Veteran film and television actor/comedian Robin Williams
was found dead in his Tiburon, California home on August 11. He was 63.
Williams began his television career as a writer and
performer on "The Richard Pryor Show." In 1978, he originated the role of Mork
the alien for an episode of "Happy Days," which eventually led to his most
successful television series "Mork & Mindy." "Mork & Mindy"
last four seasons and garnered Williams a Golden Globe Award and Emmy
nomination.
By 1980, Williams transitioned into films when he starred in
his first lead role as the titular character, "Popeye" the Sailor Man. The movie
was critically panned but it showcased Williams talent and versatility that
later became his trademark. Several years later Williams took on a more serious
role in the movie adaptation of "The World According to Garp". In 1984, Williams
starred in his first Golden Globe nominated film "Moscow on the Hudson," where
he played a Soviet circus musician who defects while visiting the United
States.
Though his film career took off in the early 1980s, Williams
was still prevalent in television. He hosted "Saturday Night Live" several times,
appeared on "SCTV Network 90" and "Max Headroom," and guested on children's "Faerie Tale Theatre" and "Pryor's Place." He also performed in several comedy
specials, including the string of Comic Relief performances alongside Whoopi
Goldberg, Billy Crystal, and other comedians.
By the late 1980s and early 1990s, Williams hit a career
high with a string of box office hits. He won a Golden Globe Award for his role
as Airman-turned-DJ Adrian Cronauer in 1987's "Good Morning, Vietnam." A couple
of years later, he received critical praise for his portrayal of English
teacher John Keating in "Dead Poets Society." In 1990, Williams continued
amazing audiences with his dramatic talent in the Oscar-nominated "Awakenings." Co-starring Robert De Niro, Williams portrayed Dr. Malcolm Sayer, a
neurologist who discovers beneficial effects of a drug that temporarily
releases patients from a catatonic state. His final dramatic role before
venturing into more family-friendly films was in "The Fisher King" where
Williams played a delusional homeless man on a mission to find the Holy Grail.
Williams appeared in family-friendly movies during the
1990s. He became the grown Peter Pan in "Hook"; the next-in-line successor at a
toy factory in "Toys"; voiced the iconic Genie in Disney's "Aladdin," as
well as fruit bat Batty Koda in the popular animated "FernGully: The Last
Rainforest." In 1993, Williams starred in one of his most memorable roles, "Mrs.
Doubtfire," where he took on the dual-role of struggling father Daniel Hillard
and his alter ego, Euphegenia Doubtfire. The portrayal of nanny Mrs. Doubtfire
gave Williams another Golden Globe Award. He followed "Mrs.
Doubtfire" with the family adventure film "Jumanji."
Williams continued his success in 1996's "Jack"
where his character suffered from Werner Syndrome, an aging disease that
accelerates internal development. He followed it with the "La Cage aux Folles" remake "The Birdcage." Playing Armand Goldman, Williams received praise for
stepping outside the box and away from stereotypes. By 1997, Williams finally
earned an Academy Award for his portrayal of therapist Dr. Sean Maguire in "Good
Will Hunting." Co-starring Matt Damon as genius-level janitor Will Hunting,
Williams' Dr. Maguire helps unlock Hunting's defense mechanisms and unroot the
problem.
The late 1990s and early 2000s saw mixed reviews of
Williams' films, some negatively reviewed while successful in the box office.
Films included "Fathers' Day," "Patch Adams," "What Dreams May Come," "Bicentennial Man," "Jakob the Liar," and "Death to Smoochy."
Williams once again found success in the mid-2000s doing
voice work on "Robots," the "Happy Feet" movies, and "Everyone's Hero." He was
also a staple in the "Night At The Museum" films portraying Theodore Roosevelt.
In fact, the third film of the series, as well as two other movies, are
scheduled to be released this year.
Throughout the past four decades, Robin Williams
guest-starred on various TV shows including "The Larry Sanders Show," "Homicide:
Life on the Street," "Friends," "L.A. Doctors," "Supermarket
Sweep," "Whose Line Is It Anyway?," "Life with Bonnie," "Law & Order: Special
Victims Unit," "SpongeBob SquarePants," "Wilfred," and "Louie."
In 2013, Williams returned to scripted television in CBS' "The Crazy Ones," co-starring Sarah Michelle Gellar. Williams played an
eccentric advertising executive who becomes business partners with his
daughter. "The Crazy Ones" was well-received by audiences but pulled
in average ratings, which unfortunately led to its last-minute cancellation.
Williams easily fell back into the sitcom format with his usual gags and
ad-libbing, as was characteristically seen on "Mork & Mindy."
Williams also braved The Great White Way and appeared in
several productions on Broadway. He made his debut in "Bengal Tiger at the
Baghdad Zoo" before headlining his own one-man show, "Robin Williams: Live
on Broadway."
Robin Williams leaves behind a wife and three children.
While he will forever be remembered for his film and TV roles, he'll be missed
for his personal and charitable contributions outside of the industry.
#RIP #RobinWilliams
