One year ago, on August 11, 2014, the world lost one its best comedic actors – Robin Williams. The Oscar winner died by his own hand at the age of 63, leaving behind mournful friends, family members, and a large fan base.
The interned was invaded by fan art celebrating the actor’s life and work, but the most memorable tribute he received probably came from longtime friend and colleague Billy Crystal.
He gave a speech at the 66th edition of the Primetime Emmy Awards saying that “He made us laugh, hard, any time you saw him. As genius as he was onstage, he was the greatest friend you could ever imagine”.
Crystal described Williams as being loving, protective, supportive and “for almost 40 years […] the brightest star in the comedy galaxy”. He went on to add that he finds it very hard to talk about his friend in the past tense because he’s still very “present in all of our lives”.
While Robin Williams was without a doubt one of the greatest comedic actors of our time, the actor did put out some incredible dramatic performances as well. And although nothing can bring back the star, his work lives on and continues to touch the lives of several generations.
So without further to say, here are 5 characters and movies that remind us of why we loved him:
1) Disney’s Aladdin movies. Williams played The Genie, a mythical blue creature that lives inside a golden lamp and grants whoever owns the lamp wishes whenever they desire. The character was written with him in mind, and the actor gave a high pitched, comedic, soulful and memorable performance that fans cite as one of the best in the franchise.
2) Awakenings. For this movie about neurologists who wake up catatonic patients with the help a newly developed drug, Williams teamed up with another major talent, Robert De Niro. The result? An award-winning movie. Williams played Dr. Malcolm Sayer, the main neurologist in the movie.
3) Good Morning Vietnam. Williams pulled off the remarkable feat of playing a Vietnam soldier with a healthy sense of humor. The movie is regarded as one of his best performances and spawned the famous pop culture line referenced by so many movies and TV shows: “GOOOD MOOORRRNIIIINNNG MUUUMMMBAAAIIII”.
4) Dead Poets Society. Williams played John Keating, an English teacher who hates playing by the rules yet works at a very conservative high school. The project also inspired Mohabbatein, a famous Bollywood movie.
5) Jumanji. Williams played Alan Parrish in this awe-inspiring classic about two brothers who buy a board game that has real life consequences. Once a player reads a card, the context described in the text is brought to life, and the main characters end up facing everything from dinosaurs, to portals to parallel universes, to natural disasters.
Memorable mentions: Christopher Nolan’s Insomnia (Walter Finch), where he starred alongside Al Pacino, Gus Van Sant’s Good Will Hunting (Sean Maguire), where he starred alongside Matt Damon, and Les Mayfield’s Flubber (Professor Philip Brainard).
Image Source: biffbampop.files.com
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