[tps_header]Click through the slideshow for The Young Folks’ Tribute to Robin Williams. [/tps_header]
To talk about my favorite Robin Williams role would be impossible. As a child, I grew up knowing his films and feeling like he was a part of my life because of all the smiles he brought to my face. Pinpointing one film as a favorite would be extremely difficult. How can one choose between films like Mrs. Doubtfire, Flubber, Jumanji, Aladdin? All films with unique stories and characters that were brought to life by this sensational comedian. The energy and spunk he brought to Genie in Aladdin is unforgettable. To learn of his death is truly unfathomable and he will be missed. My generation has experienced many losses, but none like the one we’ve experienced today. A man that we’ve grown up with, who was part of almost all of our favorite films growing up. I’m at a loss for words; they can never truly express how deeply saddened I feel. The world has lost a true inspiration. Gone too soon.
“To die would be a grand adventure.” #Bangarang RIP Robin Williams.
He was bottled whimsy as Peter, a guardian and a best friend as the Genie. He was a man in love, he was a nanny, he was a caretaker, an adventurer, a wordsmith, he was my captain, dear captain. He was a constant in the lives of fans — the actor who was always there and for many of us was there at the start and there at the end. He made me laugh. He made me cry. He made me want to recite poetry, be a good friend, and go on an adventure. Robin Williams was a beautiful actor, and he will be sorely missed.
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The news said “He could make millions happy, but couldn’t make himself happy…”
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Robin Williams was such a fixture of entertainment in my childhood that I feel like I knew him like a distant family member you see every once in a while.
Robin Williams was a fixture of my childhood. Since I was a kid, I’ve loved action adventure films, so JUMANJI, for me, is one of the best, most fun family-adventure movies out there. I remember when I would watch it I would wish and wish that I could have an adventure like that. To watch a film about a game that brings extraordinary things to life, it was like escapism within escapism. I remember watching this and feeling excited and happy. And that’s what his movies did for millions. JUMANJI was one of my earliest tastes of what films could do. They can make you dream and make you feel.
To this day, as a joke, I’ll say “I feel like playing Jumanji.” And so my thirst for adventure continues.
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When I was around five years old, Flubber was released in Colombia. I remember I was so excited about it that I’m sure I cried at some point and begged my parents to take me to see it. On a side note, crying to go watch a movie was a common thing for me to do (I guess this is truly where this whole movie fan thing started). I’d do this almost every Saturday so my parents would take me to see movies like The Lion King, which I watched a record 17 times; keep in mind this was BACK THEN. With Flubber, I think it was the first time I remember watching 3D animation. All I know is that I wanted to hold whatever flubber was in my hands.
Around the same time, or probably when I was six or seven, I remember watching Jack on the TV. How could a grown man be a kid?! Was this possible!? I watched this movie more times than I can remember; the other day they were showing it on TV, and you bet I watched all of it. I have cried every single time during the scene of Jack and his friends graduating.
For Mrs. Doubtfire and Hook, I remember seeing both movies with my sister and watching them over and over; there wasn’t such a thing as skipping a rerun.
There are just so many movies with Robin Williams that I have enjoyed and have memories of watching from my childhood that to list them all wouldn’t really make a difference. I have seen them all and enjoyed them greatly, and as I got older, I kept on watching his movies.
When I heard the news last night, it hit me because I remembered the joy and the laughs I had when I watched Flubber or Jumanji in awe for the first time. I remembered how Patch Adams made patients smile; I remembered Jack’s friends waiting outside of his house and begged him to come out and play. All of these roles in a way didn’t shape my life per se, but stood with me as fond memories of those years.
It’s truly heartbreaking to know that someone that made so many people smile and had basically everything in life felt so sad that the only way to deal with the pain was to let go. Thank you for all the laughs, for all the smiles, for lighting up the screen every time you came on, for holding on to life as long as you could. We grew up with you, and now we say goodbye to you. We’ll miss you dearly.
What a loss. I’m heartbroken to lose such a lively and wonderful talent. Robin Williams was a main staple growing up. He had the ability to make us laugh and cry, but also think about and realize the most important things in life. Many of his roles exemplified the those important things. He may make us laugh when he trys to play it straight in The Birdcage, but ultimately he teaches us that not being ashamed of the ones you love will make you feel so much more fulfilled. Mrs. Doubtfire teaches us to value our partners, and that a parent’s divorce isn’t always the end of the world. Dead Poets Society reminds us of the wonder and impact of language and words. Good Will Hunting shows us that trusting yourself can change your life. Robin Williams has taught us many more lessons than the ones I’ve mentioned. His movies and performances not only helped shape cinema, but our lives.
His tragic death may make us feel like we can never watch his movies the same way again. That’s not true. And it’s because Robin Williams had that MAGIC, the kind that takes you out of your world and brings you into his so fully. He may not live on, but his work will continue to move us for the rest of time.
Usually when a celebrity dies, I never figure out how people can mourn them without really knowing them. However, when Robin Williams died, I finally understood. Robin Williams wasn’t just an actor that people knew the name of; he was a part of everyone’s love for films. Whether it was in the role of a genie, a devoted father or a doctor, Williams knew how to make everyone laugh hysterically or cry harder than they ever had before.
As a person who currently suffers from depression, it’s interesting to see a man who brought many laughs and looked so happy all the time suffer from the same disease as me. I could barely leave my bed in the morning, let alone put on a smile every day for people. And while I never did think about suicide, I always remembered a quote that Williams said in an interview. He said, “Suicide is a permanent solution to a temporary problem.” I always kept that quote in my head through the hard times I had gone through in my life. And while he may be in a better place right now, I hope he knows that his words, whether they were in his films or his interviews, have touched all of his fans in one way or another.
It reminds me of one of my favorite films, Dead Poets Society, where he plays a professor trying to teach his stubborn students about poetry, literature, and most of all, life. He says to his students, “No matter what anybody tells you, words and ideas can change the world.” This quote could not be any more true regarding Williams’ life. And while he may be gone, he will never be forgotten. Rest in peace Robin Williams, you are finally free.
I’ve always loved Robin Williams movies. My first interaction with the late Robin Williams was in 1999 when he was visiting Australia to promote Bicentennial Man, unfortunately not a great movie at all. Be that as it may, I watched in delight as he played up to the adoring fans. At the time, I was working as a tour guide, guest host at Fox Studios, and the red carpet was rolled out at the onsite Hoyts Cinemas. The crowd gathered early, and when he arrived later that sunny afternoon, the cheers were loud. He literally hopped, skipped and jumped around signing autographs and posing for photos. One particular lady made him speechless holding up a vinyl LP record album. “Oh my, that’s a rarity, look at the hair,” he said almost sheepishly to the lady eager for him to sign it. Waving his arms about when he finally made it inside the auditorium, I was simply a wide-eyed observer, but for some reason I caught his eye; maybe it was the extremely bright yellow Ken Done tie I was sporting. He gave me a nod and a wink as he walked past me into the cinema to introduce the movie to the awaiting audience. He was a bundle of energy, running in circles.
Jump to 2012, now a film critic journalist, I had the chance to interview and meet Robin on a professional basis back at Fox Studios. I walked briefly behind the backlot watching him sip tea, his publicists not far away. We shook hands, and I asked him a little about Happy Feet 2, which was the film, mostly made in Australia that he was there to talk about. We were outside sitting at cafe-style tables and chairs, when rain suddenly ended the interview early. But the best was yet to come.
The scene of many premieres, the decor retro surrounds of Hoyts Fox Studios was hosting Happy Feet 2, and I had a spot on the carpet to chat to any VIP guests with possibly another chat to Robin. Fake snow machines covered us journos at the ready, white was everywhere on a balmy summer evening, as Robin arrived, the buzz was huge and once again I watched in amazement as he leaped from the chauffer-driven hire car and danced around the crowd. My place up the carpet was around half way, standing next to celebrity reporter Charli Robinson. She is so naturally gorgeous I thought I would have little luck gaining his attention.
Funnily enough, he arrived in front of Charli, answering her first question when I must have caught his eye (just like in 1999 minus the Ken Done tie). He smiled and kind of edged towards me. I guess he remembered me as he put out his hand and shook it, then looked down at the Patch Adams DVD cover I was holding. Straight away he took it, signed it and gave me a massive smile. Patch Adams was a flop, but a personal movie for Robin and I knew it. Drama to him was important to his career but many critics did not recognise it. He did win an Oscar for Good Will Hunting and was nominated for Dead Poets Society, both dramas and both brilliant. The Fisher King and Good Morning, Vietnam were others the Academy noticed; a sequel was in the works, too, with Robin’s approval as well.
Best known for outrageous comedies such as Flubber, both One Hour Photo and Insomnia were further proof of his underrated, against-type dramatic efforts.
As I did my rapid red carpet interview, he grabbed me randomly and draped his arm over my shoulder, then faced the camera bay. Photographers went nuts, bulbs flashed, I smiled not knowing what was going on with people looking on as if to say, “Who is this guy Robin is choking?” I never did get a copy, but it was a great moment for me. His publicist had to move him onto the next journalist in line, but he kept wanting to talk to me. I like to ask different questions and I know everything about movies, so that came across I guess.
One of the final questions I asked him was about his choosing of roles. He told me if he has a hunch he’ll accept it, or if it’s something the world would enjoy. His words.
Now all of a sudden I am looking forward to Night at the Museum 3 around Christmas, one of his final performances.
My Top 5 Robin Williams films
GOOD MORNING, VIETNAM
DECONSTRUCTING HARRY
THE BIRDCAGE
THE WORLD ACCORDING TO GARP
ALADDIN
I can only write so much about Robin Williams, as any longer and I would have to put out a huge essay about my respect for the actor and comedian that I grew up watching, while trying to keep from becoming too emotional. Williams was certainly one of the early celebrity figures in my life that I would consider to be key in representing much of what I knew about comedy. A film like Aladdin, in particular, was one I would watch constantly and find plenty of joy in, regardless of whether or not it moves the film into a whole new anachronistic direction. Even films I consider to be sub-par, such as Hook or Jumanji (yes, I was a child that didn’t care for those movies growing up), managed to show off Williams’ capabilities as an actor with true talent that extended beyond just the realm of comedy.
This brings me to my other thought on Williams: his talents as a dramatic performer. I think it is fairly obvious that Williams was an incredibly strong dramatic performer at this point. While he had received plenty of accolades for his comedic work, he had certainly received almost just as much praise for his talents as a dramatic thespian as well. With that in mind, I would like to list out the three movies I consider to be my favorites of what Robin Williams had to offer as an actor, while keeping the quality of the films in mind, too.
In chronological order:
Good Morning, Vietnam – The film I generally name as my favorite Robin Williams film. I find it to be a great combination of Williams’ talents as a fast-speaking comedic talent and an early look at the depth of his work as an actor who could walk the line between comedy and drama.
Good Will Hunting – It is a supporting role, but William earned his Oscar for the amount of pathos he put into the Sean Maguire character, let alone the terrific chemistry he shared with Matt Damon.
World’s Greatest Dad – Underseen, but deserving of heavy praise, as the film once again found a way to perfectly show how capable Williams was at adding a touch of humor to even the most dramatic of events.
I cannot even begin to imagine what Williams must have been going through that lead up to this unfortunate end of his life, but while it may be a tragedy, I will remain happy when considering the amount of joy he brought to many, be it in his comedic work or his dramatic roles.
Is this the most talked about celebrity death since the dawn of social media? It certainly feels like it. Robin Williams. What is there to say about him? Too much honestly. I was goofing around with friends the moment I found out, and once we all knew there was silence. A kind of somber tone in the room like, “Well, now today officially sucks.” Then I realized, it’s Robin freakin’ Williams, just because his time in the world is over shouldn’t mean he wants people to slam the breaks on life. He would want us to laugh on. Having read his daughter, Zelda’s, open letter on her blog this morning, I’m glad to hear she believes the same.
Robin Williams was a soulful man; outrageous, crazy, and whimsically heartfelt. I grew up watching his films in the 90s, but felt a stronger, albeit fictitious, connection to him having known that he could lose himself in the vast world of The Legend of Zelda’s Hyrule in his spare time, as I did. For crying out loud, he named his daughter after the series my brother and I loved just as much. I guess my point is that Robin Williams is one of those great souls that you don’t realize was as amazing as they were until they’re lost to us forever.
Yes, this is an opportunity to talk about depression due to his apparent suicide, but I’ll leave the details of that to those who are experts. I feel like it’s understood that, in comedy, particularly by Robin’s performances, that the funniest things in life derive from the most painful of times. That being said, there is a balance available to the world, and it is vitally important that we allow the ones we love to share these pains with us, not to let them bottle it.
Anyway, non-sequitur: I never got to watch Good Will Hunting, so that’s going to be changing tonight.
After hearing about Robin Williams’ untimely death, I haven’t posted anything about it on any of my social media accounts. I don’t want to be like every other person on my newsfeed that suddenly claims he was their favorite actor. I’m also still in shock about it, too.
Robin Williams was a staple in so many of the Young Folks’ childhoods. If there was a man who was rich in talent and heart, it was Robin Williams — he could portray any character he was given. People who met him have spoken about how kind a human being he was. I unfortunately never met him in person, but this is what I have to say about his life.
His movie Dead Poets Society taught me not to be lazy when I speak or write — I’m still working on it, Rob. He was not a celebrity but an actor who never stopped getting better at his craft. He was always open and blatantly honest about his life struggles, which showed us that he was human, just like all of us. He bridged a 16-year age gap between my sister and I as we bonded and recited Genie’s lines from Aladdin — memorized by heart. I didn’t know him personally, but that’s the most important thing he ever did for me.
My absolute favorite thing about him was the way his eyes lit up and conveyed so much emotion in every role he played. Even as Theodore Roosevelt in Night at the Museum. He never did anything half-way, committing in heart and soul to every project. He was able to make me laugh as tears streamed down my face at the same time.
He has set the bar so high for rising actors. He was from a time when success didn’t come from how good-looking you were but how hard you worked. This, in turn, has earned him so much respect and admiration.
So thank you Robin Williams — for always being you.
Share your tribute to the great Robin Williams in the comments.
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