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21st July 2023
08:00am BST
Robin Williams' daughter has advised fans of the actor how to honour his memory on his birthday today.
Williams rose to fame playing the alien Mork in the ABC sitcom Mork & Mindy before landing his first leading film role in Popeye in 1980.
Williams went on to win the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for Good Will Hunting, which told the story of a MIT janitor with a genius-level IQ.
His other Oscar-nominated roles were for Good Morning, Vietnam (1987), Dead Poets Society (1989), and The Fisher King (1991), all of which are fondly remembered among film fans.
Williams' daughter Zelda - named after the iconic video game character - has been keeping her father's memory alive and has paid tribute to him many times on social media.
In 2018, she wrote on Instagram: "It's that time of year again.
"Everyone who has dealt with loss knows the pain of certain anniversaries, moments full of memory that come 'round like clockwork and usurp all others, no matter how hard you may try to prepare for or avoid them.
"These weeks are the hardest for me, and thus, you'll see me a lot less, if at all."
She expressed her gratitude towards fans who would reach out to tell her how much they missed her dad.
"So, while I've got the strength, consider this my one open armed response, before I go take my yearly me time to celebrate his and my birthdays in peace," she added.
"Thank you for loving him. Thank you for supporting him and his life's work. Thank you for missing him.
"I do too."
Zelda explained that if fans want to honour Williams' legacy, they should do so by volunteering at a local homeless shelter or make up some backpacks for homeless people with supplies.
This is a nod to Williams' longtime commitment to helping homeless people.
Former booking agent Brian Lord once revealed that Williams had a very specific requirement placed into his work.
Lord writes: "I never actually booked Robin Williams for an event, but I came close enough that his office sent over his rider.
"When I got Robin Williams’ rider, I was very surprised by what I found. He actually had a requirement that for every single event or film he did, the company hiring him also had to hire a certain number of homeless people and put them to work.
“I never watched a Robin Williams movie the same way after that. I’m sure that on his own time and with his own money, he was working with these people in need, but he’d also decided to use his clout as an entertainer to make sure that production companies and event planners also learned the value of giving people a chance to work their way back."
Williams died on August 11th 2014 at the age of 63.
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