RIP Robin Williams

[Philip J. Fry]

Goddamn it... :(

[Dukefrukem]

Wow. Really??

[Henry Gale]

Wow, going over his filmography, he really did so much stuff in and around the '90s seemingly just for the imagination of a kid like me growing up then. Even if I did kinda love any and every movie I saw at that age, he became such a singular and treasured face and personality to rely on onscreen.

Aladdin, The Adventures of Baron Muchausen, Hook, Mrs. Doubtfire, Jumanji, even Bicentennial Man and Flubber. Then What Dreams May Come, The Fisher King, Good Will Hunting, Awakenings and Insomnia when I got older...

Not all of these might be seen as great films by everyone (and maybe even for me if I were to revisit some of them), but they all came out and into my life in significant ways at seemingly perfect points in my youth for them to resonate like they did, and Robin's effervescent nature and heartfelt work definitely gave them an energy beyond what they might've been aside from him.

Then there's his stand up, anytime he'd show up on TV (whether it was a guest spot or to take over a talk show in ways that were almost more exciting than whatever he might've been promoting), and seemingly every beautiful story people would have of him just as a person going about his day (which even in the few hours since his passing I've seen so many more of), and it just feels like that much more of a massive presence now missing from our cultural universe, and for me, a nostalgic past he was so integral to now taking on different significance and weight.

He's gonna be missed more than I ever considered, because in a way he really was more than a normal guy you'd consider battling with issues of his own beyond the time you'd enjoy him, even if he was open about it and even felt at ease enough to joke about his addictions and emotions. He just such a never-ending resource for joy - and every other emotion under the sun -- with his performances. The existence of all of that and fact that it can never be taken away is something I'll always be deeply grateful, and I wish he knew that and felt it in a significant way before leaving for good, and especially that day came a lot further along in time than today.

[transmogrifier]

If I was going to watch one Robin Williams movie in remembrance, it would be The Fisher King. Love that movie, and he is great in it.

[Ezee E]

This one saddens me a lot.

His interviews, award bits, standup shows were amongst the funniest I've ever seen. I always looked forward to them.

I also felt that he was one of the best actors around, who could brilliantly go from comedy to drama where many others could not.

[Dead & Messed Up]

I think he'll always be the Genie to me. I wasn't always on board with his manic brand of comedy, but Robin Williams on golf (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pcnFbCCgTo4) is one for the history books.

[Gittes]

I think he'll always be the Genie to me.

Yes. Aladdin was one of my favourite Disney movies as a child (it still retains this status, actually). I love his performance as the Genie! I recall renting The Return of Jafar on VHS and feeling very disappointed when I noticed that Williams was no longer voicing the character (and, on a tangential note, I remember finding it weird that his golden shackles were back on).

I love the wild exuberance of the performance. Williams' spirited "Friend Like Me" is also one of my favourite Disney songs.

Other childhood memories: going to see Patch Adams in theatres, enjoying Flubber, and really liking Jumanji. The latter fascinated me, and I think Williams brought appropriate gravity to a character whose predicament I remember finding pretty unsettling (i.e., entrapment in the game for all those years).

I have yet to see a lot of his movies, though: Good Will Hunting, Mrs. Doubtfire, Good Morning, Vietnam, Hook, etc.

Very sad news. Williams' wife, Susan Schneider, released the following statement:


This morning, I lost my husband and my best friend, while the world lost one of its most beloved artists and beautiful human beings. I am utterly heartbroken. On behalf of Robin’s family, we are asking for privacy during our time of profound grief. As he is remembered, it is our hope the focus will not be on Robin’s death, but on the countless moments of joy and laughter he gave to millions.

[Gittes]

Also, a few years ago, I was made aware of the fact that Williams is a fan of The Legend of Zelda series, and he actually named his daughter Zelda (in this nice video (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wcZhY_Zo-yg), which features both of them, Williams jokes that she's lucky he didn't name her "Mario, or Luigi, or Samus [...] Peach would be a rough name for a girl"; he also refers to the name Zelda as "magical, which she [his daughter] is"). They collaborated together on some very memorable and sweet promotional material for the remastered version of The Ocarina of Time (see here (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EqebeDRMTDQ), for example).

So, while I didn't follow his career too closely after childhood, those promotional videos, in addition to the aforementioned films, endeared him to me (and many other gamers).

[Morris Schæffer]

And his son is called Cody, which is apparently based on the Final Fight character.

[Peng]

He's never among my favorite actors, but he is a huge part of my childhood, so this is quite sad.

And yes, he'll always be Genie to me too.


https://pbs.twimg.com/media/BuyzNGYCQAAXF1l.jpg

[Spun Lepton]

Mork calling Orson ... come in Orson ...

:cry:

[Grouchy]

If I was going to watch one Robin Williams movie in remembrance, it would be The Fisher King. Love that movie, and he is great in it.
I don't agree with you very often, but amen to that.

[DavidSeven]

I thought he was a great actor with pretty incredible range. Could effortlessly carry just about any kind of film as either a true protagonist ("The Pan") or a villain/anti-hero ("One Hour Photo"). He was great in small bits, too (just watched his great little appearance on Louie a couple weeks ago). He could obviously play the broad comedian, but he was also just as good as the straight man. I wish he had gotten even better material throughout his career, but he seemed to do a fair job of stretching himself.

I was never one to poo poo on his kinetic comedy bits either. In fact, my love for his talk show routines was unabashed and unapologetic. I laughed my ass off every time. I pull up old clips of his routines on the Actors Studio and AFI Tributes whenever I'm in the mood for guaranteed lulz. Funny dude; great actor; seemed like a good guy.

[MadMan]

His stand up special in 2002 was hilarious. Its a shame that we lost a really great man.

[Irish]

Still in willful denial.

Re-watched The Birdcage last night. That might be my favorite Williams role. He plays the straight man to a bunch of characters who are all so oversized.

[Watashi]

When I look back, it's scary to see how much Williams was a part of my childhood. Aladdin, Hook, Jumanji, Mrs. Doubtfire, etc. I can't say that with any other actor. Even though it's teared apart as maudlin melodrama, I still have a soft spot for Dead Poet's Society.

The Birdcage is probably my favorite performance.

[Yxklyx]

So depressing...

[Pop Trash]

When I look back, it's scary to see how much Williams was a part of my childhood. Aladdin, Hook, Jumanji, Mrs. Doubtfire, etc. I can't say that with any other actor. Even though it's teared apart as maudlin melodrama, I still have a soft spot for Dead Poet's Society.


See, I have way more nostalgia for DPS than any of the other movies you mentioned. My parents took me to see it in the theater in '89 and it had a huge impact on me. I think that was the first movie I saw that had a major character [SPOILER] commit suicide. Come to think of it, Williams made a lot of movies with suicide as a main plot point: DPS, What Dreams May Come, and World's Greatest Dad (sort of)...maybe some others I'm forgetting? I still think DPS holds up, mostly because of Peter Weir's and the cinematographer's visual elevation of the material.

[Watashi]

Reading all the anecdotes and tributes from everyone is tearing me apart.

Norm McDonald's is probably the most brutal. (http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/gossip/la-et-mg-norm-macdonald-robin-williams-20140812-htmlstory.html)

[Our Aurora]

My grandmother raised me. My mom was present-ish but could never find the right balance between her life and mine.

My grandparents were never movie buffs... never went to see them... never watched them on TV. But if anyone in the MA region remembers Spag's... we bought a copy of Mrs. Doubtfire and Sister Act on VHS for a steal (think I weaseled Crystal Caves in on Floppy Disk that night) but... I had never heard my Gram laugh as hard as she did, "It was a run by fruiting!"

He gave me memories to my grandmother and I which I will remember forever. The happiness which he brought to my life as a bit of an outcast still helps me. Told my gram yesterday and we re-watched Mrs. Doubtfire. Still laughing until tears. Sorry cinephiles but it's still unbelievable comedy.... "I don't work with the males... because I used to be one." The cadence. The delivery. The creation of the face. The reveal of Mrs. Doubtifre (heartwarming/heartbreaking) It is all magical. That's it. Thanks for letting me put this somewhere.


Wow-- that's the most I've ever divulged on the internet. I think I kind of liked it...

[Scar]

Can't stop watching his movies right now.... *sigh*

[Mysterious Dude]

Now it's come out that he had Parkinson's disease. Whenever older people commit suicide, I always suspect it's because they didn't want to become frail, old men who couldn't take care of themselves. I'm reminded of Hunter S. Thompson.

Having said that, there are treatments for Parkinson's, and Williams could have had many more productive years.

[Pop Trash]

Having said that, there are treatments for Parkinson's, and Williams could have had many more productive years.

Can you imagine Robin Williams' having to face possibly losing control of his body? His entire life would be over and ultimately people would just feel sorry for him. In other words: I get it. He knew he was going to die sometime so he just sped up the process by 20-30 years.

[Spun Lepton]

Having said that, there are treatments for Parkinson's, and Williams could have had many more productive years.

Let's not forget that his family said he was severely depressed.

[Dead & Messed Up]

Maybe it was a messy amalgam of complicated choices and body chemistry. Maybe it's not reducible to some sort of a-ha Sherlock Holmes solution.

http://www.marcusbronzy.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/11/2014/06/emrknjp.gif

[Irish]

He was a drug addict with heart problems. Even with top tier care, it's doubtful he would have lived another 20 years.

Still, the suicide angle is tough to take. It colors everything he's ever done. He always seems so full of life. If a guy like that offs himself, what hope is there for the rest of us?

Any way I approach this, it's apt to put me in a grim frame of mind.

[Grouchy]

Can you imagine Robin Williams' having to face possibly losing control of his body? His entire life would be over and ultimately people would just feel sorry for him. In other words: I get it. He knew he was going to die sometime so he just sped up the process by 20-30 years.
Yeah, this. As much as I can admire Michael Fox for struggling with the disease, his career is sadly over, as last year's TV show pretty much proved.

I actually have no problem with people who kill themselves because of health issues. I think it's their choice to make.

[Pop Trash]

I actually have no problem with people who kill themselves because of health issues. I think it's their choice to make.

I don't either. Some of my friends have been posting "suicide is selfish" articles but death itself is fuckin' selfish and there is no getting out of that. Like Irish said, he may not have made it another 20 years with his open heart surgery (something I forgot about when I wrote that last post) + Parkinson's + years of drug and alcohol abuse + depression (because...holy shit who wouldn't be depressed after going through open heart surgery and then being slapped in the face with Parkinson's?)

Mostly I think Gen X'ers and Millennials are going to have to get used to A LOT of their heroes dying over the next few years and decades.