“It’s hard because people want to know you’re a certain thing,” he told The Times in 1991. He returned to the small screen after more than 32 years to star in the CBS comedy “The Crazy Ones,” which ran for a single season before its cancellation.Īt one point during his career, Williams had to fight to be seen by the public as something more than just a funny guy. He played an unconventional teacher in “Dead Poets Society,” a doctor who tended to the mentally troubled in “Awakenings” (1990), a disturbed vagabond in “The Fisher King” and a widowed psychologist in “Good Will Hunting.” That last role - in which he famously counseled a hotshot Damon while grappling with his own demons - landed him his first Oscar win.įurther demonstrating his persona-stretching skills, Williams also had well-regarded parts playing presidents - as Dwight Eisenhower in last summer’s hit “Lee Daniels’ The Butler” and as Teddy Roosevelt in the comic franchise “Night At the Museum,” the latter of which he will reprise for the final time when the Ben Stiller film hits theaters this holiday season. “We join Robin’s friends and fans everywhere in mourning, and offer our thoughts and condolences to his family during this difficult time.”Ī melancholy current ran under Williams’ dramatic roles. “He was a true Disney Legend, a beloved member of our family, and he will be sorely missed,” Iger said in a statement. Walt Disney Company chairman Robert Iger said Williams would be remembered for bringing some of the worlds most beloved characters to life. Doubtfire” (1993), a cross-dressing comedy in which he played both a crusty older nanny and the divorced father who takes on the character to be closer to his children. Williams’ protean comedic skills reached perhaps their apex in “Mrs. That talent also landed him a gig co-hosting the Oscars in 1986, a turn that further cemented his A-list status. In “Good Morning Vietnam” he played a deejay who ruffled feathers with his truth-spewing, quip-cracking ways.Īlthough now common, the tear-up-the-script style of improvisation practiced by Williams was unusual in major Hollywood productions, and the actor seemed able to rewrite the rules by sheer force of personality - or, as was frequently the cases where Williams was concerned, personalities. Williams came to Hollywood prominence in the late 1970s with his starring role in “Mork & Mindy,” a spin-off of the then-popular “Happy Days.” Williams played an alien baffled by the ways of Earth, the comedy often resulting from the contrast between how he viewed the world and how the world really worked.Īfter the show went off the air in 1982, Williams’ reputation for rapid-fire impersonations - not to mention a seemingly bottomless talent for comic improvisation - landed him a number of high-profile stand-up specials as well as numerous film roles. This summer, he returned to rehab to “fine-tune” his sobriety.īorn in Chicago in 1951, Williams was accepted into John Houseman’s prestigious acting program at Juilliard along with Christopher Reeve, who became a lifelong friend. “The same voice that goes, ‘Just one.’ … And the idea of just one for someone who has no tolerance for it, that’s not the possibility.” Doubtfire” star told ABC News in October of that year. “You’re standing at a precipice and you look down, there’s a voice and it’s a little quiet voice that goes, ‘Jump,’” the “Mrs. He later explained that drinking had gradually become a problem again after 20 years of sobriety. The actor spent time on a Hazelden campus in Oregon in 2006. Williams was known for being open about his problems with cocaine and alcohol over the years. He also received nominations for “The Fisher King” (1991), “Dead Poets Society” (1989) and “Good Morning, Vietnam” (1987). He was lauded for his serious roles as well, winning a best supporting actor Oscar for his performance as Sean Maguire, the therapist who counsels Matt Damon’s math genius in “Good Will Hunting” (1997). He was pronounced dead at the scene.ĭubbed “the funniest man alive” by Entertainment Weekly in 1997, Williams brought audiences hours of laughter, putting his imaginative spin on characters in film and television. Williams was found unresponsive at his home in Tiburon around noon Monday, sheriff’s officials said.
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