The Complete Transformation Of Zelda Williams

Few Nepo babies have as much goodwill with the public as Robin Williams' daughter Zelda Williams — and it's for a unique mix of reasons. Zelda is obviously the daughter of one of the most beloved actors and comics of all time, and even though Robin passed away years ago, he's unlikely to ever be forgotten. Still, it wouldn't be fair to say that this is the only reason Zelda is well-liked.

A more important one is that her transformation from a child to an adult isn't like the typical Nepo baby stories we're used to. While Zelda, like most children of stars, deeply wanted to pursue acting as a child, her parents put their foot down. "They wouldn't let me do acting or audition or even come to L.A. and take part in it until I was about 17," she told Smashing Interviews in 2016. In hindsight, this was a wise decision from her parents because while there's an interesting list of child stars who grew up to be gorgeous and successful, the mental trade-off is very real.

Beyond acting as an extra in a few of her father's movies, Zelda didn't live the Hollywood life that many Nepo babies today do. Any public events that she did attend with her family saw her in kid-friendly clothes, including comfy coats and dresses worn with tights. "I'll always be grateful for that," she told the outlet. "I didn't have to jump into it at 10 or 11 because I was demanding it, and my parents said, 'No.'" By the time Zelda turned 19, she made her debut as an actor, and we've gotten to watch her complete transformation on her own terms.

By 2008, Zelda Williams was officially 19 and snagged her first movie without being an extra for her father. She played "Frankie" in "Were the World Mine," a comedic musical about a gay student who uses a magic spell to turn people in his close-minded town gay. This movie was moderately successful, and from then on, Zelda became a regular on the red carpets with and without her father Robin Williams.

Soon enough, she established a regular style; dresses, dresses, and more dresses. From body cons to knee-length wraps, and floor-length dinner gowns, Zelda wore a lot of dresses. The only part of this aesthetic that frequently changed during this period was her hair. She rocked a pixie cut, long waves, short waves, and even straight hair to switch up her look.

Unexciting fashion choices aside, Zelda was making her mark in a more important way: through advocacy. 2008 marked the start of her vocal advocacy for LGBTQ+ rights through her movies and the roles she took. Beyond "Were the World Mine," Zelda would go on to act in several other affirming movies, advocate vocally for the community, and even challenge producers when she felt that transgender roles were being given to cisgender people wrongly.

Considering how Robin Williams' death in 2014 affected the world, it's heartbreaking to imagine just how deeply Zelda Williams and her siblings were hurt. The actor passed away on August 11, and shortly after, Zelda deleted her X (then Twitter) account and stayed away from both red-carpet events and focusing on fashion. In February 2015, she gave one of her first interviews since the tragedy to NBC and shared how hard it had been. "You know, it's taking it one step at a time. The world keeps spinning," she said (via Today). "It's going to take a lot of work to allow myself to have the sort of fun, happy life that I had, but that's important."

Zelda would later reveal on Chelsea Handler's Netflix show "Chelsea" in 2016 that she pushed through with her love for movies. She explained that she worked through each day by focusing on her job and the things she loved doing: "I ended up writing 12 scripts, which was great ..."

However, she added that it was a slow journey to that point. "And also I didn't see daylight for a while, so now I'm doing a lot more of that. I've been working really hard, and it's been nice. 'Cause you get to not sit with yourself for too long." These days, Zelda not only speaks out about mental health, but her Instagram Stories contain mental health resources you need to get and give help. "Whoever out there needs to hear it, please use this as your signpost in the desert," she writes. "Reach out, seek help, keep fighting."

If you or someone you know is struggling or in crisis, help is available. Call or text 988 or chat 988lifeline.org

By 2016, Zelda Williams was back in Hollywood after the death of Robin Williams, and there was a clear difference in her aesthetic. Gone were the cutesy dresses she'd once favored. This new Zelda was clearly trying to find her style. Unsurprisingly, there were more than a few missteps. One notable instance was when she turned up at a Land of Distraction launch event in Los Angeles, California, in November 2017, wearing an outfit with lots of transparent plastic.

However, this era wasn't all bad, to be fair. Zelda's jumpsuit with a cutout at the SAG-AFTRA Foundation's Patron of the Artists Awards in Los Angeles that month was chic and edgy at the same time.

Despite her questionable fashion choices around this time, Zelda was making a name for herself in other ways. In 2016, she officially opened up about being bisexual and staunchly criticized what she considered "erasure of bisexuality" thanks to misconceptions and bigotry. "I think a lot of people, especially in women, they tend to have really bad responses to it," she said on the "Chelsea" Netflix show (via ET Online). She also took it upon herself to debunk some of the most popular bisexuality myths regarding relationships, noting, "They think you can't have a monogamous relationship. By the way, it doesn't really matter if you want to be not-monogamous or not. Your sexuality doesn't really dictate that. Being bisexual doesn't mean I'm suddenly willy nilly running around."

Unlike many other stars, it wouldn't be accurate to say Zelda Williams has a particular aesthetic. She loves a good fashion experiment and seems determined not to stay boxed in. What is recurring, however, is her love for black outfits. From dresses, to two-pieces, and even suits, Zelda seems to wear black more often than not. Her current fashion tastes are definitely a lot more mature, as is expected, but Zelda's wardrobe is not typical. She switches between daring fits with bold cutouts and simple under-the-radar outfits — and she looks confident each time.

But fashion isn't exactly her main forte. As an actor, she's steadily building a legacy in the movie industry by writing and directing her own stories. She directed "Kappa Kappa Die" in 2020 and, more recently, "Lisa Frankenstein" in 2024. Zelda also wrote and directed "Shrimp" in 2018 and wrote for the third chapter of the series "Dark/Web" in 2019. Just like her father Robin Williams, she's not limiting herself to movies. She voiced Kuvura in "The Legend of Korra" and Spitfire in "Transformers: Earthspark," as well as several video game characters.

The one thing, however, that Zelda doesn't see herself ever trying is stand-up comedy. "Standup is a realm that I can't even imagine taking part in simply because — I can't even think of what would be a good example of what that would be like," she said to Backstage in 2019. "I mean, trying to be a gladiator when your dad was Hercules? What would be the point? It would be like gloriously falling on a spear just so everyone around you could say, 'Oh, well she tried!'"