Robin Williams’ most touching moments
When Robin Williams tragically took his own life in 2014, it felt like the entire world was mourning for him. Celebrities are often viewed with an element of hyper-reality – most exemplified by the fact that when the public meets a celebrity, people are often surprised by “how short they are”.
This notion of stars being somehow beyond the comprehension of reality often leads to their deaths passing under the radar somewhat. With Robin Williams, though, it was very different. The truth is that Williams consistently delivered some of the most heart-warming moments in cinematic history and was very open about his struggle with depression.
Williams started his career by performing stand-up comedy in Los Angeles and San Francisco in the mid-1970s before rising to stardom in the sitcom Mork & Mindy. Several highly-lauded performances would come in the following decades: Good Morning, Vietnam, Dead Poets Society, Patch Adams, Hook, Aladdin, Mrs. Doubtfire, and Good Will Hunting.
Today marks the eighth anniversary of Williams’ tragic and untimely death, so to commemorate the man who put a smile on the faces of so many and taught them to confront their mental battles, we’re going to take a look through some of the legendary actors most touching moments.
Robin Williams’ most touching moments:
The Juilliard School Scholarship
Williams attended the prestigious Juilliard School in New York City in 1973 on a full scholarship, where he studied dialects – which undoubtedly will have contributed to Williams’ excellent proficiency in impersonations.
Later in his life, Williams set up a scholarship at the school, and one fortunate recipient was actor Jessica Chastain, who said, “Robin Williams changed my life. His generous spirit will forever inspire me to support others as he supported me. He will forever be missed.”
Making friends with Koko the Gorilla
Amazingly, Williams befriended Koko the Gorilla as part of The Gorilla Foundation. Koko was fluent in American Sign Language and understood spoken English, meaning that she could communicate with the Hollywood legend.
Williams said, “I had a mind-altering experience communicating with a gorilla. We shared something extraordinary: laughter.” Their time together saw Koko try Williams’ glasses on for size and Williams tickling Koko.
In conversation with Elmo on Sesame Street
Williams appeared on Sesame Street in 1991 alongside the beloved red furry hero Elmo. Arriving on the scene in a jazzy shirt and baseball cap, holding a stick, Williams is asked by Elmo what he plans to do with the stick.
Williams proceeds to show Elmo all the different things you can do with a stick, along with brilliant impersonations, including playing hockey, playing a baton in the orchestra, or using it as a cane, before kindly gifting the stick to Elmo.
Helping Steven Spielberg get through filming Schindler’s List
Naturally, directing a film with the emotional poignancy of Schindler’s List took its toll on Steven Spielberg. During this time, Williams would regularly call Spielberg to ensure he was looking after his mental health.
Spielberg revealed that “Robin knew what [he] was going through” and that he would call him once a week to perform 15 minutes of stand-up comedy, make him laugh and lighten the load. Williams remembers “him laughing and saying thank you.”
Protecting Nathan Lane from coming out on Oprah
Williams worked with actor Nathan Lane on The Birdcage, playing his openly gay partner. In real life, Lane had only come out as gay to his parents and was not ready to disclose his sexuality to the public, especially in such a high pressure situation.
When Williams and Lane appeared on The Oprah Winfrey Show, the interview topics slowly began to shift towards Lane’s sexuality, with Oprah saying, “Oh, you’re good at that girly stuff.” Detecting this, Williams stepped in and diverted the conversation to protect the privacy of his friend.
Working with the Make-A-Wish Foundation on Patch Adams
When Williams starred as Hunter ‘Patch’ Adams in the 1998 film, he portrayed a doctor who used comedy to help the plight of terminally ill children. Williams and the Patch Adams crew also worked closely in real life with the Make-A-Wish Foundation to help terminally ill children, and many of them appeared on screen alongside Williams.
When one of the children, Jessica Cole, made a wish to meet Williams and he was incredibly quick to agree. However, her condition worsened, and she could not make the trip to meet him, so Williams personally travelled to her home in North Carolina to spend the day with her.
“It’s not your fault” in Good Will Hunting
In Gus Van Sant’s beautiful drama Good Will Hunting, Williams’ character is responsible for therapizing a young but undiscovered genius – played by Matt Damon – who struggles with his tortured past.
After previously fruitless efforts, Will Hunting (Damon) finally breaks down and opens up after Williams repeatedly tells him that the abuse he suffered is “not your fault”. Easily one of the most moving moments in the history of cinema.
“Seize the day” in Dead Poets Society
Peter Weir’s film takes place in 1959 at a fiction conservative elite boarding school in Vermont. Williams plays an unorthodox English teacher, John Keating, who educates the young boys’ minds rather than preparing them for tests.
In one of the climactic scenes, Williams tells his students to “seize the day” and to “make your lives extraordinary” when the class are looking at photographs of the classes of yesteryear. It’s a truly inspiring moment and could only be delivered by the wistful nature of a man like Robin Williams.
