrumentalist
birth name	Tim Bergling
alias	Avicii, Tim Berg, Tom Hangs
birth date	September 08, 1989
origin	Stockholm, Sweden
genre	House, electro house, progressive house
occupation	Electronic musician, DJ, record producer
years active	2008–''present''
label	Strike Recordings, Joia Records, Vicious Vinyl, Ministry of Sound Australia
website
notable instruments	}}

Tim Bergling (born 8 September 1989), known professionally as Avicii (pronounced as uh-VEE-chee), Tim Berg and Tom Hangs, is a Swedish DJ, remixer, and record producer. His single "Bromance" (recorded under the pseudonym Tim Berg) has charted in the top 20 on the national single charts of Belgium, the Netherlands, and his native Sweden. A lyricized version titled "Seek Bromance" was released shortly thereafter, charting on the UK Singles Chart and reaching number one on the international Beatport chart. Other singles include "Levels" (also known as "ID" and sampling the song "Something's Got a Hold On Me" by "Etta James"), "Fade Into Darkness" (sampling the song "Perpetuum Mobile" by "Penguin Cafe Orchestra,"), "My Feelings for You," "Street Dancer," and "Tweet It" among others. Currently he is releasing music under the recording studio "Ministry of Sound".

Personal background

Avicii was born on 8 September 1989 in Stockholm, Sweden. His birth name is Tim Bergling, while he is known professionally as both Avicii and Tim Berg. Explaining his "Avicii" moniker, Berg states,

Avici is kind of like Dante's Inferno ... it's the lowest level of hell in Buddhism. A friend of mine told me about it, and it stuck in my head. I was going to make up a name for my MySpace page for the first time, and I just kind of went for it. I tried a couple of other [names] before, but they were all taken (laughing). I kind of ended up with Avicii, and then I got really attached to it.

—Tim Berg

Professional background

Avicii emerged in the music industry in 2008, when he was 18 years old, compiling a remix of the theme song to the Commodore 64 video game ''Lazy Jones''. This led to his first release on Strike Recordings, entitled "Lazy Lace."

In 2010, Avicii released a collaboration with fellow Swedish DJ John Dahlbäck, titled "Don't Hold Back." He is additionally working on projects with internationally-recognized DJs Tiësto and Sebastian Ingrosso. While his work is primarily electronic synthetic tracks, EMI released a vocal version of his track "Bromance," titled "Seek Bromance."

In October 2010, Avicii signed with the European A&R; team with EMI Music Publishing. Based in London and New York, EMI is the fourth-largest business group and family of record labels in the recording industry, making it one of the "big four" record companies and a member of the RIAA.

Influences

Avicii's influences include Laidback Luke, Sebastian Ingrosso, Steve Angello, Axwell, Eric Prydz, and Daft Punk.

"I’ve always been into music and growing up with older siblings. I’ve also had loads of different influences when it comes to my music taste. There are loads of other people that have influenced me but I think the biggest inspirations I’ve had aside from my manager has been the Swedish House Mafia guys and Eric Prydz, they were the ones who first got me into house!" Avicii - April 2011

His first big track, "Manman," was released on Pete Tong's label, Bedroom Bedlam, after winning Pete Tong's Fast Trax with 70 percent of the votes.

Touring

In 2010, Avicii embarked on his first world tour, primarily encompassing North America and Western Europe.

In North America, he played at Club Glow in Washington, D.C.; SET and Nikki Beach in Miami; Club Pacha in New York; Electric Zoo Festival at Randall's Island in New York; Ultra Music Festival in Miami; Electric Daisy Carnival at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum; Ruby Skye in San Francisco; Vision Night Club in Chicago; The Guvernment in Toronto; Beta in Waterloo, Ontario; Stages in Kingston, Ontario; Muzique in Montreal; Club Mansion in London, Ontario, The Majestic in Madison, Wisconsin, Congress Theater in Chicago, Illinois,Wet Republic's Daylife in Las Vegas and The Edmonton Event Center in Edmonton, among other locations.

European cities and venues include Space in Ibiza; Monaco International Clubbing Show at Grimaldi Forum in Monaco; Fabulous Festival in 's-Hertogenbosch, Netherlands; Ms Connexion in Mannheim; Aquarius Zrće in Novalja; La Dune in Toulouse; Illusions at Festivalpark Complex in Hradec Králové, Czech Republic; AF-Borgen in, Sweden; and Mach 1 in Nuremberg.

Several of his concerts have been recorded for Sirius XM Radio's Trance and Progressive House channel. On 23 October 2010, in support of his world tour, Avicii presented his work in an exclusive hour-long set on Channel 38 of the Electric Area on Sirius XM Radio.

Avicii also played at Tara's in Port-au-Prince, Haiti on July 8, 2011, at Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic on July 9, 2011, Governors Island, NYC on July 17, 2011 and at Tomorrowland in Boom, Belgium on July 23, 2011.

Avicii will be performing on September 7, 2011 at Brock University in St. Catharines, Canada. On September 11th, he will be performing in London, Ontario as part of the O-Week celebration for The University of Western Ontario. On October 15. he will be performing in Slovenia, Ljubljana at the INTERNATIONAL FOAM FESTIVAL with David Morales and Ian Carey. On September 11, 2011 he will be performing at Syracuse University.

Discography

Singles

Year	Song	Peak chart positions							Album
		!style="width:4em;font-size:85%;"	!style="width:4em;font-size:85%;"	!style="width:4em;font-size:85%;"	!style="width:4em;font-size:85%;"	!style="width:4em;font-size:85%;"	!style="width:4em;font-size:85%;"	!style="width:4em;font-size:85%;"
		—	—	—	30	—	—	—
	13	1	4	2	13	3	1
	37	—	—	24	46	4	7
	16	—	—	—	—	—	—
	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
	—	—	—	—	—	—	—

As featured artist

Year	Song	Peak chart positions	Album
		!style="width:4em;font-size:85%;"
2011	align="left"	—	''Glass Heart''

Other charted songs

Year	Song	Peak chart positions	Album
		!style="width:4em;font-size:85%;"
		67
	92

Remixes

Year
rowspan="5"	2009	"Escape Me" (Avicii's Remix At Night)	Tiesto ft. CC Sheffield
>"Holiday (Dizzee Rascal song)	Holiday" (Avicii Remix)	Dizzee Rascal ft. Chrome
	"New New New" (Avicii Remix)	Bob Sinclar
	"One Love" (Avicii Remix)	David Guetta ft. Estelle
	"Remedy" (Avicii Remix)	Little Boots
rowspan="10"	2010	Seek Bromance>Bromance" (Avicii Arena Mix)
	"Can't Fight This Feeling" (Avicii Universe Mix)	Junior Caldera ft. Sophie Ellis-Bextor
	"Cookies with a Smile" (Avicii Remix)	Dada Life
	"Gettin' Over You" (Avicii Vocal Mix)	David Guetta ft. Chris Willis, Fergie (singer)
	"[[Hang with Me" (Avicii Exclusive Club Mix)	Robyn
	"I Feel Love" (Avicii's Forgotten Mix)	Rhythm Masters & MYNC ft. Wynter Gordon
	"I Like It" (Avicii Remix)	Enrique Iglesias ft. Pitbull (rapper)>Pitbull
	"Make My Heart" (Avicii's Replacer Remix)	Toni Braxton
	"Rapture" (Avicii New Generation Mix)	Nadia Ali
	"Set Me Free" (Avicii Remix)	Phonat
rowspan="5"	2011	"Derezzed" (Avicii Remix)
	"Drowning" (Avicii Unnamed Mix)	Armin Van Buuren ft. Laura V
	"Blessed" (Avicii Edit)	Tom Hangs feat. Shermanology
	"Revolver" (Avicii Remix)	Philter (band)>Philter
	"Dropzone" (Avicii Remix)	Michael Woods (producer)>Michael Woods

Guest appearances

! Year	! Song	! Album
2011		''Nothing but the Beat''

References

External links

Interview Avicii - Actualites Electroniques Interview Avicii - Actualites Electroniques

Category:Living people Category:Remixers Category:Swedish house musicians Category:Swedish record producers Category:1989 births Category:FL Studio users

da:Avicii de:Avicii es:Avicii eo:Avicii fr:Avicii it:Avicii hu:Avicii nl:Avicii sv:Avicii

Coordinates	46°43′54″N116°59′50″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

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Coordinates	46°43′54″N116°59′50″N
Name	Jamie Foxx
Birth name	Eric Marlon Bishop
Birth date	December 13, 1967
Birth place	Terrell, Texas, United States
Medium	Stand up, Film, Television, Radio, Music
Nationality	American
Active	1989–present
Associated acts	Kanye West, T.I., Keyshia Cole
Genre	Musical comedy, Political satire, Observational comedy, Character comedy, Black comedy
Subject	Race relations, Racism, African-American culture, Celebrities, Human sexuality, American politics, Current events, Self-deprecation
Occupation	Singer, Actor, Rapper, Comedian
Notable work	Law Abiding CitizenJamie King on The Jamie Foxx ShowRay Charles in RayNico in Rio
Working with	Flo Rida, Kanye West, A-Trak, KiD CuDi
Website	Official site }}

Eric Marlon Bishop (born December 13, 1967), professionally known as Jamie Foxx, is an American actor, singer-songwriter, stand-up comedian, and talk radio host. As an actor, his work in the film ''Ray'' earned him the Academy Award and BAFTA Award for Best Actor as well as the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor in a musical/comedy. He is also a Grammy Award winning musician, producing three albums which have charted highly on the Billboard 200: ''Unpredictable'', which topped the chart, ''Best Night of My Life'' and ''Intuition''.

Born in Terrell, Texas, Foxx was raised by his mother's adoptive parents. He performed in high school and was awarded with a scholarship to United States International University. In his twenties, Foxx began performing stand-up at comedy clubs, and eventually joined the cast of ''In Living Color'' in 1991; this exposure helped him land film roles and star in his own sitcom, ''The Jamie Foxx Show''. He released his debut album, ''Peep This'', in 1994, but he did not gain significant musical success until 2004 when he was featured in Twista's song "Slow Jamz". Also in 2004, Foxx played critically acclaimed roles in the films ''Collateral'' and ''Ray''. He released his second album, ''Unpredictable'', in 2005, which was helped by his collaboration on Kanye West's number-one single "Gold Digger". His third album ''Intuition'' was released in 2008 and was anchored by the single "Blame It". Foxx released his fourth studio album, ''Best Night of My Life'', in 2010.

Early life

Foxx was born as Eric Marlon Bishop on December 13, 1967, in Terrell, Texas. He is the son of Louise Annette Talley Dixon and Darrell Bishop. Foxx was abandoned seven months after birth, and was subsequently adopted and raised in Terrell by his mother's adoptive parents, Estelle and Mark Talley. Terrell was a racially segregated community at the time. Foxx had a strict Baptist upbringing and began piano lessons at the age of five by his grandmother's orders. As a teenager, he was a part-time pianist and choir leader in Terrell's New Hope Baptist Church. Jamie also was a good dancer.

Foxx attended Terrell High School, where he received top grades, played basketball and football as quarterback, and had an ambition to play for the Dallas Cowboys. He was the first player in the school's history to pass for more than 1,000 yards. He also sang in a band called Leather and Lace. After completing high school, Foxx received a scholarship to United States International University, where he studied classical music and composition. He has often acknowledged his grandmother's influence in his life as one of the greatest reasons for his success.

Stand-up career

After accepting a girlfriend's dare, Foxx told jokes and did impressions at a comedy club's open mic night in 1989. When he found that female comedians were often called first to perform, he changed his name to Jamie Foxx, feeling that it was an ambiguous enough name to disallow any biases. He chose his surname as a tribute to comedian Redd Foxx. In addition his recurrent ''In Living Color'' character LaWanda shared names with Redd's friend and co-worker, LaWanda Page.

Acting career

''In Living Color'' and other TV series

Foxx joined the cast of ''In Living Color'' in 1991 and subsequently played a recurring role in the comedy-drama sitcom ''Roc''. From 1996 to 2001, Foxx starred in his own sitcom ''The Jamie Foxx Show'', and in 1992 he made his film debut.

Film career

Foxx made his film debut in the 1992 comedy ''Toys''. His first dramatic role came in Oliver Stone's 1999 film ''Any Given Sunday'', where he portrayed a hard-partying American football player. He was cast in the role in part because of his background as a football player. Following ''Any Given Sunday'', Foxx was featured as taxi driver Max Durocher in the film ''Collateral'' alongside Tom Cruise, for which he received outstanding reviews and a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor. His standout performance, however, was his portrayal of Ray Charles in the biopic ''Ray'' (2004), for which he won the Academy Award for Best Actor and the BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role.

Foxx is the second male in history to receive two acting Oscar nominations in the same year for two different movies, ''Collateral'' and ''Ray''. The only other male actor to achieve this was Al Pacino. In 2005, Foxx was invited to join the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

Following these successes, Foxx appeared in ''Jarhead'', ''Miami Vice'', and ''Dreamgirls'', which were box-office hits, and lifted his profile even higher as a bankable star in Hollywood. 2007 brought him the lead role in the film ''The Kingdom'' opposite Chris Cooper, Jason Bateman, Jennifer Garner and Ashraf Barhom.

In September 2007, Foxx was awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. He said, upon receiving the honor, "[it was] one of the most amazing days of my life."

In April 2009, Foxx played the lead role in the dramatic film ''The Soloist''. A few months later in October 2009, He played a starring role along side Gerard Butler in the thriller Law Abiding Citizen. In April 2011, Foxx voiced Nico, a canary in the movie ''Rio''.

In 2011, Foxx was officially cast in the title role of, Django Unchained. It will be written and directed by Quentin Tarantino, and he will star alongside Christoph Waltz, Leonardo DiCaprio, Samuel L. Jackson, and Kevin Costner.

Music career

Foxx began piano lessons at age five. In 1994, Foxx released an album (on the Fox record label) entitled ''Peep This''. His music career shifted into a higher gear when, in 2004, he was featured on rapper Twista's song, "Slow Jamz", which also featured Kanye West. The song reached number one on the U.S. ''Billboard'' Hot 100 singles chart, as well as number three on the UK singles chart. Foxx's second collaboration with Kanye West, "Gold Digger," in which he sang the "I Got a Woman" Ray Charles-influenced hook, went straight to number one on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, and remained there for 10 weeks. In 2005, Foxx was featured on the single "Georgia" by Atlanta rappers Ludacris and Field Mob. The song sampled Ray Charles' hit "Georgia on My Mind."

Foxx released his second studio album, ''Unpredictable'', in December 2005. It debuted at number two, selling 598,000 copies in its first week. The following week, the album rose to number one, selling an additional 200,000 copies. To date, the album has sold 1.98 million copies in the United States, and was certified double Platinum by the RIAA. The album also charted on the UK Albums Chart, where it peaked at number nine. Foxx became the fourth artist to have won an Academy Award for an acting role and to have achieved a number-one record album in the US. (The other three to accomplish this feat were Frank Sinatra, Bing Crosby, and Barbra Streisand.) Foxx's first single from the album, the title track "Unpredictable" (featuring Ludacris), samples "Wildflower" by New Birth. The song peaked inside the top 10 of the Billboard Hot 100 and also made the UK top 20 singles chart. The second US single from the album was "DJ Play a Love Song," which reunited Foxx with Twista. In the UK, however, the second single was "Extravaganza," which saw Foxx once again collaborate with Kanye West. He was not, however, featured in the song's music video.

At the 2006 Black Entertainment Television (BET) Awards, Foxx won Best Duet/Collaboration with Kanye West for "Gold Digger" and tied with Mary J. Blige's "Be Without You" for Video of the year. On December 8, 2006, Foxx received four Grammy nominations, which included Best R&B; Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals for ''Love Changes'' featuring Mary J. Blige, Best R&B; Album for ''Unpredictable'', Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group for ''Georgia'' by Ludacris & Field Mob featuring Jamie Foxx, and Best Rap/Sung Collaboration for ''Unpredictable'' featuring Ludacris.

On January 22, 2007, Foxx was on Sirius Satellite Radio, announcing his new channel The Foxxhole. The channel features talk-radio programs, stand-up comedy albums, and music primarily by African-American performers, and features much of Foxx's own material as well. ''The Jamie Foxx Show'', Foxx's own talk-radio variety program, airs Friday evenings on The Foxxhole, and features Johnny Mack, Speedy, The Poetess, Lewis Dix, and T.D.P., as his co-hosts. Guests include popular musicians, actors, and fellow comedians.

He recorded a song with country superstars Rascal Flatts entitled "She Goes All the Way" for their album, ''Still Feels Good''. Foxx also performed background vocals for artist/songwriter Tank. He and The-Dream are featured on Plies' "Please Excuse My Hands." He also appeared on the remix of Ne-Yo's "Miss Independent" entitled "She Got Her Own." The track also features Fabolous. Foxx then collaborated with rapper The Game on the track "Around The World."

Foxx released his third album titled ''Intuition'' in 2008, featuring such artists as Kanye West, T.I., Lil Wayne, and T-Pain. The album's first single, "Just Like Me" featuring T.I., was promoted by a video directed by Brett Ratner and featuring an appearance by Taraji P. Henson. The second single "Blame It" featured T-Pain and became a top 5 single on the Billboard Hot 100 and a number-one single on the Billboard Hot R&B;/Hip-Hop Songs chart. The "Blame It" music video, directed by Hype Williams, features cameo appearances by Forest Whitaker, Samuel L. Jackson, Ron Howard, Quincy Jones, and Jake Gyllenhaal, among others. Foxx was also featured on T.I.'s single "Live in the Sky" from the album ''King''.

On April 6, 2009 Foxx performed the George Strait song "You Look So Good in Love" at the George Strait Artist of the Decade All-Star Concert. Foxx has been a fan of country music for many years.

Jamie Foxx hosted the 2009 BET Awards ceremony on June 28, 2009, which featured several tributes to pop star Michael Jackson, who had died three days prior to the show. Aside from performing "Blame It" with T-Pain and "She Got Her Own" with Ne-Yo and Fabolous, Foxx opened the show with a rendition of Jackson's "Beat It" dance routine and closed the show with a cover of The Jackson 5's "I'll Be There" with Ne-Yo. Foxx stated during the ceremony, "We want to celebrate this black man. He belongs to us and we shared him with everybody else."

Foxx released his fourth album, ''Best Night of My Life'', on December 21, 2010. The first single is "Winner", featuring Justin Timberlake and T.I.. The second single is "Living Better Now" featuring rapper Rick Ross and the third single is "Fall For Your Type" featuring rapper Drake.

Personal life

Foxx has a daughter, Corinne Bishop, who was born in 1994. Former ''Jamie Foxx Show'' co-star Garcelle Beauvais-Nilon made a public announcement on ''The Wendy Williams Show'' stating that Foxx has a second child. Foxx was spotted with the baby in Miami for New Year's Eve 2010, and it was revealed to be a girl.

Foxx performed a public service announcement for Do Something to promote food drives in local communities.

In April 2003, Foxx was involved in an incident with two police officers who were attempting to escort him and his sister out of Harrah's casino in New Orleans. Employees claimed they had failed to show identification upon entry. Originally charged with trespassing, disturbing the peace, battery on police officers and resisting arrest, Foxx pleaded no contest to disturbing the peace in exchange for the other charges being dropped, and was sentenced to a six month suspended jail term with two years probation and a $1500 fine.

Discography

''Peep This'' (1994)

''Unpredictable'' (2005)

''Intuition'' (2008)

''Best Night of My Life'' (2010)

Tours

The Unpredictable Tour (2006)

The Blame It Tour (2009)

Filmography

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1992		Baker
	''The Truth About Cats & Dogs''	Ed
''The Great White Hype''	Hassan El Ruk'n
1997	''Booty Call''	Bunz
1998	''The Players Club''	Blue
	''Held Up''	Michael
''Any Given Sunday''	Willie Beamen	Nominated — BET Awards
2000		Alvin Sanders
	''Date from Heaven''
	Drew 'Bundini' Brown
2003		Larry Jennings
	''[[Breakin' All the Rules''	Quincy Watson
	Max
	Ray Charles	Academy Award for Best ActorBAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Leading RoleBET Award for Best ActorBoston Society of Film Critics Award for Best ActorBroadcast Film Critics Association Award for Best ActorFlorida Film Critics Circle Award for Best ActorGolden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Musical or ComedyKansas City Film Critics Circle Award for Best ActorLas Vegas Film Critics Society Award for Best ActorLondon Film Critics Circle Award for Best ActorNAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actor in a Motion PictureNational Board of Review Award for Best ActorNational Society of Film Critics Award for Best ActorPhoenix Film Critics Society Award for Best ActorSatellite Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Musical or ComedyScreen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading RoleSeattle Film Critics Association Award for Best ActorVancouver Film Critics Circle Award for Best ActorWashington D.C. Area Film Critics Association Award for Best ActorNominated — MTV Movie Award for Best Male PerformanceNominated — Online Film Critics Society Award for Best ActorNominated — Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture
''Redemption: The Stan Tookie Williams Story''	Tookie
		Lt. Henry Purcell
	Staff Sgt. Sykes	Nominated — Black Movie Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor
		Ricardo Tubbs
	Curtis Taylor, Jr.
2007		Ronald Fleury
	''The Soloist''	Nathaniel Ayers
''Law Abiding Citizen''	Nick Rice
		Kelvin Briggs
''Due Date''	Darryl
		Nico	Voice
''Horrible Bosses''	Dean "Motherfucker" Jones
	''Django Unchained''	Django	Pre-Production
	James Seth Lynch	Filming

Awards and nominations

Television Awards

*1998, Outstanding Actor in a Comedy Series: ''The Jamie Foxx Show''

*1999, Outstanding Actor in a Comedy Series: ''The Jamie Foxx Show'' (nominated)

*2000, Outstanding Actor in a Comedy Series: ''The Jamie Foxx Show'' (nominated)

*2001, Outstanding Actor in a Comedy Series: ''The Jamie Foxx Show'' (nominated)

Music awards

American Music Awards

*2009, Favorite R&B;/Soul Male Artist (nominated)

*2006, Favorite R&B;/Soul Male Artist (winner)

*2006, Favorite R&B;/Soul Album: ''Unpredictable'' (nominated)

BET Awards

*2006, Best Male R&B; Artist (nominated)

*2006, Best Collaboration ("Unpredictable") with Ludacris (nominated)

*2009, Best Collaboration ("Blame It") with T-Pain (Winner)

*2009, Video of the Year: ("Blame It") (nominated)

*2009, Best Male R&B; Artist (nominated)

Grammy Awards n

*2010, Best R&B; Performance by a Duo or Group ("Blame It") with T-Pain (winner)

*2010, Best Contemporary R&B; Album (Intuition) (nominated)

*2010, Best R&B; Song ("Blame It") (nominated)

*2007, Best Rap/Sung Collaboration ("Unpredictable") with Ludacris (nominated)

*2007, Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group ("Georgia") with Ludacris & Field Mob (nominated)

*2007, Best R&B; Performance by a Duo or Group ("Love Changes") with Mary J. Blige (nominated)

*2007, Best R&B; Album (Unpredictable) (nominated)

*2006, Best Rap/Sung Collaboration ("Slow Jamz") with Twista & Kanye West (nominated)

*2006, Best Male R&B; Vocal Performance ("Creepin") (nominated)

*2009, Outstanding Male Artist (winner)

*2006, Outstanding Male Artist (winner)

MOBO Awards

*2006, Best R&B; Act (nominated)

MTV Video Music Awards

*2006, Best Hip-Hop Video: "Gold Digger" with Kanye West (nominated)

*2006, Best Ringtone: "Gold Digger" with Kanye West (nominated)

*2006, Best R&B; Video: "Unpredictable" featuring Ludacris (nominated)

*2004, MTV2 Award: "Slow Jamz" with Twista & Kanye West (nominated)

Soul Train Awards

*2009, Record of the Year: "Blame It" (winner)

*2009, Album of the Year: Intuition (nominated)

*2007, Best R&B;/Soul Album, Male: ''Unpredictable'' (winner)

*2006, Best Music Video: "Gold Digger" with Kanye West (winner)

*2006, Best R&B;/Soul Dance Cut: "Gold Digger" with Kanye West (nominated)

Vibe Awards

*2005, Best Collabo: "Gold Digger" with Kanye West (nominated)

*2004, Best Collabo: "Slow Jamz" with Twista & Kanye West (nominated)

Movie/TV Awards

Academy Awards

*2004, Nominated Best Supporting Actor – Collateral

* 2004, Won Best Actor – Ray

BAFTA Awards

*2005, Won Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role – Ray

*2004, Nominated Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role – Collateral

BET Awards

*2006, Nominated Best Actor

*2005, Won Best Actor

Black Movie Awards

*2006, Nominated Outstanding Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role – Jarhead

Black Reel Awards

*2007, Nominated – Best Actor – Dreamgirls

*2005, Won Best Actor, Drama – Ray

*2004, Won Best Actor – Redemption: The Stan Tookie Williams Story (TV)

*2004, Won Best Supporting Actor – Collateral

*2004, Nominated – Best Actor, Musical or Comedy – Breakin' All the Rules

*2002, Won Theatrical – Best Supporting Actor – Ali

*2000, Nominated – Best Supporting Actor – Any Given Sunday

Blockbuster Entertainment Awards

*2000, Nominated – Favorite Supporting Actor – Drama – Any Given Sunday

Boston Society of Film Critics Awards

*2004, Won Best Actor – Ray

Broadcast Film Critics Association Awards

*2005, Won Critics Choice Award Best Actor – Ray

*2004, Nominated Critics Choice Award Best Supporting Actor – Collateral

Florida Film Critics Circle Awards

*2004, Won FFCC Award Best Actor – Ray

Golden Globes

*2005, Won Golden Globe Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy – Ray

*2004, Nominated Golden Globe Best Performance by an Actor in a Mini-Series or a Motion Picture Made for Television – Redemption: The Stan Tookie Williams Story (TV)

*2004, Nominated Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture – Collateral

Hollywood Film Festival

*2004, Won Hollywood Breakthrough Award Breakthrough Actor

*2007, Nominated Outstanding Actor in a Motion Picture – Dreamgirls

*2005, Won Outstanding Actor in a Motion Picture – Ray

*2004, Won Outstanding Actor in a Television Movie, Mini-Series or Dramatic Special – Redemption: The Stan Tookie Williams Story (TV)

*2004, Nominated Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture – Collateral

*2002, Won Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture – Ali

*2001, Nominated Outstanding Actor in a Comedy Series – "The Jamie Foxx Show"

*2000, Nominated Outstanding Actor in a Comedy Series – "The Jamie Foxx Show"

*1999, Nominated Outstanding Actor in a Comedy Series – "The Jamie Foxx Show"

*1998, Nominated Outstanding Actor in a Comedy Series – "The Jamie Foxx Show"

Independent Spirit Awards

*2005, Nominated Best Male Lead – Redemption: The Stan Tookie Williams Story (TV)

Kansas City Film Critics Circle Awards

*2005, Won Best Actor – Ray (2004/I)

Kids' Choice Awards

*2001, Nominated Favorite Television Actor – "The Jamie Foxx Show"

*2000, Nominated Favorite Television Actor – "The Jamie Foxx Show"

Las Vegas Film Critics Society Awards

*2005, Won Sierra Award Best Actor – Ray

London Critics Circle Film Awards

*2005, Won ALFS Award Actor of the Year – Ray

MTV Movie Awards

*2005, Nominated Best Male Performance – Ray

*2000, Nominated Breakthrough Male Performance – Any Given Sunday

MovieGuide Awards

*2005, Won Grace Award Most Inspiring Television Acting – Redemption: The Stan Tookie Williams Story (TV)

National Board of Review

*2004, Won Best Actor – Ray

National Society of Film Critics Awards

*2005, Won Best Actor – Ray

Online Film Critics Society Awards

*2005, Nominated Best Actor – Ray

*2004, Won Best Supporting Actor – Collateral

People's Choice Awards

*2008, Nominated Favorite Leading Man

*2006, Nominated Favorite Leading Man

Phoenix Film Critics Society Awards

*2004, Won Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role – Ray

Prism Awards

*2005, Won Performance in a Feature Film – Ray

Satellite Awards

*2005, Won Golden Satellite Award Best Actor in a Miniseries or a Motion Picture Made for Television – Redemption: The Stan Tookie Williams Story (TV)

*2004, Won Best Actor in a Motion Picture, Comedy or Musical – Ray

*2004, Nominated Golden Satellite Award Best Actor in a Supporting Role, Drama – Collateral

Screen Actors Guild Awards

*2007, Nominated Actor Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture – Dreamgirls

*2005, Won Actor Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role – Ray

*2004, Nominated Actor Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture – Ray

*2004, Nominated Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role – Collateral

*2004, Nominated Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Television Movie or Miniseries – Redemption: The Stan Tookie Williams Story (TV)

Seattle Film Critics Awards

*'''2004, Won Best Actor – Ray

Southeastern Film Critics Association Awards

*2004, Won Best Actor – Ray

TV Land Awards

*2007, Nominated Little Screen/Big Screen Star

*2006, Nominated Little Screen/Big Screen Star

Teen Choice Awards

*2007, Nominated Choice Movie: Liplock – Dreamgirls

*2005, Nominated Choice Movie Actor: Drama – Ray

Vancouver Film Critics Circle

*2005, Won Best Actor – Ray

Washington DC Area Film Critics Association Awards

*2004, Won Best Actor – Ray

*2004, Won Best Supporting Actor – Collateral

Women in Film Crystal + Lucy Award

2005, co-recipient, Crystal Award

See also

List of Black Golden Globe Award winners and nominees

References

External links

Official Jamie Foxx Music Site

Category:1967 births Category:Actors from Texas Category:African American film actors Category:African American comedians Category:American adoptees Category:American male singers Category:American stand-up comedians Category:American comedy musicians Category:American television actors Category:American voice actors Category:BAFTA winners (people) Category:Best Actor BAFTA Award winners Category:Best Actor Academy Award winners Category:Best Musical or Comedy Actor Golden Globe (film) winners Category:Living people Category:People from Linden, Texas Category:People from the Dallas – Fort Worth Metroplex Category:African American television actors Category:Grammy Award winners Category:United States International University alumni

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Coordinates	46°43′54″N116°59′50″N
name	Jim Breuer
birth name	Jim Breuer
birth date	June 21, 1967
birth place	Valley Stream, Long Island, New York
medium	Stand-up, television, film, radio
nationality	American
active	1988–present
genre	Observational comedy, improvisational comedy, character comedy
subject	Everyday life, marriage, parenting, self-deprecation
influences	George Carlin, Sam Kinison, Steve Martin, Bill Cosby, Richard Pryor
spouse	Dee Breuer (1993–present; 3 children)
notable work	''Saturday Night Live''''Half Baked''''Premium Blends'' ''Web Junk 20''''Fridays with Not funny''
website	jimbreuer.com
footnotes	}}

Jim Breuer (born June 21, 1967) is an American stand-up comedian, actor and radio host. He is most noted for his time as a cast member on ''Saturday Night Live'' and starring in the 1998 cult "stoner comedy" ''Half Baked'', alongside Dave Chappelle.

Early life

Jim Breuer was born and raised in Valley Stream, New York.

Career

Television career

Jim Breuer first rose to fame as a cast member of ''Saturday Night Live'' from 1995 to 1998. On SNL, Breuer's characters included "Goat Boy" (who hosted the fictional MTV program "Hey, Remember the 80s?") and Glen Henderson, the elder brother to Chris Kattan's Todd Henderson/Azrael Abyss character in the "Goth Talk" skits. He has previously guest starred in ''Home Improvement''. That appearance gave way to the short-lived sitcom ''Buddies''. He was originally scheduled to have been the co-star alongside friend and co-worker Dave Chappelle, but was pulled from the role after filming the pilot.

Among his impersonations was that of actor Joe Pesci, who hosted his own talk show, often accompanied by Colin Quinn playing fellow actor Robert De Niro. In a 1997 episode of the program, both Pesci and De Niro made surprise appearances to "confront" Breuer.

Jim Breuer has also hosted several "Premium Blends" on Comedy Central as well as several appearances on other comedy shows.

Jim Breuer hosted the third season of the VH1 show ''Web Junk 20''. The season began on November 17, 2006. He replaced Patrice Oneal, who hosted the first two seasons of the show.

In 2002, Jim Breuer's first one-hour Comedy Central special, "Hardcore," premiered. The same year, he released a comedy album titled ''Smoke 'n' Breu''.

On July 25, 2009, Jim Breuer's second one-hour Comedy Central special, "Let's Clear the Air," premiered and came in as one of the highest rated comedy specials in Comedy Central's history.

Jim Breuer currently appears in Pizza Hut commercials, advertising the cheese crust-filled pizzas using the catch phrase, "Jackpot!"

Also, Breuer starred in the VH1 documentary "When Metallica Ruled the World" where he commented on the songs by Metallica through the years.

Radio career

Breuer was a sit-in comedian on the ''Opie and Anthony Show'' for many years during their WNEW tenure. "Breuer Bits" were often played whenever the show was on hiatus. With the XM/Sirius merger complete, Breuer returned to the ''Opie and Anthony Show'' for the first time in six years on August 8, 2008. He remains a frequent guest.

Breuer is the host of ''Fridays with Jim Breuer,'' (previously known as ''Breuer Unleashed'') which can be heard each Friday afternoon from 4-6PM (EST) on the Sirius Satellite Radio channel "Raw Dog Comedy." He credits Joe Pesci with jump starting his career as he mentions in his comedy concert "Hardcore". One show, while Breuer was singing the classic Judas Priest song "Devil's Child," Rob Halford "The Metal God," singer of Judas Priest, entered the studio still with his coat on and sang with him.

He appeared on The Howard Stern show on August 19, 2010 as Joe Pesci for the entirety of the show with the exception of the news.

Other work

In 2008, Jim went on his first tour in 6 years known as the "Breuniversity Tour" where he toured over 20 colleges and comedy clubs across the country. The footage was used in his documentary ''More Than Me'', as well as his 4 hour DVD "The Jim Breuer Road Journals," both of which will be released soon on DVD.

On October 5, 2010 he published a book called ''"I'm Not High (But I've Got a Lot of Crazy Stories about Life as a Goat Boy, a Dad, and a Spiritual Warrior)".''

In January 2011, Jim launched a podcast called "The Podcast Masters" with fellow comedian Pete Correale.

Personal life

He now lives in Chester Township, New Jersey with his wife and three daughters.

Filmography

''Home Improvement'' (1995)

''Buddies'' (replaced after pilot) (1997)

''Half Baked'' (1998)

''Dick'' (1999)

''Titan A.E.'' (2000)

''Once in the Life'' (2000)

''One Eyed King'' (2001)

''American Dummy'' (2002)

''Crooked Lines'' (2003)

''Beer League'' (2006)

''Zookeeper'' (2011)

References

External links

Jim's upcoming online TV Network

Official Radio Show Website

Official MySpace Page

Official YouTube Page

Interview about 'More Than Me' documentary

Review of 'More Than Me' documentary

Category:1967 births Category:Living people Category:People from Morris County, New Jersey Category:People from Valley Stream, New York Category:Actors from New York Category:American film actors Category:American radio personalities Category:American stand-up comedians Category:American talk radio hosts Category:American television actors Category:Valley Stream Central High School alumni