Robin Williams: In Memoriam
21 July, 1951 – 11 August, 2014
One of the most talented, versatile and charismatic performers to have graced our screen, Robin Williams gave a face and a voice to some of the most beloved and iconic characters in modern cinema; think Mrs. Doubtfire, Aladdin’s larger than life Genie and his Academy Award-winning performance as therapist Dr. Sean Maguire in the universally acclaimed ‘Good Will Hunting’, to name just a few.
For many people growing up in the late eighties and early nineties, Robin Williams was a defining figure for an entire generation of cinemgoers, and has indeed continued to charm and delight a new generation over the last few years, lending his incomparable talents to the likes of Robots, Happy Feet (1 & 2) and the Night at the Museum series.
Williams was a familiar and ever engaging presence with the ability to exude energy, warmth and pathos in equal measure, and with apparent ease, as demonstrated in films as wide ranging as Good Morning Vietnam, Moscow on the Hudson, Hook, Jumanji and The Fisher King.
Very few performers could have moved from the near-farcical worlds of Popeye, The Birdcage, Mrs. Doubtfire and Flubber, to such profound and intelligent films as Awakenings, Dead Poets Society and Jack and then to such thrilling and unnerving works as One Hour Photo, The Night Listener and Insomnia with the consummate skill, adaptability and general dexterity he displayed in each and every performance.
Though primarily known for his film work, Williams was equally celebrated for his small screen work, with early appearances on NBC’s ‘The Richard Pryor Show’, ‘Happy Days’, and then receiving his big break as the eponymous alien, Mork from Ork in the long running Happy Days spin-off, ‘Mork and Mindy’, written to accommodate Williams’s improvisational skill. He returned to television screens recently as the unorthodox and larger than life advertising genius, Simon Roberts in the single-camera workplace comedy ‘The Crazy Ones’, alongside Sarah Michelle Gellar.
Williams proved himself a master of the stand-up comedy world, as seen in Robin Williams: At The Met (1986), Robin Williams: Live on Broadway (2002) and the Primetime Emmy Award-nominated Robin Williams: Weapons of Self Destruction (2009), and with stage performances in the likes of ‘Waiting for Godot’, alongside Steve Martin, and a critically acclaimed central performance in Rajiv Joseph’s Tony Award-nominated ‘Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo’ (William’s Broadway debut), he proved himself highly accomplished in all fields.
The loss of such an esteemed and beloved figure as Robin Williams will undoubtedly strike a powerful chord in the hearts of the millions he inspired and delighted over the decades.
It is at times like this that we really stop and consider just how serious an illness depression can be and question how a man who proved such an uplifting and inspirational role model for so many could be suffering so deeply and battling in the way he was.
He will be greatly missed by all and our thoughts and prayers go out to his friends and family.
