Robin Williams Seeks Help For Alcoholism

The 55-year-old Oscar winner said he decided to seek treatment after he “found himself drinking again and has decided to take proactive measures to deal with this for his own well-being and the well-being of his family,” his spokeswoman Mara Buxbaum said in a statement.

“He asks that you respect his and his family’s privacy during this time . He looks forward to returning to work this fall to support his upcoming film releases.”

It’s going to be a very busy year for Williams, who has four movies coming out in 2006, including “The Night Listener” in which the comedian plays a radio host who gets involved with a young listener who claims he’s a victim of child abuse.

He plays a radio host again in “Man of the Year”, which hits theatres in October, he provides the voice for an animated penguin in “Happy Feet”, also due out this fall, and stars alongside Owen Wilson and Ben Stiller in the comedy “Night at the Museum”, which will be a holiday season release.

Williams’ heavy drinking was once fodder for his standup routines, but his battle with booze is no longer a laughing matter.

The funnyman rose to fame in the 1970s sitcom “Mork and Mindy”. He won the best supporting actor Oscar for his performance in “Good Will Hunting” and earned nominations for his work in  “Good Morning Vietnam”, “Dead Poets Society” and “The Fisher King”.