The actor would have had his birthday today. Which of his roles do you prefer?
Eight years ago, in August 2014, the world of cinema received sad news: Robin Williams had left us forever.. The man who lifted our spirits so many times on the big screen was going through a depression. Paradoxes of life. And from Hollywood too.
That summer day we said goodbye to a reference in cinema. Born in Chicago in 1951, the actor began acting early, with films like ‘Popeye’, where he became the character of the comic strips. Soon her fame came and with it the affection of the public, and that in her private life Williams had several personal problems, in addition to serious addictions.
His work on the big screen continued and he continued to show his comedic and emotional side whenever he could. Definitely, one of the characters with which he caught us the most was that of Professor John Keating in ‘The Dead Poets Club’, one of the best movies of the 80s. We all feel like that young Ethan Hawke climbing up on the desk to say “Oh captain, my captain.” And our aspirations to get teachers like this collided a little with the harsh reality.
But of course, it did not end there. A few comedies had yet to arrive to make us laugh like with the Genie of the lamp, or a few stories with which to get us excited, as he did with ‘Awakenings’, one of his dramas where he worked alongside Robert De Niro. Or even get closer to the craziest and most extreme adventure like in ‘Jumanji’, one of the best adventure movies you can see on Netflix, or even get carried away with movies as disparate as ‘Flubber’ or ‘A cage of crickets ‘. And of course, embody a charming nanny with a pure English accent, the ideal caregiver that every parent would want for her children. Of course, her character did it to spend time with her children. Once again, drama and comedy came together in her stories, just like in her real life.
Normal that in his career, Williams won an Oscar, won in 1997 for the work he did with the script of those very young Matt Damon and Ben Affleck -also winners of the statuette- in ‘Good Will Hunting’.
Besides that, Williams left great characters in many movies. Very varied and in different genres, but a role in which Williams always felt good was that of mentor. Well as a posh school teacher, dressed as a woman, being a psychotherapist, with long hair and beards or lending his voice to the Genie of the lamp created by Disney. The list of his filmography is extensive, but here we are going to review ten of those great films that that actor who made us enjoy so much left us, and left us moments like the ones we see in the video at the beginning of this article.
With which of all the works of the actor do you stay? Are there any more that excited or fascinated you?
10. ‘Patch Adams’
The 1998 film epitomized the quintessential Robin Williams. There was no one better to play the expert in laughter therapy than the actor. The story could be silly and be a telefilm tape. However, the protagonist provided the necessary doses for the melodrama to become endearing and tender.
“Why not treat death with a certain amount of humanity, dignity, decency, and if there is no other remedy, with humor?”
9. ‘The Fisher King’
One of the examples that Williams could fit both the requirements of a blockbuster or the more authorial style is the work of Terry Gilliam. In this story, Jack Lucas (Jeff Bridges), a disgraced famous radio host, and Parry (Robin Williams), an estranged history professor, embark on a search for the Holy Grail.
“The story of the Fisher King begins when, as a child, he has to spend a night alone in the forest to prove his courage and become king. There he is surprised by a sacred vision: the Holy Grail appears to him at the stake, a symbol of the divine grace of the Almighty, and a voice tells him: ‘You will guard the Grail so that it can heal the hearts of men.’ But the boy was blinded by the most impressive vision of a life full of power, glory and beauty.( …) He approached the bonfire to pick up the Grail and the Grail disappeared, leaving his hand in the fire that caused great burns.As he grew, the wound deepened, until one day life lost its appeal for him (…) One day, a fool entered the castle and found the king alone (…) He only saw a man alone, full of pain, and asked him: ‘What ails you, friend? ‘. And the king replied: ‘I am thirsty. Give me water to cool my throat.’ nto his bed, she filled it with water and gave it to him. When the king began to drink, the wound was healed. He looked at his hands and there was the Holy Grail that he had searched for all his life. ‘How have you found what my bravest men could not?’ The fool replied: ‘I don’t know. I only know that you were thirsty'”
8. ‘The Bicentennial Man’
A story with another peculiarity of Robin Williams’ cinema: being very sentimental. What better than a story of a robot with feelings, based on the work of Issac Asimov, to talk about human emotions, creative thinking and the loss of your loved ones. And who better than Williams on paper.
“I’d rather die as a man than live eternity as a machine”
7. ‘Hook’
Who better than to bring Peter Pan to life as an adult? steven spielberg he had a good eye and chose the actor 30 years ago. A particular trip back to Neverland where the adult Peter has to remember the child that he was, thanks to Tinker Bell (Julia Roberts) or a new confrontation with Captain Hook (Dustin Hoffmann).
“To live. To live will be a fantastic adventure”
6. ‘A cage of crickets’
It is not one of the actor’s most popular roles, but it was quite new at the time. Released in 1996, the film was based on the play of the same name. Armand lives his life together with Albert. When his son Val announces that he is marrying the daughter of an ultra-conservative senator, things get a little complicated for them with the imminent visit of what will be Val’s in-laws. Accompanied by a star cast, Williams offered a solid performance knowing how to measure his limits for humor on every occasion.
“Yeah, I live with a man. Yeah, I’m a middle-aged queer…but I know who I am Val, it’s taken me 20 years to get here, and I’m not going to let some idiot Senator destroy that. Fuck the Senator, fuck what you think”
5. ‘Jumanji’
Family and adventure cinema typical of the 90s. At the time it was not very well received by critics. But the public made it what it is now: a cult title of that decade. Alan Parris, the boy who is trapped for 25 years in a magical board game is a totem of entertainment cinema.
“I’m scared to death, but my father told me that you have to face what you fear”
4. ‘Mrs. Doubtfire’
Another image etched into our nineties retinas: Williams cleaning the family home dressed as a woman to the tune of ‘Dude (Looks Like a Lady)‘ by Aerosmith. The man with a thousand voices had the opportunity to show off beautifully in this film that Williams was behind his back. Impossible that Sally Field, Pierce Brosnan or the three young actors who played his children (matthew lawrence, Mary Wilson Y Lisa Jakub) could overshadow him. The show was his despite the prosthetics and the wig.
“If I find the misogynist who invented heels I’ll kill him”
3. ‘Aladdin’
Will Smith himself recognized that it was difficult to accept the role of Genius in the live action of Disney, given the scope of the role that Robin Williams left for posterity in the 1992 film. In Spain we think that there was no genius as great as Josema Yuste. Nevertheless, when we have heard the original version, we have realized that Williams was a real scene-stealer. And that only had the voice. With it, he managed to make that blue Genius credible, another icon of the 90s.
“Al, no matter what people think. You will always be a prince to me”
2. ‘Good Will Hunting’
In 1997, some then twentysomethings Matt Damon and Ben Affleck wrote a story and Gus Van Sant directed it. Williams had to play the lonely psychology professor who advises the rebellious young man to decide which way to take his life again. A gift that the writers and director gave him that came in the form of an Oscar.
“You’re not perfect, man. And that girl you met isn’t either. The only thing that matters is if you’re perfect as a couple.”
1.’The Dead Poets Club’
The mentor of mentors. The example of teacher. The teacher that all of us would have wanted. Who has not felt at the end of the film wanting to get on the desk as Ethan Hawke? John Keating is a reference within the seventh art. He wanted freethinkers in his classes and not kids who let themselves be carried away by rules and harsh discipline. Few movies have taught us as much as ‘Dead Poets Club’. Of course he taught them one of the best mottos that can be learned in this life:
“Carpe Diem”
Source: Fotogramas
Camila Luna is a writer at Gossipify, where she covers the latest movies and television series. With a passion for all things entertainment, Camila brings her unique perspective to her writing and offers readers an inside look at the industry. Camila is a graduate from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) with a degree in English and is also a avid movie watcher.
