Robin Williams’ Kids: Facts About The Late Star’s 3 Children
It’s been seven years since the world lost comedic great Robin Williams. The ‘Dead Poets Society’ actor left behind three beautiful children when he died. Find out more about the actor’s three kids.
Robin Williams was one of the most universally beloved actors and comedians to ever grace the silver screen. Starting his career in the 1970s as a standup comedian, Robin had his first break in 1978 in the sitcom Mork And Mindy. He won audiences over with his comedic wit and distinct characters in movies like Popeye, Mrs. Doubtfire, and Aladdin, but he also showed off some of his more serious acting chops in critically acclaimed films like Dead Poets Society and Good Will Hunting, which won him an Academy Award. Throughout his career, he also never left the stand-up world recording many specials, with his most recent being 2009’s Weapons of Self-Destruction.
Throughout his life, the actor was married three times, most recently to Susan Schneider. With his first two wives, he had three children. Robin clearly loved his children, and incorporated them into his work, famously joking about what parents think when they first see their newborns. “Everyone has these two visions when they hold their child for the first time. The first is your child as an adult saying ‘I want to thank the Nobel Committee for this award.’ The other is ‘You want fries with that?'” he once said, via IMDb. Robin sadly died by suicide in 2014 at age 63, and he was posthumously diagnosed with Lewy Body Dementia, via Newsweek. Find out more about all three of Robin Williams’ kids here.
Zachary Pym Williams
Robin married his first wife Valerie Velardi, 70, in 1978, and the pair had their son Zachary, 38, in 1983, who goes by Zak. The comedian’s oldest son dabbled in acting with roles in the 2008 movie The Graduates and the 2007 TV film Slow Your Roll: Extreme Comedy listed on his IMDb page, but he found a different passion to pursue. After his father’s death, he co-founded the company PYM, which stands for “Prepare Your Mind.” The company sells “mood chews,” which help “target the body’s hormone levels to manage stress and anxiety,” according to its website. Zak explained on the company’s site that he self-medicated with alcohol and weed after Robin’s death. “These bandaids left me numb, disconnected, and addicted. I was nowhere near happy and definitely not feeling like the best version of myself,” he wrote, noting that even after bettering himself the company helped him recover. “So, I stopped self-medicating and got sober. But I still didn’t feel like my best self.”
Zak also married the love of his life Olivia June in October 2020, via USA Today. Zak showed his commitment to mental health advocacy by tying the knot with his wife on World Mental Health Day. The pair also have a son McLaurin Clement Williams, who was born in 2019.
Zelda Williams
After Robin and Valerie divorced in 1988, he married Marsha Garces, 65, who had been Zak’s nanny. The pair had their daughter Zelda, 32, six months after they got married in 1989. Of all his children, Zelda followed in her father’s footsteps the most closely and has pursued a career in entertainment. She made her debut at age 5 in 1994’s In Search of Dr. Seuss, where she played Robin’s daughter, fittingly. She also starred alongside Robin in a 2011 ad for the Nintendo game The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. Zelda has taken on many roles and even directed a few films and music videos for artists such as Jojo. Her most recent directorial effort was in 2020’s Kappa Kappa Die. She’s also voice acted in many series such as Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and The Legend of Korra.
In the years since her father’s death, Zelda has paid tribute to the actor. In August 2020, she tweeted out a statement, speaking about how difficult it can be to discuss her dad’s death, and urged people to seek health if they’re struggling with mental health. “It’s hard for me on regular, good day to remain the person expected to graciously accept the world’s need to share their memories of him and express their condolences for his loss,” she wrote. “[W]hile I am constantly touched by all your boundless continued love for him, some days it can feel a bit like being seen as a roadside memorial — a place, not a person — where people drive past and leave their sentiments to then go about their days comforted their love for him was witnessed.”
Cody Alan Williams
Robin’s youngest son Cody, 29, was born to Marsha in 1991. Of all of the actor’s children Cody has remained the most private, but he did appear in the 2018 documentary Robin Williams: Come Inside My Mind in 2018, via IMDb. While Cody has mostly kept out of the spotlight, he did get married in 2019 to his wife Maria Flores on what would’ve been his dad’s 68th birthday, via People.