Robin Williams Didn't Always Play The Funny Guy

TV & Film

Dec 27

The late actor Robin Williams (1951-2014) always had a penchant, passion, and talent for comedy throughout his prestigious stand-up comedy, television, and film career, which stretched from the late 1970s to his death in August 2014. Many of his most notable hit roles in television series and films such as Mork & Mindy (1978-1982), Disney’s Aladdin (1994), Mrs. Doubtfire (1993), and The Birdcage (1996) consistently demonstrated his finely tuned comedic timing. However, Williams also turned in more serious performances in several movies, showing he could exhibit a wide range as an actor. This article will discuss some of these more notable “serious” performances.

7. Dead Poets Society (1989)

In the film Dead Poet’s Society, Williams portrays a college professor, John Keating, who returns to his New England boy’s boarding school in 1954 and attempts to use poetry to help embolden his students’ self-expression. The film co-stars a younger Ethan Hawke (Reality Bites, Gattaca). Williams stated that this film was one of his favorite films and that the director, Peter Weir, was the best director he had ever worked with. The film won an Oscar and was nominated for several other awards upon its release.

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6. Awakenings (1990)

In the bittersweet film Awakenings, which is based on a nonfiction account, Robin Williams portrays Dr. Malcolm Sayer, who was based on a real doctor, Oliver Sacks, M.D., who wrote the nonfiction account upon which the film is based. The film features Dr. Sayer using a Parkinson’s Disease drug, “L-Dopa”, to successfully “awaken” patients suffering from Catatonia caused by Encephalitis when they were younger. The film co-stars Julie Kavner (The Simpsons), Robert DeNiro (Taxi Driver), and Max Von Sydow(Flash Gordon, Needful Things). The film was nominated for and won several awards. Williams has stated that this was another favorite film he did.

5. The Fisher King (1991)

In Terry Gilliam’s The Fisher King, Robin Williams plays Parry, a deranged homeless man who is helped by a disgraced and despondent former radio DJ, Jack Lucas, played by Jeff Bridges (Tron, The Big Lebowski), who may have previously contributed to Parry’s current situation. The film won one Oscar and was nominated for and won several other awards. This was also the first film directed by Gilliam not to feature any cast members from the British sketch show Monty Python’s Flying Circus.

4. Good Will Hunting (1997)

In Good Will Hunting, Williams plays a psychiatrist who helps a janitor at MIT, played by Matt Damon, with a gift for Mathematics to unlock his potential. The film was written by Matt Damon and Ben Affleck and directed by Gus Van Sant. The film went on to win two Oscars and received twenty-three other awards and sixty-one nominations. After Williams’ death, a bench in the Boston Public Garden where one of the scenes was filmed became an impromptu memorial site to him, and it prompted a petition to erect a statue of Williams at the site.

3. What Dreams May Come (1998)

In the drama-fantasy film What Dreams May Come, Williams plays Chris Nielsen, who dies in a tragic automobile and seeks to reconnect with his late wife, Annie, played by Anabella Sciorra (The Hand That Rocks The Cradle), in the afterlife. Cuba Gooding Jr. (Jerry Maguire) and Max Von Sydow (Awakenings) co-star in the film. While not as highly regarded as some of Williams’ other films (currently sitting at 52% on the Tomatometer), it still did win one Oscar, as well as other awards and nominations. The title of the film was also inspired by a line from Shakespeare’s Hamlet.

2. Insomnia (2002)

The thriller film Insomnia features Williams in not only a non-comedic role but also one of his few turns as a villain. His character, Walter Finch, plays a deadly cat-and-mouse game with Los Angeles detective Will Dormer, played by Al Pacino (Scarface, Devil’s Advocate), sent to investigate a teenage girl’s murder in Alaska. The film, directed by Christopher Nolan, was nominated for and won several awards.

1. One Hour Photo (2002)

In the drama-thriller film One Hour Photo, Williams plays Seymour Parrish, a photo developer who develops a psychotic obsession with a local family whose photos he develops. The film garnered six awards and twenty-two nominations. Of note, Williams, a fan of Japanese anime, incorporated a model from his collection of a creature featured in the series Neon Genesis Evangelion (1995).

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