PROFILE: Robbie Williams

The ultimate entertainer, Brit award-winner and platinum-selling solo artist Robbie Williams began his career in the pop group Take That, before going it alone in 1997 bringing us solo hits such as Angels, Rock DJ, and Let Me Entertain You – dominating music charts and British tabloid newspapers. A new 4-part documentary on Netflix now shows his meteoric rise to fame, looking back over his career in an open and raw format, taking us through his struggles with addictions, stardom and success, high-profile relationships, and downward spirals, before finding happiness.

Background

Robert Peter Williams was born in Stoke on Trent England on February 13^th, 1974. His parents Janet and Peter Williams ran a pub called the Red Lion. They divorced when he was three years old, and he grew up with his mother and stepsister.  He went to school in Tunstall and was in several school plays, showing a talent for performing early on and wanted to become an actor. He spent holidays with his father who was a comedy entertainer known by the stage name Pete Conway.

Take That

At 16, Williams was selling double glazing when his mum told him about an advert she had seen for auditions for a new boy band. His version of Jason Donovan’s song Nothing Can Divide Us led to Williams joining what would become one of the most successful acts in British pop history -Take That, alongside Gary Barlow, Mark Owen, Jason Orange, and Howard Donald.

Take That was a massive success, with number-one hits, fame and celebrity catapulting the five band members to superstardom. Williams brought a more rebellious side and was the most controversial member of the clean-cut band. His cheeky individuality and distinctive vocals connected with fans but with reputed issues of partying, alcohol and drugs, and feeling his creative input was not being listened to he eventually left the band in 1995. Fans were devastated and, despite the rivalry with Gary Barlow and the band’s differences, he re-joined the group years later for a highly-anticipated album Progress in 2010 and a fast-selling tour as the original 5-piece in 2012.  Williams was the opening act at the 2012 Buckingham Palace Diamond Jubilee Concert, co-organised by Gary Barlow.

Going Solo

Once released from the Take That contract, Williams launched his impressive solo career with a cover of George Michael’s Freedom, followed by several studio albums and compilations. He has had 7 number-one solo singles and in 2022 broke records as his latest compilation album XXV topped the UK charts, overtaking Elvis Presley as the solo artist with the most UK number one albums.   

People expected Gary Barlow to be the breakout star from Take That, but it was Williams in the end, partly due to the hit song Angels.

Williams worked with songwriter Guy Chambers who became an ongoing musical director, co-writer, and friend, collaborating on many of the biggest hits including Angels, Rock DJ and Millennium before Williams later decided to take back control and ended the working relationship.

Williams has won multiple Brit awards and was inducted into the UK Music Hall of Fame after being voted as the Greatest Artist of the 1990s. His live performances and tours are incredible – energetic, lively – and sell out quickly. In 2006 he got into the Guinness Book of World Records for selling 1.6 million tickets of his Close Encounters Tour in a single day. 

TV & Film

Williams voiced the character of Dougal in the 2005 Magic Roundabout film. He also had a walk-on part in the British soap drama Eastenders. Alongside his wife Ayda, Louis Tomlinson from One Direction, and Simon Cowell, Williams became a judge on the fifteenth UK series of The X Factor. 

Personal Life

Williams was a regular in the headlines of the British tabloid press who followed his story. He has been open about his struggles, and it is well-reported that he had battled eating disorders, depression, addictions, alcoholism, and substance abuse throughout his life.

Williams has many British culture tattoos, plus the Take That logo and lyrics from a Beatles song.

His interests include UFOs and paranormal phenomena, and he’s a lifelong football fan (he has organised charity football matches ‘Soccer Aid’ with friend Jonathan Wilkes to raise money for UNICEF). As well as swing musicians Sinatra and Dean Martin, Williams was inspired by singers such as Freddie Mercury, Tom Jones, and Elvis.

His reported relationship history includes Spice Girls Melanie C and Geri Halliwell, and an engagement with All Saints star Nicole Appleton, but it was in 2006 that he met American actress Ayda Field, whom he married in 2010. They have four children and live in LA, and although he says he is still a work in progress, Williams has overcome addictions and found happiness.

Netflix Documentary 2023 – Robbie Williams

In a new 4-part documentary we see Williams look back on his career as a pop icon catapulted into the public eye. Directed by Joe Pearlman, the series is raw and honest, with behind-the-scenes footage, home movies and interviews from the three decades of Williams’ career, and current family life in LA.