The versatile comedian that was Robin Williams took on many forms during his illustrious career. Funny as Robin Williams was, we will remember him not just for the laughs. Few comedians were ever able to cross between comedy and other genres like he did. He had a way of sincerely connecting with the audience on a deeper emotional level – as seen in both “Dead Poets Society” and “Good Will Hunting” - a performance that won him the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor. More than that, films like “One Hour Photo” and “Insomnia” forced audiences to completely change the way they perceived him.
Here are 10 of Williams’ most distinctive roles — and the list could be much longer:
Dead Poets Society (1989) Movie that many consider to be the best of Robin Williams’ career. Williams stars as John Keating, a new English teacher at an elite prep school who fights against authority and inspires his students to “seize the day.” While this eventually leads Keating to be fired, it is the respect of his students that leads them all to stand on their desks and proclaim, “O captain, my captain.”
Good Will Hunting (1997) A rare but welcome serious role for Williams, who played the stubborn yet empathetic therapist who was somehow able to help math prodigy Will Hunting (Matt Damon) figure out how to handle his life. Won a supporting actor Oscar.
Mrs Doubtfire (1991) Who couldn’t love a bumbling dad who dressed up as a portly nanny — with a latex mask, a wig and a Scottish accent — in order to spend time with his young kids? (A sequel was in the works.)
Aladdin (1992) Will it ever be possible to see a cartoon genie and not think of Williams? Remember him shooting out of that bottle: “Ten thousand years will give you such a crick in the neck!”
Good Morning Vietnam(1987) Williams’ fast-talking style was perfect for the role of a DJ on Armed Forces Radio during the Vietnam War. (First Oscar nomination.)
One Hour Photo (2002) Another serious role, and it was a creepy one: Williams played a photo counter worker at a huge suburban store who got a little too involved in the lives of his customers when he realized one of them was having an affair.
The Fisher King (1991) Williams played a half-mad homeless man, convinced that the Holy Grail was sitting in the Fifth Avenue abode of a billionaire. (Third Oscar nomination).
Insomnia (2002) After years of taking on jovial and avuncular characters, Williams played against type to chilling effect in the Christopher Nolan psychological thriller “Insomnia.” In the snowbound suspense tale, Williams starred as a crime novelist with a dark secret who’s hunted by Al Pacino’s unraveling detective. In a review for The Times, Kenneth Turan said “Insomnia” represented “perhaps the most compelling of [Williams’] non-comic performances, noticeable for the way the character’s unflappable calmness leads to greater and greater complexity.”
Moscow on the Hudson (1984) Williams played a Russian - and quite credibly, too - in this film about a comically lovable circus saxophonist, Vladimir, who defects while touring New York (turning himself in at Bloomingdale’s, naturally).
Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad zoo (2011) Appearing on Broadway, Williams gave an admirably thoughtful performance in the role of a tiger - actually, the ghost of a dead tiger - locked up at the Baghdad Zoo at the time of the US invasion in 2003.