Forever Robin

Praised for a remarkable list of blockbuster movies in the 1980s, 1990s, and 2000s, Robin Williams was a movie icon for millions of families who enjoyed, had fun, and were thrilled about his acting skills. It has been six years since he died, and you can learn more about the life and work of this memorable actor.

The beginning

Robin was born in July 1951 in Chicago, and he was the son of an executive in the car industry and a model. The family was well-off financially, and during his early years, Robin showed no interest in acting.

In 1967, the Williamses moved to California. There, Robin decided to drop out his studies in political science to pursue his career in the theater. He moved to New York where he studied at the Juilliard School, and then settled in San Francisco with the hope of acting in theatrical comedies.

His first popular work was in the series "Mork & Mindy", where he played the role of an alien. The success was such that, fearing being pigeonholed in the role, he left the series to venture into the world of cinema. There, he gained more and more popularity through movies like "Popeye," and from there his career headed to stardom.

Cover of "Good Will Hunting," in which Williams won an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor

Robin stood out for his great comedy and the ability to interpret different voices and accents, without neglecting an acting depth that he wore in more dramatic films. This versatility was what led him to be one of the favourite actors of the general public from the second half of the 80s on.

 Background

Beginning in 1987, Robin started his best streak of movies. In that year, he starred in "Good morning, Vietnam", in which he played the role of a radio host during the Vietnam War. This film earned him his first Oscar nomination. He repeated the nomination in 1989 and 1991, with the leading roles in "Dead poets society", “Awakenings” and "The fisher king." Finally, the long-awaited award would arrive in 1997, in the category of "Best Supporting Actor" in "Good will hunting."

During the 1990s, he also starred in famous comedy films for the whole family. Thus, in 1993 she had a memorable role in “Mrs. Doubtfire” in which he played a divorced man posing as an elderly nanny to be closer to his children. In 1995 “Jumanji” would arrive, a great box office success based on a children's story and that would later have a board game version.

Already in the 2000s, he would be remembered for his characterization of a statue of Theodore Roosevelt in "Night at the museum".

Robin Williams playing Mrs. Doubtfire, an eccentric nanny

The performance in dramatic films was also a strong suit of this actor. In 1998, he would star in "Patch Addams", in which he played an innovative psychiatric student who proposes a healing method based on laughter and compassion against the opinion of most of his colleagues. In 1999 it was the turn of "Bicentennial Man" where he played the role of a humanoid robot that develops more and more human attributes and emotions, then fighting for its full recognition as a human being. In 2002, two other dramatic films would see the light: "Insomnia", and "Portraits of an obsession", which could be considered an analogue antecedent of the current stalkeo.

In addition, Robin would lend his voice to numerous characters in animated films. Thus, for example, he voiced the character of the Genie in the Aladdin movies, and the penguin Ramon-Lovelace in "Happy feet."

Cover of "The bicentennial man"

Robin Williams' outstanding career would come to a tragic end on August 11th, 2014, in which he presumably took his own life in the face of a diagnosis of a degenerative disease. On that day, and every anniversary, millions of people remember all his films with emotion and affection as the symbol of an era.

Could you tell us which Robin Williams movie you liked the most? Why?

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Escrito por Lucio Maciá

Traducido por Cecilia Musis

Portada por Araceli Sabransky

Organización por Christian Trappani

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