Robin Williams Made Her Education Possible

It's no surprise that the death of Robin Williams had an effect on many, many people. We've all seen at least one of his movies, he's inspired countless comedians, and he's worked with a wide variety of actors who have all been touched by his presence. One actress in particular who's life was significantly changed by Williams is Jessica Chastain, and not because they appeared in a movie together. Jessica Chastain received a scholarship from Robin Williams when she was attending Juilliard. In a message she wrote on her Facebook page, Chastain explained,

Robin Williams changed my life. He was a great actor and a generous person. Through a scholarship, he made it possible for me to graduate college. His generous spirit will forever inspire me to support others as he supported me. He will forever be missed.

The situation Chastain is referring to is one she's mentioned in previous interviews. When speaking with Interview in 2011, she said,

I'm the first person in my family to go to college. We didn't have a lot of money, and Juilliard is a pretty expensive school. Robin Williams is a very generous Juilliard alumnus, and gives a scholarship every two years to a student, and it pays for everything, and I got it. I still haven't gotten to meet him.

In addition to being partially responsible for Chastain's illustrious career, and giving scholarships to Juilliard students, Williams was charitable in other ways. In the 1986, Williams co-hosted the inaugural Comic Relief fundraiser along with Whoopi Goldberg and Billy Crystal and participated in other fundraisers in the years to come. He started the Windfall Foundation with his ex-wife Marsha Garces which raises funds for other charity organizations such as Doctors Without Boarders and the Make-A-Wish Foundation. Williams also worked with the Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation which makes sense considering Christopher Reeve and Williams were roommates when they attended Juilliard.

While it's clear Chastain was directly affected by the actor, there are many people who experienced similar goodwill from Williams. Regardless of if you were inspired by one of his films or felt the effects of his charity work, Williams put a lot of positivity into the world.

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