We reflect on the Robin Williams performances that left impressions on our lives.
You wouldnt expect to be so affected by the death of a man that youve never met.
We never spoke to Robin Williams, but he surely spoke to all of us.
We knew he was funny.
There are too many iconic Williams roles to list.
We have their reflections on this incredible performer below.
For me, and most people my age, Robin Williams was the first movie star we could recognize.
Im writing about the impact thatMrs.
The television became my babysitter, and by proxy, I guessMrs.
My brother, sister, and I played theMrs.
DoubtfireVHS so many times that it had to be replaced.
You couldnt let me near the Cool Whip, because I would surely give a shot to imitate.
One of the biggest things that resonates now as I think aboutMrs.
I never had a friend like Robin, but I watched so often because I wanted one.
Thank you for laughs, Mr. Williams.
If you only knew how much you meant to so many.
It was, however, my first real exposure to Robin Williams.
I have to wonder just how many ofPopeyes many mumbled asides were ad-libbed by Williams.
His mother ups and dies, and he wouldnt eat his spinach!
If Robin could believe he was Popeye, then so could I.
That was alright, though…those jokes wereforthem.
Kids my age had Popeye.
For those films areDead Poets Society,The Fisher King,Mrs.
Doubtfire,Patch Adams, and, gasp,Good Will Hunting.
What I knew Robin Williams for.
But it was memorable, not because it was a Disney movie, but because of Robin.
How often do you remember the specific work of one actor in abadchildrens movie?
Under that rationale, it feels right to remember Robin Williams for his work inFlubber.
Still, I threw onJumanjiearlier today because I wanted something with a little more substance.
I couldnt get past the first turn around the board.
Jumanji: a game for those to seek to find, a way to leave their world behind.
Seems chilling now, doesnt it?
The first Robin Williams movie I ever saw wasHook, which is also one of my earliest theatergoing experiences.
The soaring transcendence of John Williams score still glides in the back of my most unencumbered imagination.
Williams didnt play an animated characterthe animation bent to playing Robin Williams.
Finally, something could keep pace with his most esoteric transitions and unbridled hilarity.
But I will always first remember when he came out of that lamp.
David Crow
The Standup Comic
I got the news that Robin Williams died via a blast fromVariety.
It came a moment after David Crow sent me a trailer link to write up.
I was hit with a wave of sadness that defied words, a mild state of actual shock.
To me, that was a genuinely shared moment of grief that the staff ofDen of Geekfelt.
Robin Williams really knew how to bring people together.
Williams brought those moments to people because he knew how to connect.
Dave Crow asked us to write about our favorite Robin Williams movie.
We all have them.
Sometimes, within the same line.
Williams fired on all cylinders all the time.
But Williams film and TV work pales in comparison to his standup and his improv.
Thats where we, the audience, really saw Robin Williams.
It never looked like he rehearsed.
Everything seemed to explode from him spontaneously, unfiltered.
It was the real deal.
Williams standup wasnt just where he was himself.
It was also where he did the best acting.
Cured a disease or fixed some natural disaster.
Laughter was the medicine they knew and they had the best delivery system.
As a Richard Pryor fan, I got an early glimpse of Robin Williams.
Williams had been in the regular cast ofThe Richard Pryor Show.
It only lasted a month, but he was already unforgettable.
I recognized him when he was onHappy Days.
The best of any art is a true original.
I used to bartend at a comedy improv theater called The First Amendment Theatre.
There were pictures all over the walls of the cast with Robin Williams.
He would just show up and jam with these players all night.
You get the sense that he would have done it whether they were there or not.
When he did standup, it really looked like Williams wanted to include everyone.
When comedians do a good performance, they say they killed the audience.
Williams humor was an automatic weapon.
If you loved him, you missed half the jokes because you laughed over them.
Robin Williams standup could be rude, crude, loud, soft, silly, or deeply profound.
It was never stupid.
He could be topical, political or folksy.
Everything was fair game.
Nothing and everything was sacred.
People just cant be that funny.
It breaks the law of physics.
It really looked like he would never be happy unless everyone was laughing.
