Robin Williams gave more than 1,500 homeless people a job

On August 11, 2014, one of the most loved and admired actors in Hollywood history passed away: Robin Williams.

The brilliant Oscar winner for 'Good Will Hunting' will always be remembered for his passion and flair for comedy.

After his passing, something came to light that not everyone knows: he was an even more generous person than he was funny. As it turns out, he helped more than 1,500 homeless people find work over the course of his career.

Robin Williams was 63 years old when he died, and he dedicated 37 years - more than half his life - to entertainment, accumulating more than 110 titles in both film and television.

In every project he signed, as well as in every event he attended, Robin Williams had a non-negotiable condition: homeless people had to be hired to help them get ahead.

As Brian Lord, president of the Premiere Speakers Bureau, revealed in a blog post: "Thanks, Robin Williams- not just for laughs, but also for a cool example."

Brian Lord pointed out that hiring poor people was a requirement for Robin Williams to commit to any project or attend any event.

In fact, Brian Lord discovered Robin Williams' 'secret' when he tried to hire him to host an event.

"When I got Robin Williams’ rider, I was very surprised by what I found," Lord writes.
"He actually had a requirement that for every single event or film he did, the company hiring him also had to hire a certain number of homeless people and put them to work. I never watched a Robin Williams movie the same way after that."

Robin Williams carried out this solidarity work continuously and secretly for decades, while supporting other causes as well, including housing rights, Children in Need and the U.S. military.

“I’m sure that on his own time and with his own money, he was working with these people in need, but he’d also decided to use his clout as an entertainer to make sure that production companies and event planners also learned the value of giving people a chance to work their way back.”

In fact, back in 1986, Robin Williams, along with Billy Crystal and Whoopi Goldberg, founded 'Comic Relief USA'. It'sa a non-profit organization that uses 'the power of entertainment to drive positive change among those who need it most.'

Today, Comic Relief USA is still active and has been joined by the likes of Julia Roberts, helping the organization surpass $300 million raised for relief.

There was a day when Robin Williams got serious - as serious as he ever got - in the U.S. Congress in support of the Homelessness Prevention and Housing Revitalization Act.

It was 1990 and, in his speech, he told senator Kennedy: "You can't keep picking people up, you have to stop them from falling."

He also left his mark with an historical comparison: "I know it's a little scary when you have a comedian in front of you, it's like having a porcupine in a hemophiliacs ward".

What is clear is that, on the day Robin Williams died, the world not only lost a great actor and an unparalleled comedian. It also lost a very good and generous person.