Who Is Robbie Williams? Music Career & Better Man's True Story Explained

Better Man is a musical biopic centered around the life of Robbie Williams, but as someone whose fanbase is centered primarily in the United Kingdom, the question of who he is for North American audiences is certainly a worthy one. Better Man's cast of characters tells the story of Williams, from his early life and rise to fame to the trials and tribulations he faced once reaching the heights of stardom. The film comes from director Michael Gracey, who most recently helmed the critically divisive The Greatest Showman.

As one of the bigger movies released in January 2025 in domestic markets, Better Man is receiving a lot of attention. The film was released in the United Kingdom on December 26, 2024, given Williams' popularity with the British public, yet American audiences may be forgiven for not being aware of the musician. Despite Williams' overwhelming fame in the UK, the artist never cracked domestic markets. With Better Man's positive reception marking it as one of the best music biopics in recent years, it may be worth exploring who Robbie Williams is for those unfamiliar with his work.

Robbie Williams Is The Best-Selling British Solo Artist Of All-Time With A 30+ Year Career

Williams' Fame In The UK Cannot Be Understated

Although many North American audiences may not be aware of Robbie Williams, there is a reason for Better Man's creation: Williams' career as a solo artist in the UK, other parts of Europe, Asia, and Australia. As of 2024, Robbie Williams is the best-selling British solo artist in history where number-one albums are concerned. Via The Standard, Williams' 2022 album "XXV" topped the UK charts, giving the artist his 14th of the sort, overtaking Elvis Presley's 13 UK number-one albums to reach the acclaimed milestone.

A big factor in Williams' overwhelming success in the UK is also his longevity. The musician began his career in 1990 at the age of only 16. Since then, Williams has embarked on both a group and a solo career and is now venturing into the world of filmmaking with Better Man's production. Over the past 30+ years, Williams has released many albums and singles that have not dwindled in popularity with the UK's population, allowing him to become the best-selling artist the state has ever seen regarding number-one records.

Robbie Williams Was A Member Of Take That

Williams' Breakthrough Came As One Of Five

An image of the British boy band Take That

The earliest stage of Williams' career came as a member of Take That. Better Man's first half explores this part of Williams' life, detailing the aspiring musician's first audition in front of a cutthroat musical manager at the young age of 15. After becoming successful, Williams was paired with four other young men from the UK with varying skill sets, combining to become Take That. Eventually, Take That became one of the most popular bands of the 1990s in the UK, catapulting Williams and his co-members to true stardom.

The other four members of Take That were Gary Barlow, Jason Orange, Howard Donald, and Mark Owen.

While Williams was never the frontman of Take That, he was often a prominent focus of the British public and media due to his eccentric personality. This caused his own personal fame to reach levels unrivaled by the other members of Take That, save for Gary Barlow. Regardless of individual popularity, Take That is considered one of the best-selling British boy bands of all time. The band is still functioning in the present - though only with three members after the departure of Williams himself and Jason Orange.

Robbie Williams' Music Career As A Solo Artist

Take That Was Not The Only Vehicle For Williams' Stardom

A still image of Robbie Williams in a Fur Coat from the Better Man trailer

As alluded to, Robbie Williams did not last long as a member of Take That. Five years after the band was formed, Williams faced an ultimatum from the other members: either the musician needed to reign his substance abuse in and adhere to strict band principles, or Take That would become a quartet. Williams decided on the latter, later beginning a career as a solo artist. Evidently, Williams' solo career was just as successful as his band career, with the combined accolades combining to help the musician achieve the aforementioned title of best-selling British artist in history.

Williams released seven studio albums as a solo artist after departing Take That, with each one becoming a massive success...

From 1996 onwards, Williams' solo career began. Williams released seven studio albums as a solo artist after departing Take That, with each one becoming a massive success in the British market. A second stint as part of Take That came in 2010, yet Williams' solo career persevered also. Between 2009 and 2022, Williams released a further six studio albums, solidifying his immense success as a solo artist.

Robbie Williams Solo Albums	Release Date
Life thru a Lens	September 29, 1997
I've Been Expecting You	October 26, 1998
Sing When You're Winning	August 28, 2000
Swing When You're Winning	November 19, 2001
Escapology	November 18, 2002
Intensive Care	October 24, 2005
Rudebox	October 23, 2006
Reality Killed the Video Star	November 6, 2009
Take the Crown	November 2, 2012
Swings Both Ways	November 8, 2013
The Heavy Entertainment Show	November 4, 2016
The Christmas Present	November 22, 2019
XXV	September 9, 2022

Although Williams is primarily described as a pop artist, especially as part of Take That, the singer's solo career has had a varied sound. Better Man explores this also, with the film detailing how inspired Williams was by the likes of Dean Martin, Frank Sinatra, and Sammy Davis Jr. from a young age. In his solo career, these influences can be heard much more prominently than they were in Take That. In many ways, this is likely tied to the success of Williams as a solo artist, given that his sound could be both similar and different to Take That.

Better Man Covers Robbie Williams' True Story From 1982 To 2009

Where Better Man is concerned, the film covers all of these aspects of Williams' life. Beyond his musical career, Better Man focuses on the ins and outs of Williams' personal life. The film begins in 1982 when Williams was only eight years old, detailing his familial connections, mental health struggles, his time in Take That, his breakthrough as a solo artist, and the difficulties a stratospheric rise to fame can bring.

Perhaps one of the most intriguing elements of Better Man is its depiction of Robbie Williams. Rather than hire an actor to simply portray the musician, the decision was made to have Williams be portrayed by a CGI ape. The reason for this stems from Williams' view of himself as someone who is less evolved than those around him, as well as the connotations of musicians being performing monkeys for fans across the world. In Better Man, Williams provides the narration for the film as well as some voice acting, with English actor Jonno Davies providing voice work and motion capture.

The ape was brought to life by Wētā FX, the visual effects company founded by Peter Jackson and famed for its work on countless Hollywood films, including King Kong and the rebooted Planet of the Apes series.

While Better Man's timeline is somewhat altered from Williams' real life and naturally has some dramatized elements, the film does an excellent job of portraying the musician's life. The film is frequently hard-hitting due to its exploration of Robbie Williams' mental health issues and substance abuse, and how all of that ties to his incredibly successful career. Despite many in the UK already being privy to this story, audiences in the Americas likely did not know the trials and tribulations, nor even the true success, of Robbie Williams, making Better Man even more intriguing as a musical biopic.