We don’t gossip much about manic comedian Robin Williams, 60, but he divorced his wife of 19 years, Marsha Garces, in 2008. The National Enquirer reported that Williams’ cheating that drove his wife to file for divorce, and that he was dating a 27 year-old artist from Connecticut and paying her $10,000 a month to rent an apartment in Manhattan at the time. Williams’ wife shouldn’t be surprised that he was stepping out on her. She worked as a nanny to his son from his first wife when he got her pregnant and then married her in 1989. Anyway Williams just got married for the third time, and it wasn’t to the young artist. This time he married a 47 year-old graphic designer who tended to him during his recovery from heart surgery. It sounds kind of sweet actually and they look really good together.

Robin Williams exchanged vows with graphic designer Susan Schneider on Sunday at the Meadowood Resort in Napa Valley, his rep confirms to PEOPLE.

The couple met shortly before the actor and comedian, 60, had heart surgery in 2009, according to Britain’s The Guardian, which also reports that Schneider helped nurse him back to health.

It’s the third trip down the aisle for Williams, who has three children – Zachary, 28, Zelda, 22, and Cody, 19 – from his first two marriages. His previous wife, Marsha, filed for divorce in 2008.

[From People]

Well good for them. I hope he shaved off that giant white beard for his wedding. It really ages him. I think he’s sporting it for a role, though. Williams plays a foul-mouthed tiger (really) in a Broadway play called “Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo.”

We’ve heard for some time that there might be book and movie deals in the works for Britain’s Got Talent runner up Susan Boyle. Boyle, 48, shot to International fame with a haunting performance of “I Dreamed a Dream” on the talent show earlier this year, but kind of faltered once she earned overnight attention. She had to be hospitalized briefly at the end of the show to rest and she missed several dates on the Britain’s Got Talent tour afterwards. Although Susan signed a record deal thought to exceed $10 million, it seemed for a while there that interest had waned in her and that a potential biopic wouldn’t go through.

Not so, supposedly claims Robin Williams, who is quoted as saying that he’s been approached to play Boyle in a movie about her life. I guess we can assume it’s going to be a frenetic comedy if that’s the case.

Contact Music quotes Williams as saying that he was asked to play 44 Scottish Susan and that he thinks she’s “incredible” and “extraordinary.” Adding more credence to their story is the detail that Robin has been doing Susan Boyle impressions for his friends. I put a question mark in this title because this quote is taken out of context and I hope that Williams is just saying that some interviewer once asked him if would consider playing Susan Boyle. Maybe it wasn’t a serious inquiry like they’re making it out to be.

Funnyman ROBIN WILLIAMS has been asked to play Scottish singing sensation SUSAN BOYLE in a movie about her life.

Boyle shot to international fame after appearing on U.K. TV programme Britain’s Got Talent earlier this year (09), counting the likes of Ashton Kutcher and Demi Moore among her fans.

Movie executives are planning a film detailing her rise to stardom – and they want Williams, who previously dressed as a woman in 1993′s Mrs. Doubtfire, to play the starring role.

And the actor, who is an avid Boyle fan, has already been practising his impressions of her by singing her audition song I Dreamed A Dream to his celebrity friends.
He says, “I’ve been asked if I want to play Susan in the movie. I think she’s incredible. That clip of her singing on Britain’s Got Talent was extraordinary. So inspiring. It was quite a shock when she began to sing. I saw some other clip of her singing Cry Me A River a few years ago. It was incredible. She’s got a really great voice.”

[From Contact Music]

If this is true, is it as insulting as it seems to me that Williams will portray an actual living woman instead of playing a man dressed in drag like in Mrs. Doubtfire? I get that it could be a raucous light comedy with Williams at the helm, but this poor woman has enough problems. She doesn’t need to be mocked by a comic with ADD.

Update – not true: Williams’ rep says this is not true at all and that the quotes are fabricated.

Susan Boyle is shown in the header on 5/6/09. There are also some more recent pictures of her on 8/17/09. Credit: Fame Pictures. Robin Williams is shown in a still from 1993′s Mrs. Doubtfire.

Robin Williams recently experienced chest pain and shortness of breath on his first stand up tour in six years, causing him to be admitted to the Intensive Care Unit. Robin underwent heart surgery on March 13th, and his rep (and his doctors) describe the operation as successful, and expect him to make a full recovery.

In a statement from Williams’s rep, Mara Buxbaum, the Ohio clinic staff cardiothoracic surgeon, A. Marc Gillinov, M.D., said, “Williams’s operation went extremely well, and we expect him to make a full recovery.”

The procedure, which took 3½ hours, “was conducted to replace his aortic valve, repair his mitral valve and correct his irregular heartbeat,” said the doctor – who termed Williams’s heart “strong” and foresaw no limitations insofar as his patient’s future physical activities.

“A couple hours after surgery, he was entertaining the medical team and making us all laugh,” according to Gillinov.

People

What great news! Robin Williams in only 57, and although his parents were long lived (his mum was 79 and dad was 81 when they passed) his brother died of complications from heart surgery in August 2007, so this surgery must have been scary for Robin, as it would be for anyone. His brother is said to have been ‘older’ than Robin but there’s no source that gives his exact age.

Robin has a history of cocaine addiction during the late 1970′s and early 1980′s, the catalyst for giving up the drugs was the birth of his son Zak in 1983. In 2006 Robin slipped off the wagon and entered rehab for alcoholism. He has also recently gotten divorced from his wife of 19 years, so I guess all of these recent events could have had an accumulative effect on his health.

According to his rep, Robin will pick up his Weapons of Self-Destruction tour in the fall. This is great news and we’re looking forward to hearing confirmation that he is well enough to work again.

Robin Williams is shown at the People’s Choice Awards on 1/17/09. Credit: Sarah Cullen/Fame Pictures

Robin Williams is in the process of a divorce from his wife of 19 years, Marsha. The annoying funnyman is said to have closely followed Christie Brinkley’s divorce from her fourth husband, Peter Cook. During Brinkley’s public divorce proceedings the public learned the intimate details of Cook’s Internet porn addiction and inappropriate relationship with a girl just out of high school he hired to work at his architecture firm. Williams wants to keep quiet whatever dirt his wife might have on him, and is said to have told his lawyer to meet all her demands:

Horrified after witnessing Christie Brinkley’s divorce from… Peter Cook escalate into a three-ring media circus, Robin Williams – desperate to preserve his own privacy as his 19-year marriage to estranged wife Marsha winds up in court – vows he absolutely won’t fight her, and ordered his attorney and business reps: “Give her anything she wants!” Said an insider: “Robin wants his private life kept out of the headlines and is willing to give Marsha anything she wants just to get it all over with and start his life again. He knows there are many things Marsha could make publicm and he’s willing to give up his fortune to avoid a trashy divorce battle.”

[From The National Enquirer, print edition, Mike Walker's column, August 11, 2008]

Williams, 57, had a stint in rehab in August, 2006. He was rumored to have been cheating on his wife earlier this year with a 27 year-old artist from Greenwich, CT, but it seems as if they may have already been estranged at that time. Robin and Marsha are said to have been living apart for around two years.

I almost forgot he was going through a divorce because he hasn’t made the gossip press much in the last few months. Now that I’m reminded of it, I’m kind of bummed that his divorce details won’t be made public. It would be excellent gossip and I would like to see this fast-talking fool stammering on the stand. Williams is a nice guy, though, and if he’s willing to make sure his wife is happy he doesn’t deserve to have his dirty laundry aired in public. You would doubt he was into anything on the level of Peter Cook’s indiscretions, but it’s always possible. It sounds like he made a wise decision in making sure he settles his divorce quickly and behind the scenes.

Robin Williams is shown at Outfest on 7/20/08. Credit: WENN/Fayes Vision

Williams and his wife of 19 years, Marsha, on 11/12/07 before she filed for divorce
Robin Williams has been living apart from his wife for two years, claims the latest issue of the National Enquirer, and he has had a 27 year-old girlfriend for the past few months. It was his cheating that was said to eventually drive his wife to file for divorce after 19 years of marriage.

Williams met modern artist Charlotte Filbert about six months ago through friends and owns some of her paintings. Filbert lives in Greenwich, Connecticut, and comes from a well-to-do family.

Robin is said to have given his new girlfriend a $10,000 a month limit to rent an apartment in Manhattan:

Robin Williams was cheating with a knockout blond half his age before his wife Marsha hit him with divorce papers, ending their 19-year marriage, The Enquirer has learned exclusively.

The other woman is Charlotte Filbert, a 27-year-old artist from tony Greenwich, Connecticut, and she’s the secret behind the comic’s bust up, sources reveal.

Williams, 56, met Charlotte last year through a pal – and the… actor owns several of her paintings, according to her agent…

“Charlotte wants to move from Greenwich to Manhatta, and Robin gave her a $10,000 a month limit for a rental apartment,” said the source.

When approached by an Enquirer reporter, Charlotte did not deny her affair with Robin, saying “I can’t comment on any of this stuff.”

[From The National Enquirer, print edition, April 14, 2008]

The Enquirer says that Robin wooed Charlotte through dinners and walks on the beach with her dog, and lots and lots of listening to his jokes. I don’t think I could stand to be with a guy that doesn’t have an off switch like Robin, but there have to be women who find that funny and refreshing.

Maybe Williams’ marriage had run its course and if he was already living apart from his wife for two years they may have been preparing for divorce for some time. It’s still got to come as a slap in the face to find that your maybe-estranged husband has a girlfriend who is almost 30 years younger than he is.

Inset image of Charlotte Filbert is from her website. She’s a talented artist. You can see a larger photo of Filbert in the new National Enquirer with Jennifer Aniston’s adoption on the cover. One of her paintings called “Swim” is below.

Robin Williams’ wife of nearly 19 years, Marsha Garces, filed a petition for divorce in San Francisco on Friday, citing irreconcilable differences. Garces is Williams’ second wife. They met when she was working as a nanny for William’s son, Zachary, now 24, from his first marriage. Williams and Garces married soon after his divorce from his first wife was finalized. They have two children together, a daughter Zelda, 18, and a son Cody, 16.

Williams was in rehab in August, 2006 being treated for alcoholism. His publicist said he was acting proactively after he fell off the wagon following 20 years of sobriety. Williams’ older brother died in August of last year after heart surgery, and that must have been very difficult time for him and his family.

Garces founded a production company and non profit organization with her husband and is active with charity work.

It must be entertaining but annoying to be married to Robin Williams. He’s funny as hell, but whenever I’ve seen him interviewed he’s like a rabbit on crack. He bounces jokes around and does so many rapid-fire impressions that you’re left feeling exhausted after a few minutes trying to mentally follow him. He does seem like a very decent and kind man, though, and that’s too bad that his marriage didn’t work out.

Williams and his estranged wife are shown at an event for the Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation on 11/12/07, thanks to PRPhotos. Williams is an old friend of Christopher Reeve from when they were at Juilliard together. He is said to be caring for Reeve’s son, Will, 15, who was orphaned when his mother died in the Spring of 2006. I think that Williams’ three children are shown in the photo.

David Letterman, Craig Ferguson, Jay Leno, Conan O’Brien, Jimmy Kimmel, Jon Stewart and Steven Colbert will return to their respective talk shows this week. Letterman’s company has struck an agreement with the Writers Guild of America that allows him to use writers for “The Late Show.” Craig Ferguson’s “Late Late Show” is controlled by Letterman’s production company, Worldwide Pants, and also has the advantage of falling under the interim agreement and being able to use writers. Leno and the rest of the late night hosts will have to make due with whatever they can muster that doesn’t violate the WGA contract. That is expected to entail longer celebrity interviews and more off the cuff audience interaction. “On the street” segments are also anticipated.

The first celebrity guest booked on Letterman’s show is Robin Williams. Both Letterman and Ferguson have an added edge over their talkshow host competitors in that guests don’t have to cross picket lines to appear. Williams is one guest who certainly wouldn’t need a scripted Q&A to appear, however. He is particularly gifted in off the cuff absurdity which can sometimes be hard to follow.

Steven Colbert and Jon Stewart are expected to be scrambling to come up with material that’s not prepared. They rely on scripted segments for their shows and will be hard pressed to ad lib. Under the WGA contract they can’t even use ideas that are prepared ahead of time by writers. These two strike me as cleverer than most, so we’ll have to see how they deal with the situation. It will also be interesting to see if Letterman and O’Brien have shaved their “strike beards,” or if they’ll grace us with their unshaven faces at least for one night.

As for how the writer’s strike continues to affect television, I read an interesting article that compared the 1988 strike to the current strike and said that there’s evidence that television lost 10% of its viewership almost permanently after the five month strike from March to August. This current strike could result in a nearly 30% drop in television viewers and could go a long way toward strengthening the audience for online content and web-based shows. And we may have to make due with more open-ended interviews with lesser-known celebrities on the talk shows. Maybe that’s an added benefit to refusing to cross picket lines – celebrities don’t have to worry about sounding stupid if they can’t rehearse their answers ahead of time.

Here’s a link to a wikipedia article that has an updated list of how many episodes are available for specific shows.

Thanks to the NY Times and The Wall St. Journal for the details for this story.

Letterman is shown on 10/20/05 with a horse, but I swear to you this picture is captioned “Madonna Visits The Late Show with David Letterman” by the photo agency, PRPhotos.

Robin Williams has been out of rehab for three months, and is trying to get back in his wife’s good graces. She hasn’t allowed him to move back into their mansion, but he can take her out on dates. He seems to be working hard to try to prove that he’s serious about staying sober and being there for his family:

The Enquirer has learned the Oscar-winning actor’s wife Marsha has not alllowed him to move back into their northern California home, but has permitted him to “date” her again!

“Robin wants more than anything to move back home and live with his family, but his wife is still taking it slowly,” says the source. “He’s telling pals that he’s slowly attempting to rebuild their relationship.”

But it’s a difficult situation because the 55 year-old actor is leiving in Los Angeles, while Marsha is at the couple’s Napa Valley residence with their two teenaged children.

“They see each other when his schedule permits,” said the source, “but it’s been lonely and difficult for him.”

[From National Enquirer print edition, January 22, 2007]

Robin Williams poked fun at his stay in rehab in his typical ADD style at the People’s Choice Awards, where he won the award for “Funny Male Star.” He brought his 17 year-old daughter, Zelda, to the event.

Robin’s wife Marsha was the nanny of his first child, Zachary, 23, with his ex wife Valerie Velardi. Marsha and Robin have daughter Zelda and son Cody, 14. Thanks to JustJared for Robin’s family background.

That’s sweet that he’s trying to work for his wife’s trust and affection, and hopefully it will work out for them.

A red-headed Robin Williams and Muhammad Ali joked around yesterday at Celebrity Fight Night 12 at the Marriot Desert Resort in Phoenix, AZ. Reba McEntire hosted the event, which featured live celebrity performances with proceeds to benefit the Muhammad Ali Parkinson Center.

Muhammad Ali is doing well, and reports that he was gravely ill last fall were exaggerated:

Ali was recently honored at the November, 2005 grand opening of the Muhammad Ali Center in Louisville, KY.

Pictures [via]