Robin Williams: Tributes pour in to US actor

Tributes have been pouring in for US actor Robin Williams, who was found dead in an apparent suicide at his home near San Francisco on Monday.

"Robin was a lightning storm of comic genius and our laughter was the thunder that sustained him. He was a pal and I can't believe he's gone." - Film director Steven Spielberg

"We lost Robin - first witnessed his genius as he created Mork before our eyes in two hours on set. A Force. A Sweet Soul. A Brilliant Artist."- Happy Days star turned film director Ron Howard

"Robin Williams, tower of raw and unfiltered talent, is a force this world will not experience again anytime soon. Our prayers and thoughts are with the Williams family." - Former Happy Days star Henry Winkler

"Robin Williams was an airman, a doctor, a genie, a nanny, a president, a professor, a bangarang Peter Pan, and everything in between. But he was one of a kind.

"He made us laugh. He made us cry. He gave his immeasurable talent freely and generously to those who needed it most." - US President Barack Obama

"Robin Williams made the world laugh & think. I will remember & honour that. A great man, artist and friend. I will miss him beyond measure." - Actor Kevin Spacey via Twitter

"So sad to think about this. Hard to speak. Hard to say. Hard to take. All I can think about is what a joy he was to be with. I'm devastated. My heart is broken by this news." - Actor Danny DeVito

Williams was described by Lance Armstrong as "one hell of a friend"

"Robin was both my friend and my hero, a unique talent and a kind and generous man; the world will be a much poorer place without him." - Comedian Billy Connolly

"Robin was one of the most uniquely brilliant and complicated comic artists the world has ever known. As a performer, he navigated a dangerous high wire at every single moment - with no safety net.

"My husband and I loved and admired him deeply and will miss him in a way that is beyond words." - Pamela Stephenson Connolly, comedienne turned psychologist

Columbus (l) directed Williams in Mrs Doubtfire, Nine Months and Bicentennial Man

"We have lost one of our most inspired and gifted comic minds, as well as one of this generation's greatest actors. To watch Robin work, was a magical and special privilege... He truly was one of the few people who deserved the title of 'genius'." - Chris Columbus, director of Mrs Doubtfire

"Isn't it mind-blowing how many times and ways Robin Williams touched your life with his work? For so long. What a gift he gave." - Producer Judd Apatow

"I never met anyone who loved making people laugh more than Robin." - Actress Minnie Driver, co-star in Good Will Hunting.

"Just so damn sad. This guy made so many people happy. There will always be that." - Former Batman actor Michael Keaton

"When the Gods gift you with the kind of talent Robin had, there's a price to pay, there always is. It doesn't come from nothing. It comes from deep problems inside, a concern, all sorts of fears - and yet he could always channel those things and turn them into something gold." - the Fisher King director Terry Gilliam

"He just had this incredible sweetness to him that was just so genuine and very striking. It was really clear I think to anyone who met him, just what... a sweet, joyful spirit he had to the people he was around." - Frank Conniff, writer and actor, who worked with Robin Williams on the David Feldman radio show

"Robin was as sweet a man as he was funny. If you're sad, please tell someone." Talk show host Jimmy Kimmel via Twitter

"The world just got a lot less funny. Robin Williams is a tragic loss." - Family Guy creator Seth MacFarlane

"Robin Williams was one of life's gentlemen. His kindness and warmth were exceptional.

"We've lost a great talent and a good man." - Sir Kenneth Branagh, who directed and acted alongside Williams in Dead Again and Hamlet

Williams was first known for his role in 1970s TV show Mork and Mindy, with co-star Pam Dawber

"I am completely and totally devastated. What more can be said?" - Actress Pam Dawber, co-star in Mork and Mindy

"I've never known a sweeter, brighter, more considerate person that Robin. Robin's commitment as an artist to lifting our mood and making us happy is compared to none. He loved us all and we loved him back." - Old Dogs co-star John Travolta

"Robin Williams... true gentleman, acting great, comedic legend, genius." - Happy Feet co-star Hugh Jackman via Twitter

Actress Mara Wilson, who played William's on-screen daughter in Mrs Doubtfire

"I can't believe my lovely friend is gone. My heart goes out to his wife and his beloved children. He brought us so much joy and laughter." - Comedian and Monty Python member Eric Idle via Twitter

"Robin Williams, the most astonishingly funny, brilliant, profound and silly miracle of mind and spirit, has left the planet.

"He was a giant heart, a fireball friend, a wondrous gift from the gods. Now the selfish bastards have taken him back." - Monty Python member turned film director Terry Gilliam, who directed Williams in The Adventures of Baron Munchausen and The Fisher King

"A tweet cannot begin to describe the hugeness of Robin Williams heart and soul and talent. This is so sad. #RobinWilliams

"OK, I'll try. I met him when I was 13 and a huge fan and he was so kind and I watched him be kind to every fan i ever saw him with...

"His impact on the world was so positive. He did so much good for people. He made me and so many people laugh so hard for a very long time." - Actor Ben Stiller via Twitter

Williams was described by Lance Armstrong as "one hell of a friend"

"RIP Robin. I will always remember you as one hell of a friend. I love you and will miss you terribly." - Former professional cyclist Lance Armstrong via Twitter

"When we were wrapped [on the set of The Crazy Ones], I wanted a picture with him but I didn't want to feel like I was a rookie on set.

"But he saw the phone in my hand and he was just like: 'You want a picture? Picture time.'

"So, I guess my surprise was, as popular as he was and as much a celebrity as he was, he was the most humble guy that I ever met." - Actor J Kristopher, who appeared with Williams in his recent sitcom

"I really was blessed to have to been associated with him for a number of his incredible works over the years, from his 'Mork and Mindy' days at Paramount to 'Dead Poets Society,' 'Good Morning, Vietnam' and of course, 'Aladdin'.

"His was truly one of the most brilliant and singular performances in the history of animation.

"For me, it was one of the most breathtaking, pure moments of creativity I think I have ever witnessed. Aladdin would not be the classic movie it is without his brilliance." - chief executive of DreamWorks Animation and former chairman of Walt Disney Studios Jeffrey Katzenberg

"I'll remember him as a superb comic, a unique comedian in many ways. He was quite a physical comic, he was very sharp, he had some brilliant material, some very topical, satirical stuff. There was a tremendous warmth you got from him." - comedian Bill Bailey

"Really saddened to hear Robin Williams has died. He was a Catherine wheel of comic energy - brilliant, irrepressible, inspired. A true genius. His imagination was like electricity - flowed through him, lit him up, sparked wildly, consumed him. He inspired my generation." - Impressionist Rory Bremner

"Whenever I had him on my show it was like someone had pulled the pin on a grenade and thrown it into the middle of the studio. He was... an explosive presence." - chat show host Jonathan Ross

Robin Williams with Stephen Fry on a 2002 edition of Parkinson

"Devastating news about @robinwilliams - knew him a little and liked him a whole lot more. A brain wired like no other and so so kind." - Stephen Fry via Twitter

"He was very influential on me. He had a terrible compulsion to perform - he would come on at the Comedy Store. He wasn't really improvising, he just had a vast amount of material that he would reorder in different ways. He was a nice bloke." - comedian Alexei Sayle who met Williams in the 1980s

"Had the pleasure of Robin Williams' company five times. Each time he exclaimed 'Alexei!' and gave me a hug. I never corrected him." - comic Omid Djalili, not commonly known as Alexei Sayle.

"I was so in awe of him but he was so sweet and humble. We saw Robin Williams perform unannounced at comedy clubs in LA. His talent was breathtaking and I have never seen such love from an audience." - comedian David Walliams

"He was a wonderful man and an inspiration to comics, but also a source of light and joy to millions and millions of people." - Mrs Doubtfire co-star Scott Capurro

Williams recently appeared alongside Forest Whitaker in The Butler

"The world has lost a special soul. Robin Williams touched our hearts, he gave us laughter, he gave us joy, he made us think about the impossible.

"I'm blessed to have been able to walk inside his universe. He forever changed this world with his presence.

"My thoughts and prayers go out to his family and to all those who hold him dear." - Forest Whitaker, who appeared with Williams in Good Morning, Vietnam and The Butler.