World’s Greatest Dad 2009 (LA) premiere

Robin McLaurin Williams was born on Saturday, July 21st, 1951, in Chicago, Illinois, a great-great-grandson of Mississippi Governor and Senator, Anselm J. McLaurin. His mother, Laurie McLaurin (née Janin), was a former model from Mississippi, and his father, Robert Fitzgerald Williams, was a Ford Motor Company executive from Indiana. Williams had English, German, French, Welsh, Irish, and Scottish ancestry.

Robin briefly studied political science at Claremont Men's College and theater at College of Marin before enrolling at The Juilliard School to focus on theater. After leaving Juilliard, he performed in nightclubs where he was discovered for the role of "Mork, from Ork", in an episode of Happy Days (1974). The episode, My Favorite Orkan (1978), led to his famous spin-off weekly TV series, Mork & Mindy (1978). He made his feature starring debut playing the title role in Popeye (1980), directed by Robert Altman.

Williams' continuous comedies and wild comic talents involved a great deal of improvisation, following in the footsteps of his idol Jonathan Winters. Williams also proved to be an effective dramatic actor, receiving Academy Award nominations for Best Actor in a Leading Role in Good Morning, Vietnam (1987), Dead Poets Society (1989), and The Fisher King (1991), before winning the Academy Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role in Good Will Hunting (1997).

During the 1990s, Williams became a beloved hero to children the world over for his roles in a string of hit family-oriented films, including Hook (1991), FernGully: The Last Rainforest (1992), Aladdin (1992), Mrs. Doubtfire (1993), Jumanji (1995), Flubber (1997), and Bicentennial Man (1999). He continued entertaining children and families into the 21st century with his work in Robots (2005), Happy Feet (2006), Night at the Museum (2006), Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian (2009), Happy Feet Two (2011), and Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb (2014). Other more adult-oriented films for which Williams received acclaim include The World According to Garp (1982), Moscow on the Hudson (1984), Awakenings (1990), The Birdcage (1996), Insomnia (2002), One Hour Photo (2002), World's Greatest Dad (2009), and Boulevard (2014).

On Monday, August 11th, 2014, Robin Williams was found dead at his home in Tiburon, California USA, the victim of an apparent suicide, according to the Marin County Sheriff's Office. A 911 call was received at 11:55 a.m. PDT, firefighters and paramedics arrived at his home at 12:00 p.m. PDT, and he was pronounced dead at 12:02 p.m. PDT.

Susan Schneider was born on 24 January 1964 in Belvedere, California, USA. She was previously married to Robin Williams.

Robert Francis 'Bobcat' Goldthwait, born May 26, 1962, is an American comedian, writer, producer, director, and star of films and television shows. He is most widely known for his at times screechy voice and scattergun delivery during his standup comedy performances and some film roles.

He was born in 1962 in Syracuse, New York, the son of Kathleen Ann (Welch), a department store employee, and Thomas Lincoln Goldthwait, a sheet metal worker. His family, of Irish, German, and English descent, was Catholic. He decided on a career as a comedian at an early age and was performing professionally while still in high school at the age of fifteen. He and his classmate, Tom Kenny, performed in a comedy duo, billing themselves as "Bobcat and Tomcat". Goldthwait became recognized as a solo stand-up comedian and had three televised concert specials in The 1980s: Bob Goldthwait - Is He Like That All the Time?, An Evening with Bobcat Goldthwait: Share the Warmth (1987) and Meat Bob.

Goldthwait's first major film role was in Police Academy 2: Their First Assignment (1985). He reprised the role in the next two films in the series. During the fall of 1993, Goldthwait did stand-up material as an opening act for Nirvana on what would be their final North American tour. He has made several guest appearances on talk shows as well as comedy programs including The Ben Stiller Show (1992). On May 9, 1994, he made a controversial appearance on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno (1992), where, on impulse, he set a couch on fire. This incident was then the basis of the plot for his subsequent appearance on The Larry Sanders Show (1992).

One of the most recognizable features of Goldthwait's performances is his voice. Goldthwait has voiced characters on the television series Capitol Critters (1992); The Moxy & Flea Show (1995); Unhappily Ever After (1995); Hercules (1998) and Buzz Lightyear of Star Command (2000). He has also appeared, as himself, hosting the comedy quiz show Bobcat's Big Ass Show (1998). Goldthwait has released two comedy albums: "Meat Bob" (1988) on Chrysalis Records and "I Don't Mean to Insult You, but You Look Like Bobcat Goldthwait" (23 September, 2003) on Comedy Central Records.

He made his feature film directorial debut with Shakes the Clown (1991), which he wrote and starred in as well. His film, Windy City Heat (2003), won a Comedia Award for Best Comedy Film at Montreal's Just for Laughs Film Festival in 2004.

Bobcat began directing ABC's Jimmy Kimmel Live! (2003) in the fall 2004 season. Since joining the show's crew, the ratings went up to 2 million viewers a night, with the numbers rising nearly 50% with the teenage demographic. In May of 2006, he left to pursue his film career as a filmmaker/director but has since returned to the show. Goldthwait's feature, "Sleeping Dogs Lie" (formally Sleeping Dogs Lie (2006)), starring Melinda Page Hamilton, was in the 2006 Sundance Film Festival and it was part of the "Independent Dramatic Features" competition. "Sleeping Dogs Lie" is about a youthful, impulsive sexual encounter which opens the door to a dark comedy about the complexities of honesty. It was also nominated for the Grand Jury Prize in the "Dramatic Features" category. "Sleeping Dogs Lie" was picked up in a mid-six figure deal for distribution in north America by Roadside Attractions & Samuel Goldwyn Films at the 2006 Sundance Film Festival. A French film company called "Gaumont" bought it for the international rights to the film in France. "Tartan Films", a UK-based production company, also bought it for international rights in the United Kingdom. The film was released in the US on October 20, 2006.

He married Ann Luly in 1986 at the age of 24. The couple have two children (now grown), Tasha and Taylor, and divorced in May 1998. At one time, Goldthwait was engaged to his Unhappily Ever After (1995) co-star, Nikki Cox, but the couple split.

Zelda Williams was born on 31 July 1989 in New York City, New York, USA. She is an actress and director, known for Lisa Frankenstein (2024), Were the World Mine (2008) and The Legend of Korra (2012).

Alexie Gilmore was born on 11 December 1976 in Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA. She is an actress and producer, known for World's Greatest Dad (2009), Labor Day (2013) and Definitely, Maybe (2008).

Evan Martin is known for World's Greatest Dad (2009), The Legend of Hell's Gate: An American Conspiracy (2011) and Birthday (2014).

Keri Lynn Pratt was born on 23 September 1978 in Concord, New Hampshire, USA. She is an actress, known for A Single Man (2009), America's Sweethearts (2001) and Drive Me Crazy (1999). She has been married to John Barneson since October 2011.

Billy Crystal was born on March 14, 1948 in Manhattan, New York, and was raised on Long Island. He is the youngest of three sons born to Helen (Gabler) and Jack Crystal. His father was a well-known concert promoter who co-founded Commodore Records and his mother was a homemaker. His family were Jewish emigrants from Russia, Austria, and Lithuania. With his father in the music business, Billy was no stranger to some of the top performers of the time. Legends such as Billie Holiday, Pee Wee Russell, and Eddie Condon regularly stopped by the Crystal household. At age 15, Billy faced a personal tragedy when his father died of a heart attack at the relatively young age of 54. This gave Billy a real appreciation of what his dad was able to accomplish while alive and what his mother did to keep the family together. Despite this tragedy, Billy was very upbeat and likable as a kid. He had a unique talent for making people laugh.

With television becoming a new medium, Billy got his influence from shows like The Honeymooners (1955), and "The Ed Sullivan Show" and performers like Alan King, Ernie Kovacs and Jonathan Winters. He started doing stand-up comedy at the age of 16. However, his real dream was to be a professional baseball player. His idol growing up was Yankees outfielder Mickey Mantle. He spent long hours in the summers playing softball in the middle of Park Avenue with his brothers and his father, a former pitcher at St. John's University . At Long Beach High, Billy played second base and was varsity captain in his senior year. This earned him a baseball scholarship from Marshall University in West Virginia which he accepted. However, he would never end up playing a game as the baseball program was suspended during his freshman year. This would lead him to leave the university and move back to New York. He then enrolled at nearby Nassau Community College, majoring in theater. It was there that he met and fell in love with a dancer named Janice Goldfinger. They would get married in 1970 and have two daughters. Shortly after, Billy got accepted in New York University, where he majored in Film and TV Direction. While at NYU, he studied under legendary filmmaker Martin Scorsese. He also worked as house manager and usher on a production of "You're A Good Man, Charlie Brown."

After receiving a Bachelor of Fine Arts from NYU in 1970, Billy temporarily worked as a substitute teacher until he was able to get gigs as a stand-up comic. He formed his own improv group, 3's Company, and opened for musicians like Barry Manilow. His impression of Howard Cosell interviewing Muhammad Ali became a huge hit with the audience. He left Long Beach for Hollywood in August of 1976 in the hopes of trying to land a role on a television series. It only took a year before he got his big break when he was chosen for the role of gay character Jodie Dallas on the controversial ABC sitcom Soap (1977). This would be the first time that an American TV show would feature an openly gay character as a regular. The show ran successfully for four seasons and helped to jump-start Billy's previously stagnant career. After Soap (1977) ended in 1981, Billy continued to do his stand-up routine, which was now attracting a larger audience with his growing celebrity status. During this time, he made many TV guest appearances and even hosted his own short-lived variety show, The Billy Crystal Comedy Hour (1982).

He became a regular on Saturday Night Live (1975) in 1984 where his Fernando Lamas impression with the catchphrase "You Look Mahvellous" was a huge hit with viewers. This would lead to appearances in feature-length films such as Running Scared (1986) and Throw Momma from the Train (1987). In 1986, along with Whoopi Goldberg and Robin Williams, he started Comic Relief, an annual stand-up comedy show which helped to raise money for housing and medical care for the homeless. The show has since grown substantially with the continued support of all three comics. Billy's career would peak in the late 1980s and early 1990s. His roles in the blockbuster movies When Harry Met Sally... (1989) and City Slickers (1991) helped to establish himself as one of Hollwood's top movie stars. This star status was further validated when he was chosen to host the annual Oscars in 1990, an honor in which he would repeat seven more times. He made his big screen directorial debut in the 1992 film Mr. Saturday Night (1992), which was about a washed-up stand-up comic who refuses to retire. He also wrote, produced and starred in the film. Although the film was not a huge hit, it proved that Billy was much more than an actor and comedian. In the following years, Billy continued to act in, produce, and direct several films.

He had his share of hits (Analyze This (1999), America's Sweethearts (2001)) and some flops (Fathers' Day (1997), My Giant (1998)). His role in as a therapist to mobster Robert De Niro in Analyze This (1999) earned him critical praise. In 2001, Billy parlayed his childhood love of baseball and Mickey Mantle into a feature film. The movie, 61* (2001), which premiered on HBO, centered on the relationship between Mantle and Roger Maris and their 1961 pursuit of Babe Ruth's home run record. The film for which Billy served as director and executive producer, garnered 12 Emmy nominations in all.

Offscreen, Billy remains married to Janice Crystal and they have homes in California and New York. Both of his daughters are involved in the film business. Jennifer Crystal Foley is an aspiring actress, appearing in 61* (2001), while Lindsay Crystal is an aspiring filmmaker, creating and directing the documentary My Uncle Berns (2003).

Jennifer Elise Cox combines a glowing personality with outlandish humor to invent her own comedic style. Jennifer burst on the scene in 1995 with her excellent yet underrated performance as middle child "Jan Brady" in "The Brady Bunch" movies. Growing up in New York City's lower East Side, Jennifer dreamed of becoming an actress and at the very young age of 4 began her career acting in commercials. Before comedy and film Jennifer, a highly trained ballerina, performed dramatic roles in New York stage operas such as "Don Giovanni" and "Madame Butterfly" before "The Brady Bunch" movies set her on a path to create her unique comedic roles. She has appeared in numerous films and TV shows, such as Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, Edtv, Bewitched, The Backup Plan, Spooky Buddies and Stars in the upcoming indie comedy Out West, which she also produced. On Television Jennifer is considered one of Hollywood's "go-to" improv comedic actresses, creating hilarious characters on Web Therapy, 10 Items or Less, Lovespring International as well as many memorable guest starring roles on CSI: NY, Will & Grace, Nip/Tuck, Six Feet Under, and so many more.

Gunner plays astronauts, police officers, lawyers, space mechanics, & bad boys with hearts of gold once you get to the third act. He's two parts Steve McQueen, a pinch of Paul Newman, a slice of Jimmy Stewart, and a dash of Peter Pan. He rides a Ducati to set and a Vespa to the grocery store.

Katharine "Kat" Kramer founded Kat Kramer's Films That Change the World to showcase motion pictures that raise awareness about important social issues. In so doing, she is following in the foot steps of her late father, the legendary producer/director Stanley Kramer, who was known for taking artistic and financial chances by making movies about controversial subjects.

Selections in Kat's screening series have included Teach Your Children Well (2010), which deals with the growing problem of bullying in schools; The Cove (2009), which exposed the slaughter of dolphins in Japan; Elephants and Man: A Litany of Tragedy (2011), about the suffering of elephants in captivity; and Barbra Streisand's Yentl (1983), which focused attention on women's equality, and was used as a springboard for a discussion about the widespread sexual abuse of women in the Congo. Kat most recently celebrated the 5th anniversary and 5th installment for "Kat Kramer's Films That Change The World" by presenting the U.S. premiere of Fallout (2013) hosted by Lily Tomlin. This was followed by the 6th installment screening of documentary The Decent One (The Decent One (2014)) and most recently presented the 7th installment, Bhopal: A Prayer for Rain (2014) hosted by Martin Sheen and Mischa Barton.

As an actress, Kat has appeared on stage and screen. She has starred in two popular one-woman shows, The Colors of Myself and Kriss Krossing. Kat has played the classic roles and won awards as Helen Keller in "The Miracle Worker," Anne Frank in "The Diary Of Anne Frank," Estella in "Great Expectations," Lisa in "David and Lisa," and Saint Joan in "The Lark." She has also appeared in such films as Hollywood Dreams (2006), Going Shopping (2005), What Just Happened (2008), and Little Fockers (2010). She will also be seen in the upcoming film Katie Q, with Karen Black, Paul Sand and Zack Norman. As a singer, Kat is recording Gemstone, an album of Mick Jagger love songs, each as a duet with a different artist who has previously worked with Jagger. As a producer, she is developing a web series about the making of her album, titled My Duet with Mick.

Kat has performed special tributes twice for the legendary Lily Tomlin. Kramer served on the Dais and opened the program at the Pacific Pioneers Broadcaster's Awards in February 2012 honoring Tomlin. Kat received a standing ovation with a special musical salute to her mentor with the original parody "Dear Lily Tomlin."

She most recently sang a heartfelt rendition of "Bless The Beasts And Children" from her father's landmark film for Tomlin when she was honored with the Hope Award from the Petco Foundation. Kramer made her Avalon Hollywood debut with Le PeTiT CiRqUe for Circus Paws in front of a star-studded audience that included Lily Tomlin, Susan Sarandon, Lainie Kazan and Stewart Copeland. She has recorded the new re-imagined version of "Bless The Beasts And Children" that will be released as a single for PAWS and animal-rights organizations. Kat also performed a humorous kitsch version of the song for the PAWS/LA Fundraiser sponsored by Wells Fargo and the Petco Foundation.

Kat previously received the "Compassion Award" from the Braveheart Women and recently sold-out her first workshop with "Meet The Biz" titled "An Evening With Kat Kramer." She is set to launch "An Evening With A Trailblazer" series along with "Meet The Biz."

She performed a stand-up routine at Hard Rock Hollywood to Benefit "Comedy For Caleb" and Kat has been a presenter for LA Comedy Awards twice. She was also a celebrity judge for the LA Music Awards. Kat was most recently named Entertainer of the Year by the LA Comedy Awards. Kramer has headlined at awards shows and galas for such luminaries as Robert De Niro, Joe Pesci, and Shirley MacLaine.

Kat, who is the Godchild/Namesake of screen icon the late Katharine Hepburn, proudly serves as the West Coast representative of the Katharine Hepburn Cultural Arts Center. She was an in-studio guest on Larry King Live (1985) for a tribute to Hepburn after her death in 2003.

Kat is set to launch her new one-woman show "My Duet With Mick." In addition, she co-stars as Frances Rye and multiple characters in Seasons 3 and 4 of popular web series Child of the '70s (2012). She was recently selected for the Advisory Board of the prestigious LA Press Club. A former Miss Golden Globe, Kat resides in Los Angeles.

Eamonn Bowles was born in Belfast, Ireland. He is known for Splinter (2008), The Stuff (1985) and Living on Tokyo Time (1987).

Howard Gertler is known for How to Survive a Plague (2012), How to Talk to Girls at Parties (2017) and Shortbus (2006).

Shortly after graduating from UCLA, Sean McKittrick produced the cult classic "Donnie Darko," starring Jake Gyllenhaal, which was a quirky sci-fi thriller that was nominated for The Grand Jury Award at the 2001 Sundance Film Festival. McKittrick produced "Southland Tales," nominated for a Golden Palm Award at the 2006 Cannes Film Festival and also produced Bobcat Goldthwait's "World's Greatest Dad," starring Robin Williams which debuted at the 2009 Sundance Film Festival and "I Hope They Serve Beer In Hell," based on Tucker Max's best-selling book. In 2009, McKittrick's produced "The Box," a sci-fi thriller starring James Marsden, Frank Langella, and Cameron Diaz. McKittrick produced Bobcat Goldthwait's "God Bless America," which premiered as part of the Midnight Madness Series at the 2011 Toronto Film Festival and followed up with Robert Ben Garant and Thomas Lennon's "Hell Baby," which premiered the 2013 Sundance Film Festival. McKittrick also produced Jason Bateman's directorial debut of "Bad Words," which was distributed by Focus Features. He also produced John Ridley's Jimi Hendrix film "All Is By My Side" starring Andre Benjamin, Imogen Poots and Hayley Atwell, which both appeared as part of the 2013 Toronto International Film Festival. He also acted as producer on "North of Hell" written and directed by Anthony Burns starring Katherine Heigl and Patrick Wilson, set to be released in Spring 2015. He is producing the film adaptation of Jane Austen and Seth Graham-Smith's "Pride & Prejudice & Zombies" starring Lily James, Sam Riley, Jack Huston, Matt Smith, Douglas Booth and Bella Heathcote financed through Sierra-Affinity.

James Richard Kelly better known as Richard Kelly, is an American film director and writer, known for writing and directing the cult classic Donnie Darko in 2001. Kelly was born James Richard Kelly in Newport News, Virginia, the son of Lane and Ennis Kelly. He grew up in Midlothian, Virginia, where he attended Midlothian High School and graduated in 1993. When he was a child, his father worked for NASA on the Mars Viking Lander program. He won a scholarship to the University of Southern California to study at the USC School of Cinema-Television where he was a member of the Phi Delta Theta fraternity. He made two short films at USC, The Goodbye Place and Visceral Matter, before graduating in 1997.

Tom Lenk is a SAG award winning actor whose stage and screen work include starring roles in "American Horror Stories," "Barb & Star," "Batwoman," "NCIS: Hawaii/NOLA," "Transparent," "HBO's Room 104," "Workin' Moms," "Bones," "Episodes," "Cabin in the Woods," "Transformers," "Much Ado About Nothing," "Argo," "Buffy the Vampire Slayer," "Buyer & Cellar (US Regional Theaters)," "Rock of Ages (Broadway)," and "Tilda Swinton Answers an Ad on Craigslist (LA, NYC, SF, London, Edinburgh Fringe)." As a comedian he has performed his solo comedy shows around the globe with sold out stops at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, SF SKetchfest, Soho Theatre (London), Comedy Central Stage (LA), and Birdland Jazz (NY).

Tom's Instagram photos & viral videos have hundred's of millions of views and even earned him a profile piece in the coveted New York Times Styles section. His Instagram brand collaborations include work with E! Entertainment Television, Hulu, FOX TV, Comcast, The Academy Museum, Sundance Now!, AMC+, Acorn TV, Lionsgate, & Acne Studios.

Tom has a B.A. in Theater Arts from the UCLA School of Theater Film and Television where he received the Carol Burnett Award and Scholarship for Musical Theater Excellence.

Michael Arden was born on 6 October 1982 in Midland, Texas, USA. He is an actor and director, known for Source Code (2011), Bride Wars (2009) and The Odd Life of Timothy Green (2012). He has been married to Andy Mientus since 18 August 2016.