Robbie Williams is British pop royalty, and he’s gearing up to score a worldwide hit with his new biopic Better Man.
Robbie’s new biopic has been steadily drumming up global interest, even from people who have never heard of Take That. While the new movie is a traditional biopic in that it tells the singer’s life story, it also comes with one very bizarre caveat.
Instead of an actor playing Robbie (or the man even playing himself), the singer is portrayed as a CGI anthropomorphic chimpanzee, making it seem more like a Planet of the Apes film rather than Walk the Line.
Robbie does use his voice in the movie, but the monkey was performed by Jonno Davies, using a motion capture suit. Jonno also does some voice work for the film.
Before you catch Robbie in Better Man, there are plenty of key facts you should know about him going in.
Robbie Williams Was a Member of the Boy Band Take That
Born in Stoke-on-Trent, Robbie began his career as a performer in school plays. In 1990, he joined the boy band Take That, when he was 16 years old.
Robbie sang the lead on many of the group’s early hits, like “Could It Be Heaven” and “I Found Heaven.” As the group skyrocketed to fame, Robbie’s drug use created rifts within the band, and he left in 1995.
After leaving the group, Robbie pursued a very successful solo career, but he did rejoin Take That in 2010 for their album Progress. He toured with the band in 2011, and he’s made multiple appearances at shows over the years.
Despite rejoining the band, Robbie has not performed on any of the three Take That albums that followed 2010’s Progress.
Robbie Williams Has Released 12 Solo Albums
After leaving Take That in the 90s, Robbie kicked off a solo career by covering “Freedom” by George Michael. In September 1997, he released his debut solo album Life Thru a Lens.
Since going solo, Robbie has released an impressive 12 albums, with his most recent being 2019’s The Christmas Present. Many of his records have been certified hits, and he’s become one of the best-selling artists of all time.
While Robbie may not be a total household name in the United States, he is a genuine star across the globe. In 2006, he broke the Guinness World Record for most tickets sold in a day for his world tour, but that record has since been broken by Taylor Swift, via ABC News.
Robbie has been an incredible success in the UK. He is credited with four out of the 60 top-selling albums of all-time in the UK, according to Official Charts. That includes both solo albums and Take That records.
Robbie has also won 18 Brit Awards, making him the person with the most of those accolades. As for American awards, he’s been nominated for two Grammys, but he didn’t win either.
He Was a Judge on ‘The X Factor’
In the same way that many singers have mentored younger artists by appearing as judges on American Idol or The Voice, Robbie did so on the famed British talent competition The X Factor.
In 2018, Robbie was named as one of the judges on the reality show alongside Simon Cowell, One Direction’s Louis Tomlinson, and his own wife Ayda Field.
This was not the “Angels” singer’s first appearance on The X Factor. He also performed on the program in 2009.
He’s Dated Spice Girls
As a teen idol, Robbie’s personal life certainly drummed up a bit of public interest. ’90s kids, brace yourselves, because he’s dated two Spice Girls.
He had a brief romance with Melanie Chisholm (“Sporty Spice”) in 1997. He had another short romance with Geri Halliwell (“Ginger Spice”) in 2000, per NME.
Robbie has caught some heat for making a joke about getting intimate with some Spice Girls, which he later apologized for in an interview with The Sun. He clarified that it was simply a “joke.”
“I was on stage and I was about to sing ‘Back For Good’ and I said, ‘Ladies and gentlemen, I’m very fortunate I’m one of the only people in the world that can say they’ve been in Take That and four out of five of the Spice Girls,’” he said.
Some of the Spice Girls did come forward to let the public know that they did not sleep with him. “For the record I haven’t. I really haven’t. I said four out of five because it was good for the joke,” he said.
Robbie’s other relationships over the years have also made headlines. In the late 90s, he dated and was even engaged to fellow singer Nicole Appleton.
Robbie has been married to American actress Ayda Field since 2010, and they have four children together.
Robbie Williams Is A Bit of a UFO Buff
Robbie’s CGI chimpanzee biopic may strike some viewers as strange, but the hitmaker does have a penchant for the abnormal.
The “Rock DJ” popstar was featured in a documentary where he and filmmaker Jon Ronson ventured to a UFO convention in Nevada, per BBC.
Robbie has opened up about his interests in the otherworldly and experiences with the paranormal in interviews. He also claimed to have had an alien encounter in a 2024 interview on Loose Women.
Needless to say, the man’s life story has the makings of a very interesting biopic!
Robbie Williams Fun Facts: Get To Know The Singer & ‘Better Man’ Star was originally published on The Hollywood Gossip.