Robin Williams: 1951-2014

Comedian and actor Robin Williams died today at the age of 63. Here are five in-depth interviews with him.

1. Robin Williams: ‘The Night Listener’ (Terry Gross, Fresh Air, Aug. 3, 2006)

Terry Gross talks to Robin Williams, and, towards the end of the interview, asks him about depression: “Do I get sad? Oh yeah. Does it hit me hard? Oh yeah.”

2. “Good Will Hunting: An Oral History” (Janelle Nanos, Boston Magazine, Jan. 2013)

“Williams: You know that line, ‘I’ll end you’? Matt or Ben said that they were in a bar when they saw this big guy picking on this little guy and saying, ‘Hey, I’ll kick your ass,’ and all of a sudden the little guy got right in his face and said, ‘I will fucking end you.’”

3. Robin Williams: The Playboy Interview (Larry Grobel, Playboy, Jan. 1992)

An interview with Williams after working on the films Hook, Awakenings, and Dead Poets Society.

4. “Golden Gate Keeper.” (Mark Seal, American Way Magazine, July 2007)

Williams on his hometown of San Francisco.

“Tell us about your first glimpse of the city.
I was 16 years old. My father and mother [and I] had driven across the country. As we drove across the Golden Gate Bridge, there was actually fog pouring in. I’d never seen fog in my life. Is that poison gas? No. The way it pours over the hills in Marin County and comes over the Gate–it’s quite impressive. That was my first impression–what is this strange smoke?! But it was quite beautiful, seeing the bridge.”