Marsha Garces Williams (born June 18, 1956) is an American film producer and philanthropist. She was married to actor and comedian

Robin Williams Robin McLaurin Williams (July 21, 1951August 11, 2014) was an American actor and comedian. Known for his improvisational skills and the wide variety of characters he created on the spur of the moment and portrayed on film, in dramas and come ...

from 1989 to 2010.

Early life

Marsha Lynn Garces was born in

Milwaukee Milwaukee ( ), officially the City of Milwaukee, is both the most populous and most densely populated city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the county seat of Milwaukee County. With a population of 577,222 at the 2020 census, Milwaukee is ...

Wisconsin Wisconsin () is a state in the upper Midwestern United States. Wisconsin is the 25th-largest state by total area and the 20th-most populous. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake M ...

. She grew up in

Shorewood, Wisconsin Shorewood is a village in Milwaukee County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 13,859 at the 2020 census. History In the early 19th century when the first European American settlers arrived, the Shorewood area was controlled by Nativ ...

, and attended Shorewood High School. Garces' father, Leon Garces, was

Filipino Filipino may refer to: * Something from or related to the Philippines ** Filipino language, standardized variety of 'Tagalog', the national language and one of the official languages of the Philippines. ** Filipinos, people who are citizens of th ...

and born in

Ubay, Bohol Ubay, officially the Municipality of Ubay ( ceb, Munisipyo sa Ubay; tgl, Bayan ng Ubay), is a 1st class municipality in the province of Bohol, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 81,799 people. Ubay is in the nort ...

, who moved to the United States in 1929. He later served in the

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...

during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

. Her mother, Ina Rachel Mattila, was

Finnish Finnish may refer to: * Something or someone from, or related to Finland * Culture of Finland * Finnish people or Finns, the primary ethnic group in Finland * Finnish language, the national language of the Finnish people * Finnish cuisine See also ...

Personal life and career

Garces married Robin Williams on April 30, 1989, following the 1988 divorce from his first wife, Valerie. Garces became

pregnant Pregnancy is the time during which one or more offspring develops (gestation, gestates) inside a woman, woman's uterus (womb). A multiple birth, multiple pregnancy involves more than one offspring, such as with twins. Pregnancy usually occur ...

with Williams' child late in 1988, and the pair were later married on April 30, 1989. Garces met Williams in 1984 when she was employed as a nanny for Williams's son Zachary. Previously, Garces was a painter working as a waitress. According to his first wife, the romantic relationship between Robin and Marsha began after they separated. During their marriage, they had two children, Zelda Rae and Cody Alan, born in 1989 and 1991, respectively. In March 2008, she filed for divorce from Williams citing irreconcilable differences. Their divorce was finalized in 2010. After working as the family's nanny, Garces worked with Williams as his personal assistant on films such as ''

Good Morning, Vietnam ''Good Morning, Vietnam'' is a 1987 American war comedy film written by Mitch Markowitz and directed by Barry Levinson. Set in Saigon in 1965, during the Vietnam War, the film stars Robin Williams as a radio DJ on Armed Forces Radio Service, who ...

'' (1987) and ''

Dead Poets Society ''Dead Poets Society'' is a 1989 American drama film directed by Peter Weir, written by Tom Schulman, and starring Robin Williams. Set in 1959 at the fictional elite conservative boarding school Welton Academy, it tells the story of an English t ...

'' (1989). She was later the producer for several of Williams's films. Together, they founded a film production company, Blue Wolf Productions, in 1991. Garces Williams has been involved philanthropically with organizations such as

Doctors Without Borders Doctor or The Doctor may refer to: Personal titles * Doctor (title), the holder of an accredited academic degree * A medical practitioner, including: ** Physician ** Surgeon ** Dentist ** Veterinary physician ** Optometrist *Other roles ** ...

and

Seacology Seacology is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) charitable organization headquartered in Berkeley, California, that works to preserve island ecosystems and cultures around the world. Founded in 1991, it began with the work of ethnobotanist Paul Alan Cox, ...

Filmography

*1993 – ''

Mrs. Doubtfire ''Mrs. Doubtfire'' is a 1993 American comedy-drama film directed by Chris Columbus. It was written for the screen by Randi Mayem Singer and Leslie Dixon, based on the 1987 novel ''Alias Madame Doubtfire'' by Anne Fine. Robin Williams, who also s ...

'' *1998 – ''

Patch Adams Hunter Doherty "Patch" Adams (born May 28, 1945) is an American physician, comedian, social activist, clown, and author. He founded the Gesundheit! Institute in 1971. Each year he also organizes volunteers from around the world to travel to var ...

'' *1999 – ''

Jakob the Liar ''Jakob the Liar'' is a 1999 American war comedy-drama film directed by Peter Kassovitz, produced by Steven Haft, Marsha Garces Williams and written by Kassovitz and Didier Decoin. The film is based on the book of the same name by Jurek Becker ...

'' *2002 – ''Robin Williams: Live on Broadway'' *2014 – ''Extinction Soup''

Awards

*1993 –

Golden Globe Award for Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy The Golden Globe Award for Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy is a Golden Globe Award that has been awarded annually since 1952 by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA). Eligibility Eligible films must be at least 70 minutes in l ...

– ''Mrs Doubtfire'' *2003 – Nominated for a

Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Variety, Music, or Comedy Special The Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Variety Special (Pre-Recorded) is a category at the Primetime Emmy Awards. It is awarded annually to the singularly best pre-recorded varietal, musical or comedic special of the year. It was previously pres ...

– ''Robin Williams: Live on Broadway''

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Williams, Marsha Garces 1956 births American film producers American people of Finnish descent American people of Filipino descent American philanthropists American women film producers Businesspeople from Milwaukee Film producers from California Golden Globe Award-winning producers Living people People from San Francisco Robin Williams Shorewood High School (Wisconsin) alumni