What Happened To Robin Williams’ Kids And How Much Money Did He Leave Them?
In the years since Robin Williams passed away, a lot has been learned about his three kids including how much money the movie star left them.
HIGHLIGHTS
- Robin Williams’ three children were deeply affected by his passing and experienced grief and isolation.
- Zak Williams, Robin’s eldest son, struggled with alcohol.
- Robin Williams left his entire estate, worth over $100 million, to his three children.
At the height of Robin Williams’ career, he was one of the most successful and popular actors in the world. In fact, he was so beloved that Harry Potter fans wish Williams played a role in that franchise despite the British-only rule.
Sadly for all of Williams’ fans, he passed away far too early, which left people like Conan O’Brien to announce the tragic news. Since Williams’ passing, many fans have wondered what happened to his kids and how much money he left them.
What Happened To Robin Williams’ Three Children?
When the world learned that Robin Williams had passed away, a palpable amount of grief could be felt on most corners of the internet. As much as fans were saddened that the beloved actor was gone, Williams’ three children obviously were hit much harder.
On April 11, 1983, Williams became a father for the first time. At that time, William’s first wife, Valerie Velardi, gave birth to their son Zachary “Zak” Williams. As of the time of this writing, Zak Williams is 40 years old.
Who were Robin Williams’ Wives according to The U.S. Sun?
| Robin Williams’ Wive’s Names: | When They Were Married: | When Their Marital Status Changed: |
| Valeria Velardi | June 1978 | 1988 |
| Marsha Garces Williams | April 1989 | Filed for divorce in March 2008 |
| Susan Schneider | October 2011 | Williams passed away in August 2014 |
Tragically for the Williams family, the death of his father hit Zak Williams extremely hard. According to a People article about Zak Williams’ grief, he felt completely alone and devastated by Robin Williams’ passing.
“I was deeply unhappy and feeling extremely isolated and broken. I was traumatized.”
Like many other people who’ve gone through that level of grief and depression, Zak Williams began abusing alcohol. Fortunately, Zak Williams came to understand that he couldn’t keep living that way. “Ultimately, I found that if I continued living that way, it wasn’t a life that was worth living. Something had to give.”
After getting sober, Zak Williams became a mental health advocate. Robin Williams’ eldest son also married a woman named Olivia June and became the father of McLaurin “Mickey” Williams.
Zak’s son gets his first name from his father, whose full name was Robin McLaurin Williams. In 2021, Zak Williams and Olivia June welcomed their second child, a daughter named Zola June Williams.
After Robin Williams got married a second time to a woman named Marsha Garces Williams, he became a father again. On July 31, 1989, Williams’ only daughter, Zelda Williams, was born. As of the time of this writing, Zelda Williams is 34 years old.
When Zelda Williams was only five years old, she developed an interest in Hollywood. At that time, Zelda Williams was cast as the daughter of a character portrayed by her father in the 1994 TV movie In Search of Dr. Seuss.
Since Robin Williams’ tragic passing, Zelda Williams has continued to pursue her passion for storytelling. Most obviously, Zelda Williams has continued to act as she has landed a series of roles. Some of Zelda Williams’ work has included voice acting, including her recurring Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles role.
In 2022, it was announced that Zelda Williams was going to direct her first feature film. The movie is set to be called Lisa Frankenstein and there are plans for it to be released in 2024.
Williams got to work with several notable names on Lisa Frankenstein. First off, Lisa Frankenstein was penned by Diablo Cody, the Oscar-winning writer behind the movie Juno. Lisa Frankenstein also stars Kathryn Newton, Cole Sprouse, and Carla Gugino.
A couple of years after Zelda Williams was born, Robin Williams and Marsha Garces Williams had another child. On November 25, 1991, Robin and Garces welcomed their son, Cody Alan Williams, who is 32 years old as of this writing.
Unlike his two older siblings, next to nothing is known about Cody Williams. Since that is a choice that Cody Williams appears to have made for himself, it makes perfect sense to respect his privacy.
The main fact about Cody’s life that is known to the public is that he married Maria Flores on July 21, 2019. During the couple’s wedding ceremony, those in attendance paid tribute to the family members who’d been lost, like Robin Williams.
It is also worth noting that Robin Williams’ two oldest kids regularly pay tribute to their father. A perfect example of that is on what would have been Robin Williams’ 72nd birthday, Zak and Zelda Williams both posted about him on social media.
How Much Money Did Robin Williams Leave His Children In His Will?
Unfortunately for Robin Williams’ loved ones, things weren’t simple when the actor passed away. Instead, Williams’ widow Susan Schneider got into a legal battle with his children over the actor’s estate.
As a part of Williams’ will, Schneider was supposed to be able to continue living in the home they shared until her passing. The legal battle was over the contents of that home and Schneider’s legal expenses. Ultimately, a settlement was reached which called for Schneider to keep living in the home and receive money for her expenses.
Other stars whose estates inspired legal battles according to ABC News
- Michael Jackson
- Steve McNair
- James Brown
- Anna Nicole Smith
- Jimi Hendrix
- Jerry Garcia
- Martin Luther King, Jr.
- Brooke Astor
- Michael Crichton
- Tom Carvel
- Marlon Brando
Once that settlement was reached, that put all the drama to rest. As articles by Vanity Fair and other credible outlets reported, aside from providing his widow with somewhere to live, Williams left everything to his three children. According to Vanity Fair’s article, what Williams left behind had a lot of value even though he had money troubles.
“Said document had left Williams’s entire $100 million-plus estate to his children,”
It is also worth noting that Williams left his personal items to his children as well. While it seems unlikely that his kids will sell Williams’ artifacts, the truth is that many of the actors’ items also have a lot of value that his kids could cash in on in theory.
Finally, according to a 2014 Business Insider report which cited documents obtained by TMZ, Williams provided for his kids in another way.
Williams reportedly set up a 3-part trust fund for his kids which was worth an unknown amount. Business Insider also outlined the rules of the trust. Given what was reported, Zelda and Cody received money from the trust following their father’s passing.
“When each turned 21 they got 1/3 of the share. When they turned 25 they got half of what remained. When they turned 30 they each got their full share. The trust was not dependent on Robin’s death. The kids received their money, although Cody and Zelda have not been paid in full because of their age.”
