Robin Williams dropped out of college at the age of 18 after spending a short period of time studying political science at Claremont Men’s College in Claremont, California.
Williams moved back in with his parents and spent the next three years studying classical acting at the College of Marin in Marin County, California, just 15 miles north of his parent’s home in San Francisco.
The three years Williams spent studying acting ultimately paid off as it led to him earning a full scholarship to the prestigious Juilliard School in New York in 1973.
Williams was one of only 20 students chosen for the freshman drama class that year. Out of this class of 20, only Williams and his roommate at the time, Christopher Reeve, were selected by director John Houseman for the school’s elite Advanced Program.
After three years of study, Williams left Juilliard in 1976 without graduating. His own instructor, John Houseman, suggested he leave, citing the school had nothing left to teach him.
A little over a year after taking Houseman’s advice to leave acting school, an historic event would take place which would alter the trajectory of Williams’ career forever.
The “My Favorite Orkan” episode of the hit TV show Happy Days which introduced audiences to the character Mork from Ork was scheduled to be filmed in late February 1978 just days before its broadcast on February 28, 1978.
Robin Williams was hired as a rushed, weekend replacement after the original actor cast as the alien walked out right before shooting commenced.
When the show’s producer Garry Marshall asked Williams to take a seat during his audition, Williams memorably sat upside down on his head. He was hired on the spot.
Reaction to Williams’ performance from the live studio audience at Paramount Studios during the week of filming the Happy Days episode so deeply impressed the network executives that ABC signed him to a contract to headline his own spinoff just four days after shooting completed.
A little over a decade later, Juilliard School would recognize Williams’ monumental achievements in the field of acting and the performance arts by presenting him with an honorary Doctor of Fine Arts degree in 1991.
Later in life, Williams became a generous alumnus to the school, quietly funding a full ride scholarship to Juilliard awarded to a new drama student every two years.
Academy Award winning actor Jessica Chastain is among the notable recipients who credited Williams’ hidden generosity with making her education possible.