This morning we awoke to the terrible news that the comedy/drama actor Robin Williams had apparently taken his own life. There are few members of the geek community who have not been shaken by this news. As a regular feature on our screens and known for family friendly fare most of us have grown up with his films, whether live action or voice work in animation. As we grew up we had the opportunity to enjoy his darker, more mature works playing introspective characters in Good Will Hunting and psychologically damaged figures in One Hour Photo. Williams was especially known in comedic circles for his incredibly quick wit, leaving his peers feeling by his talents. It is said that during the production of Aladdin Williams was given free reign to ad-lib the material, clocking up hours or dialog for the animators to work with. His role in the film (originally done as a thanks to Disney for Good Morning Vietnam) saw Disney consider more well known actors for voice roles in their features. In addition to everything else, Williams to bring a wonderful sense of whimsy to his roles, seeing him popularize films such as Jumanji, Toys, Jack, Hook and Mrs Doubtfire
Born in 1951 Robin Williams was the son of a Senior Executive at Ford Motor and a former model and was brought up in the Episcopal Church along with two half brothers. Williams was a very shy and quiet child who did not find a to come out of shell under he began drama classes in high school. From there is was one of only 20 new students accepted into the Julliard School in 1973, and one of two to be accepted into the advanced class (along with Christopher Reeve). While performing stand-up and the occasional television role his break-out role came in a dream-based Happy Days episode as the alien Mork, a character that generated the spin-off sitcom Mork and Mindy that ran for five years. Film roles came soon after, starting with the title role in a live adaptation of Pop-Eye and The World According to Garp.
Williams’ star continued to rise in the comedy genre. In 1989 his role of John Keating in Dead Poets Society cemented his reputation as a dramatic performer and the movie continues to resonate with viewers today. Blockbuster successes Hook, Toys, Aladdin and Mrs. Doubtfire were released within two years of each other, ensuring that Williams would remain a sought after talent for years to come. Amid multiple nominations and other awards he would finally be honoured with an Academy Award for acting for his role as Sean McQuire in Good Will Hunting, a weighty role that stands out as the most memorable part of the acclaimed film.
Whether it is a starring eyed adult Peter Pan in Hook, the inspirational words of John Keating in Dead Poets Society or the darkly demented Rainbow Randalph in the under-rated Death to Smoochy everyone has their favorite memorable Robin Williams performance.
There were many, many contenders for the nominated ‘best role’ we like to highlight in our tributes, but we kept coming back to this:
Simply focusing on the comedic side of his career isn’t enough though, as it betrays his full range. So we’ve included a clip from his dramatic ouvre as well.
Rest in peace Robin Williams.
