Mork & Mindy
Robin Williams, a quiet kid who hid his shyness behind wicked impersonations, studied at the Juilliard school in New York alongside Christopher Reeve, before jumping to primetime fame as a loveable alien in the TV series, Mork and Mindy: “Na-nu na-nu!” The character of Mork actually started life in another hit show, Happy Days – Williams impressed creator Garry Marshall by standing on his head in auditions. This silly streak went on to define his career.
Moscow on the Hudson
Williams made his film debut in the forgettable 1977 sex comedy Can I Do It Till I Need Glasses?, but it was as a Russian circus performer in 1984’s Moscow on the Hudson that he picked up his first Golden Globe nomination. It wouldn’t be his last.
Good Morning Vietnam
The innate comedic ability that impressed Marshall was showcased to louder effect in 1987’s glorious Good Morning, Vietnam, in which Williams played an irreverent US military radio DJ shipped out to 1965 Saigon – beloved of the troops but not his superiors. The actor improvised most of his speeches – “What a country. Heat, humidity, terrorism. Still it’s better than New York in the summertime” – this time he bagged the Golden Globe.
Dead Poets Society
Peter Weir’s Dead Poets Society (1989) saw Williams play to a more sensitive side as an idealistic English teacher in an elite boys boarding school: “Strive to find your own voice because the longer you wait to begin the less likely you are to find it at all.” Both Weir and Williams were nominated for Oscars and even cynics hold a candle for the film. “Robin Williams as Mr Keating was my inspiration to study English and act,” writes Guardian commenter jonnywol.
Hook
Williams next squared up to Dustin Hoffman’s Hook in Steven Spielberg’s 1992 big budget remake of Peter Pan, with Peter now a corporate lawyer who must reclaim his inner child to get his own kids back from the baddie. Production was protracted and reviews none too positive. Spielberg has since said: “I’m hoping someday I’ll see it again and perhaps like some of it.” But for Williams, it was the first of many family blockbusters.
Aladdin
One of Hook’s problems was having to compete with another Williams film of the same year. Aladdin was part of the early 90s Disney renaissance – directors John Musker and Ron Clements wrote the part of the Genie specifically for Williams, persuading him to take it by making a compilation of his standup recordings against clips from Aladdin’s animation. Williams “laughed his ass off” and signed up.
Mrs Doubtfire
Many a fan’s favourite, Mrs Doubtfire was a huge box office hit in 1993, though its only Oscar win was for best make-up. Deservedly so: the family flick sees Williams dress (and bust) up as an out of work San Francisco voice actor who masquerades as a matronly Scottish nanny to see more of his children. Mrs Doubtfire became the second highest grossing film of the year, only losing out to Jurassic Park.
The Birdcage
Williams went on to lead an impressive ensemble cast for Mike Nichols’ 1995 remake of the 70s French classic, La Cage aux Folles in which he played the Miami drag club owner Armand Goldman. Steve Martin had pulled out of the role and Williams had originally been earmarked to play Armand’s more exuberant partner, Albert, but after Mrs Doubtfire, he decided to leave the cross-dressing to Nathan Lane this time.
Good Will Hunting
More family fluff followed in Jumanji (1995) and Flubber (1997). But, despite the commercial hits, it wasn’t until 1998 that Williams picked up his first Oscar for his part in Gus Van Sant’s indie drama, Good Will Hunting. Williams was back in inspiring teacher mode as Dr Sean Maguire, a psychologist at a community college who gives Matt Damon’s brainy but tough-kid janitor a reason to aim higher. Academy catnip.
One Hour Photo
Williams did small and creepy too. The unsettling 2002 movie One Hour Photo saw him at his most terrifying: a technician of a one-hour photo lab who becomes obsessed with a young family. Tagline: “There’s nothing more dangerous than a familiar face.” Williams, the erstwhile family favourite, showed a new one here.
Night at the Museum
Despite his well documented battles with drugs and alcohol, Williams continued to work, with several duds to his name, though his turn in 2009’s World’s Greatest Dad was labelled a glorious return to form. Recent plans for a Mrs Doubtfire sequel had his fans excited, but his last decade was dominated by his turns as Theodore Roosevelt in the Night at the Museum franchise – the third instalment is among four films he leaves in the can after his death.
As Peter Bradshaw notes in his tribute, Williams’ career was ultimately defined by an intriguing split – “sugary sentimentality or an ambiguous, menacing darkness”. He could do sensitive, he could do sinister, and between those two, he could also be joyously, masterfully silly.
