Robin Williams’ Six Best Performances, According to Robin Williams
Robin Williams is best known for his film comedies, such as Mrs. Doubtfire and Aladdin, but when asked about his own prized performances, Williams leaned toward more dramatic work. Forget Mork & Mindy – here are six roles that the comic named as his favorites, as reported by Far Out…
Dead Poets Society
According to the Williams biography, Robin, Dead Poets Society was originally slated to be directed by Jeff Kanew, the auteur behind Revenge of the Nerds. Williams didn’t see the story as a comedy and wouldn’t commit until Peter Weir signed on to direct. Williams identified with the story’s plot about a young man who dreams of becoming an actor but is opposed by a stern father who wants him to be more responsible. “It talks about something of the heart and of pursuing that which is a dream — and in some cases, to a tragic end,” Williams explained.
Awakenings
Williams was nervous about appearing with Robert De Niro, the generational actor who played the showier role of the patient in Awakenings. “He was afraid Bobby was going to blow him off the screen,” said director Penny Marshall. “I said, ‘I won’t let that happen.’” Williams was nominated for Best Actor at the Golden Globes for his performance.
The Fisher King
Williams got an Oscar nom for his role as Parry, a street person searching for the Holy Grail. (Director Terry Gilliam must have had a thing for that theme.) The comic had met many homeless people through his work with Comic Relief. “You see that it’s pretty painful stuff,” he said.
“He was very gracious and open at the same time,” said costar Jeff Bridges. “As I got to know him, I saw that this zany quality, the comic end, was really just a tool he had in his kit bag.”
The Birdcage
The Birdcage is the most straight-up comedy on this list, but it still required Williams to show off his acting chops. The 1996 film was made nearly 20 years before gay marriage was legalized, a time when an on-screen kiss between two men was still considered extremely taboo. “There’s this whole issue of trying to deny the existence of a whole group of people,” said Williams, who’d lived in gay districts in San Francisco. “This movie tries to equalize that a little and get through to Middle America.”
World’s Greatest Dad
Bobcat Goldthwait’s black comedy about a father who lies about his son’s death is probably the least famous on the list. Why did Williams agree to act in the low-budget independent film? “I wanted to play it,” he said. “It was not like, ‘Oh, this’ll be a favor — help little Bobby.’ No, it’s actually a part that I went, ‘I like this.’ I joked with him after the movie, it’s like Dead Penis Society. I liked the fact that it deals with the relationship between a boy and a single father. Their relationship is so strained, and everything that the parent does isn’t working.”
One Hour Photo
Williams played bad guys in a few films, and the idea of playing characters who weren’t supposed to be funny was highly appealing. “They’re no longer bound by the laws of likability,” Williams said. “You have a character that can be so normal — hyper-normal, and banal in many ways, that you no longer have to be charismatic.”