Valerie Velardi (born 21 July 1951, Age: 70 years) is an American Actress, Dancer, and Voice artist from Connecticut, USA. She is famous for working in the 1980 adaptation of Popeye and the 2018 documentary Robin Williams: Come Inside My Mind. She is most famous for being the first wife of the late actor Robin Williams with whom she had a divorce in 1988.
Valerie Velardi’s Biography (Wiki, Birth Date & Ethnicity)
Bio – Valerie Ann Velardi took her first breath on 21 July 1951, to her father Leonard Velardi and mother Dee Velardi in Connecticut, USA. As of July 2021, Valerie is 70 years old and comes under the Cancer sun sign. She has a total of five siblings, their details will be discussed in the article below.
Valerie comes under the Caucasian ethnicity and follows Christianity by heart. Even though she was a part of Hollywood once with so much trauma on her mentally, she still managed to keep her spirits up and did not lose faith in her god.
Valerie Velardi’s Family (Father, Mother & Siblings)
Valerie Velardi’s parents, Leonard Velardi and Dee Velardi got a divorce which left Valerie and her siblings alone with their father. Although information about the occupation of her father is not available out there, it can be said it was tough for Leonard Velardi to raise five children on his own.
The whereabouts of her mother Dee Velardi are unknown after their divorce. The names of Valerie’s siblings are Leslie Velardi, daughter, Leonard Velardi, Peter Velardi, and Theron Velardi brothers. All the brothers and sisters lived together, supporting each other. Valerie had to help the family by getting a job to take care of her father and siblings.
Education & Early Life
Despite all the hardships, Valerie completed her education, she graduated high school in New Haven, Connecticut, USA, from St. Mary’s High School and completed her bachelor’s in Vermont from Goddard College. Later in life, she completed her Masters in Dance Education from Mills College in California.
Valerie Velardi Wiki
| Full Name | Valerie Ann Velardi. |
| Nickname | Valerie. |
| Age (as of 2021) | 70 years. |
| Profession | Actress.Dancer.Yoga Instructor. |
| Birthday | 21 July 1951 |
| Place of Birth | Connecticut, USA. |
| Current Residence | San Francisco, California, USA. |
| Education | Graduate.Masters in Dance Education. |
| Alma Mater | High School: St. Mary’s High School. College: Goddard College. University: Mills College. |
| Net Worth (approx.) | 5 million dollars. |
| Nationality | American. |
| Religion | Christianity. |
| Zodiac Sign | Cancer. |
Valerie Velardi Height, Weight & Body Stats
| Height (approx.) | In feet inches: 5’ 5”. In centimeters: 167 cm. In meters: 1.67 m. |
| Weight (approx.) | In kilograms: 51 kg. In pounds: 112 lbs. |
| Hair Color | Blonde. |
| Hair Length | Short. |
| Eye Color | Hazel brown. |
| Distinctive Features | Tall and confident posture. |
| Tattoos | None. |
Everything About Robin Williams’ Wife – Valerie Velardi
My heart is about to burst I’m so happy. Maybe something’s wrong with me.”
Valerie Velardi married the famous actor Robin Williams. She was Robin’s first wife and saw his rise to fame herself. The couple met when they both debuted in the 1980 adaptation of Popeye’s.
Robin Williams became a very successful actor and comedian. He is still one of the most recognizable faces of Hollywood even after his death. Robin Williams is one of the most loved actors, his roles in movies like Goodwill Hunting, Dead Poet Society, Good Morning Vietnam, and Aladdin gathered him a huge fan following. But the beloved actor had a dark side which we will discuss further in this article.
Marriage Details
Robin continued with his career as an actor and went on to gather massive fame and fan following, as we all know and cherish the actor, Valerie on the other hand left her acting career and became a stay-at-home wife and later mom who continued her dancing career.
Talking about their first meeting, Valerie Velardi told that Robin Williams was a bartender at a bar where Valerie was a cocktail waitress, Robin offered her a drink and the two began talking. The couple clicked and had an intimate moment when Robin asked for “a ride home”. She told that he was conversing in French and then later they had a kiss.
Children (Son & Daughter)
On 11 April 1983, Valerie Velardi gave birth to Zachary AKA Zak Pym Williams, the firstborn of Robin Williams. Zak went on to become an actor and investor who worked in movies like Slow Your Roll and The Graduates. Zak has been married two times, currently married to Olivia June whom he married in 2020, and Alex Mallick Williams whom he divorced in 2018.
Breaking Apart and Divorce
Robin Williams and Valerie Velardi, however close they were in the beginning, started drifting apart and most of it was Robin’s nature with the ladies. Valerie admitted recently that she allowed Robin to have affairs with other women as long as the infamous actor came back home every night.
Exactly after 10 years of their marriage, just when Zak Williams was 5 years old, Valerie demanded a divorce after a lot happened with Robin’s dating life. Robin Williams was sued by a girl he was dating before he met Valerie, but he won the case. The last straw was the impregnation of Marsha Garces by Robin who was the babysitter to Zak Williams.
Further Life of Robin Williams
After their divorce, Robin Williams married Marsha Garces, who then gave birth to two children, Zelda Williams, and Cody Williams. Marsha and Robin also divorced in 2010 due to incompatibility between the pair. Marsha Garces is an American producer who has produced films like Mrs. Doubtfire, Patch Adams, and Jakob the Liar.
After this divorce, Robin married for a third time to Susan Schneider Williams, a graphic designer who has been running her own company for 22 years. Robin remained married to Susan until he died in 2014, he committed suicide by hanging as he was suffering from depression and mental instability from having the rare Lewy Body Disease.
Remarriage of Valerie Velardi
Robin Williams was not the only one who moved on after the divorce. Valerie Velardi married the famous South African musician and instrumentalist Ricky Fataar somewhere around 1980. He is a well-known drummer for The Beach Boys and gained more fame when he was in the movie The Rutles. He is also a recognized record producer.
From her marriage to Ricky Fataar, Valerie gave birth to a daughter, Francesca Fataar on 2 October 1980 in Los Angeles, California. Francesca is a hairstylist and artist/painter by trade and is close with her father Ricky and her half-sister Paloma Fataar. Whether she meets her half-brother Zak Williams is unknown at the moment.
Step-Son and Daughters of Valerie Velardi
From Robin Williams’ side, Valerie has two stepchildren. Zelda Williams, who was born on 31 July 1989 to Robin Williams and Marsha Garces, is an actress now. She was named after Zelda from the video game series The Legend of Zelda and is very close to her brothers Zack and Cody.
Cody Williams is the third and youngest child of Robin Williams who was born on 25 November 1991. He is a producer by trade and has produced many shows like The Birds and the BS and the 2020 Roger Rees Awards. He got married on what would have been the 68th birthday of his father.
From Ricky Fataar’s side, Valerie Velardi has a stepdaughter, Paloma Tree Fataar daughter of Ricky Fataar and Penelope Tree. She was born on 4 April 1980 and is the closest sibling of Francesca, Valerie’s daughter, and second child. Paloma studied Tibetan music and Buddhism and graduated from Bard College, Annandale-on-Hudson, New York.
See Also – Who is James Heltibridle? Facts About American Filmmaker (Wiki / Bio)
Profession & Career
Valerie entered the entertainment industry with big hopes and expectations. She got her first role when she was 15 years old in the 1966 movie Rappaccini. Then she did her second and last movie Popeye in 1980 with Robin Williams.
Valerie admitted that when she was working on her graduation she was a cocktail waitress in the same bar as Robin. Later she finished her degree and became a certified dancer. She did not pursue her career as a dancer, Valerie said she was too old when she started.
In 1983, Valerie shifted her career and started teaching Yoga. Now she is a Yoga instructor in San Francisco, California. She leads a calm and professional life now and is very vocal about maintaining her body and spirituality. Valerie Velardi is also a dance instructor and has garnered a lot of students over the years.
7 Facts You Didn’t Know About Valerie Velardi
- She told in an interview that Robin Williams and Valerie once owned two lizards, one parrot, and one iguana.
- Even though she is around 70 years old, Valerie Velardi still manages to keep up with technology and maintains her Instagram profile herself.
- Valerie attends the Burning Man festival in Black Rock City, USA.
- Valerie likes to spend time with her grandson.
- She likes to go on vacations and spend time on beaches.
- Valerie has a great sense of humor and is known for her antics.
- She loves to celebrate Halloween with her husband.
Social Media Profile(s)
Instagram: @vvel.
Facebook: N/A
Twitter: Will Update Soon
Final Note About Valerie Velardi’s Bio
Valerie Velardi has seen a lot in her life, first her parents’ divorce then, struggle as an actor, then a ray of hope as the wife of a megastar but the constant infidelities and suffering through the pain of knowing that her husband goes out every night with different women was just too much for her and that is not fair.
People often associate Valerie with Robin Williams. But she is much more than that, on watching the movie Popeye we can see great potential in her as an actress and a comedian but sadly we could not see her more in movies. She is much more than just the first wife of Robin Williams, she is a loving mother, daughter, sister, and grandmother.
On listening to her story, fans of Robin Williams will get enraged at first but, sadly, it’s the truth that he did not do justice to this kind-hearted woman. And the most amazing part is that Valerie Velardi still loves him as a human being. Valerie teaches a lot of people, a lot of things, but most importantly she teaches us to fight for our self-respect.
