Robin Williams TRIBUTE

After yesterdays death of a joyful actor, Robin Williams (July 21, 1951 - August 11, 2014), who has done a tremendous job in the past at bringing true greatness to the screen with his performances, I have created this hub as a tribute to the great man.

As a tribute to the iconic actor and comedian, I have created a TOP 10 list of Robin Williams greatest films, which were memorable due to his performances.

It is always shocking to hear of a well-known celebrity dying, as it is for anyone for that matter, as it feels almost as though they cannot die, which is only worsened when the actor whose died is a childhood favourite actor, of whom I grew up seeing in movies.

About Robin Williams

Born: July 21, 1951

Died: August 11, 2014 (age 63)

Robin Williams was born on July 21, 1951 in Chicago, Illinois. After high school he was accepted into Juilliard School in New York to study theatre. At Juilliard he was encouraged by a teacher to take up comedy, and after leaving Juilliard, he performed in Nightclubs doing stand-up comedy, where he was discovered for the role of Mork on an episode of Happy Days, which led onto a spin-off TV show Mork and Mindy.

Robin continued to do stand-up comedy whilst he was acting in such films as Good Morning Vietnam, Dead Poets Society, and Mrs Doubtfire. Not only proven to be a great comedian, as he took on more dramatic performances, even winning an Oscar in 1998 for best supporting actor in Good Will Hunting.

On August 11, 2014, Robin Williams was found dead at his home in Tiburon, in California, after having apparently committed suicide, according to the Marin County Sheriff's Department.

Sources;

- www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada

- www.imdb.com/robinwilliams

TOP 10 Robin Williams Films

Robin Williams has made audiences laugh, cry, and feel the joy, which made him one of the greatest actors in Hollywood, having won the respect of everyone who ever had the pleasure of seeing one of his films.

Here's Robin Williams full film list, from his first to his last;

Popeye (1980), The World According to Garp (1982), The Survivors (1983), Moscow on the Hudson (1984), The Best of Times (1986), Club Paradise (1986), Seize the Day (1986), Good Morning, Vietnam (1987), The Adventures of Baron Munchausen (1988), Portrait of a White Marriage (1988), Dead Poets Society (1989), Cadillac Man (1990), Awakenings (1990), Dead Again (1991), Shakes the Clown (1991), The Fisher King (1991), Hook (1991), FernGully: The Last Rainforest (1992), Aladdin (1992), Toys (1992), Mrs. Doubtfire (1993), Being Human (1994), Nine Months (1995), To Wong Foo Thanks for Everything, Julie Newmar (1995), Jumanji (1995), The Birdcage (1996), Jack (1996), The Secret Agent (1996), Hamlet (1996), Fathers' Day (1997), Deconstructing Harry (1997), Flubber (1997), Good Will Hunting (1997), What Dreams May Come (1998), Patch Adams (1998), Jakob the Liar (1999), Bicentennial Man (1999), A.I. Artificial Intelligence (2001), One Hour Photo (2002), Death to Smoochy (2002), Insomnia (2002), The Final Cut (2004), House of D (2004), Noel (2004), Robots (2005), The Big White (2005), The Night Listener (2006), RV: Runaway Vacation (2006), Everyone's Hero (2006), Man of the Year (2006), Happy Feet (2006), Night at the Museum (2006), License to Wed (2007), August Rush (2007), Shrink (2009), World's Greatest Dad (2009), Night at the Museum 2 (2009), Old Dogs (2009), Happy Feet Two (2011), The Big Wedding (2013), The Butler (2013), The Face of Love (2013), Boulevard (2014), The Angriest Man in Brooklyn (2014).

Here is a list of Robin Williams greatest films which touched the lives of millions with his mere presence, and the unmatched talent which he brought to these fine films. Listed from worst to best (although all of them are great films):

#10 - Hook (1991)

Director: Steven Spielberg

Stars: Robin Williams, Dustin Hoffman, Julia Roberts

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Personal Rating: 7.4/10

IMDb Rating: 6.6/10

In A Nutshell: A grown-up Peter Pan (now an adult), must return to Neverland to save his child from the evil 'Hook', who has kidnapped them. However in order to go up against his old enemy, 'Hook', he must regain his childhood spirit.

Short Review: Good family fun, with a twist on the tale of Peter Pan, turning it on its head, which was an interesting idea, which in itself worked with a great performance from Robin Williams (plays Peter Pan). This is an enjoyable film directed by the amazing film-maker Steven Spielberg, who certainly left his mark behind for what could be for the 'Peter Pan' character.

#9 - Awakenings (1990)

Director: Penny Marshall

Stars: Robert De Niro, Robin Williams, Julie Kavner

Personal Rating: 7.9/10

IMDb Rating: 7.7/10

In A Nut Shell: The victims of an encephalitis epidemic a long time age, have been catatonic ever since, but a new chemical cure brings hope where before there was none.

Short Review: An emotionally moving film, with more to offer than most, which made this pleasant to watch. Some brilliant performances from Robert De Niro and Robin Williams, who really brought character to their roles. A truly great film, which is one of those where you just have to see it at least once in your life.

#8 - Bicentennial Man (1999)

Director: Chris Columbus

Stars: Robin Williams, Embeth Davidtz, Sam Neil

Personal Rating: 7.1/10

IMDb Rating: 6.7/10

In A Nut Shell: Set in the future, an android (shaped to look as much like a human as possible), sets out to become a human as he acquires emotions.

Short Review: Robin William (plays Andrew Martin, AKA the 'bicentennial man') in a touching manner, which leaves true heartfelt feelings after the film ends. It captures love as it truly is, through the eyes of a robot who more than anything wants to be a human. It has a believable storyline with love, heartbreaking moments, and laughter as Williams brings joy to the character which can theoretically live forever.

#7 - Jumanji (1995)

Director: Joe Johnston

Stars: Robin Williams, Kirsten Dunst, Bonnie Hunt

Personal Rating: 7.4/10

IMDb Rating: 6.8/10

In A Nut Shell: When two kids find and play a seemingly ordinary board game, one of them is sucked into the game, and mysteriously disappears of the face of the planet. Until a brother and sister, many years later, find and play the board game releasing the lost boy (now a man), and must complete the game in order to get back to their original lives.

Short Review: Robin Williams (plays Alan Parrish as a grown-up) plays his role very well, really making this film one of the best family adventures ever created. The story is full of adventure, wild animals, and strange, dangerous creatures from the world inside of the game, 'Jumanji'.

#6 - Insomnia (2002)

Director: Christopher Nolan

Stars: Al Pacino, Robin Williams, Hilary Swank

Personal Rating: 8.5/10

IMDb Rating: 7.2/10

In A Nut Shell: Two Los Angeles homicide detectives are sent to a small Alaska town to investigate the murder of local teen.

Short Review: Christopher Nolan's first big budget project, which exceeded expectations on all fronts, with an amazing story, with plenty of mystery, which adds to the suspenseful thriller. Robin Williams plays his role as the killer very well with a believable sense of murderous potential behind his foretelling of the character, which really adds to the films realistic feel.

#5 - Aladdin (1992)

Directors: Ron Clements, John Musker

Stars: Scott Weinger, Robin Williams, Linda Larkin

Personal Rating: 8.4/10

IMDb Rating: 8/10

In A Nut Shell: Aladdin, a street urchin, is sent on a quest to retrieve a lamp (magical) for the evil Jafar in hopes of impressing Princess Jasmine.

Short Review: The highlight of this film for myself is the Genie (voiced by Robin Williams) who brings to life a fun spirited side to the film, which would have otherwise missed something. However in saying this, the film has still got some great characters which make this animated film something of a spectacular creation, with a little something for everyone to enjoy.

#4 - Mrs. Doubtfire (1993)

Director: Chris Columbus

Stars: Robin Williams, Sally Field, Pierce Brosnan

Personal Rating: 7.9/10

IMDb Rating: 6.8/10

In A Nut Shell: Daniel Hillard (played by Robin Williams) is an eccentric actor, who dubs voices for cartoon characters. After his divorce, Daniel disguises himself as a female housekeeper for his families home, to spend time with his children.

Short Review: Williams once again pulls off another brilliantly funny character which makes us laugh and cry, as his character Daniel, looks to spend more time with his children to enable him to be the loving father he is. A masterpiece, which has to be one of the funniest comedies ever made which I'm sure comes as little surprise with Williams as the star of this comical film.

#3- Good Morning, Vietnam (1987)

Director: Barry Levinson

Stars: Robin Williams, Forest Whitaker, Tung Thanh Tran

Personal Rating: 7.8/10

IMDb Rating: 7.2/10

In A Nut Shell: A strange DJ, Adrian Cronauer (played by Robin Williams) is assigned to the US Army Services radio station in Vietnam, where he becomes wildly popular with the troops.

Short Review: Williams was a multi-talented actor who could pull off some of the funniest roles ever seen in films, but he could also pull off the dramatic roles, and this is one of his funnier roles which everyone remembers. The fast-talking radio talker is exciting and fun to hear, which would be everyone's perfect voice to listen to on the radio in the morning. However Williams character does become a deeper individual as the film paces along, as his character Adrian, begins to see the war with his own eyes.

#2 - Dead Poets Society (1989)

Director: Peter Weir

Stars: Robin Williams, Robert Sean Leonard, Ethan Hawke

Personal Rating: 8.8/10

IMDb Rating: 8/10

In A Nut Shell: English teacher John Keating (played by Robin Williams) inspires his students to find love in poetry, which changes their lives forever.

Short Review: The power in the films message is uplifting and moving in every way, which makes this a dream come true to watch. There is something great about a film that has the power to change ones life for the better, and this just so happens to be one of those films. An underrated film which must be watched in order to understand how true to the heart this film really is.

#1 - Good Will Hunting (1997)

Director: Gus Van Sant

Stars: Robin Williams, Matt Damon, Ben Affleck

Personal Rating: 9/10

IMDb Rating: 8.2/10

In A Nut Shell: Will Hunting, a janitor at M.I.T., has an extraordinary gift for mathematics, but is unable to focus his life on anything meaningful, until he meets a psychiatrist, Sean Maguire (played by Robin Williams), who helps Will to control his problems and find direction in his life.

Short Review: A life altering film, which has the power to inspire people to want to be more, which is an astonishing thing to achieve. An emotional film, with some of the best performances from a couple of the greatest actors, Matt Damon (plays Will Hunting) and Robin Williams (plays Sean Maguire).

Favourite Robin Williams Film!

Summary...

Robin Williams has touched millions and created great characters which he has made his own on screen in films and TV series.

Like all great people who die, we will remember Robin Williams for the joy he has brought to millions through his comedic roles in films and TV series, as well as his warm heart which shone throughout all of characters which he brought to life.

Very rarely do we see in Hollywood an actor who is as pure hearted and full of life on screen as they are off screen, but that is just what Robin Williams was, a great actor, comedian, and human being.

Robin Williams may be gone, but he will never be forgotten, with his films, TV series, and children as his legacy.

Robin Williams Roles Have Touched Millions!

Thank you for taking the time to read the hub and answer the polls, and if there were any characters which we've missed that touched you emotionally, played by Robin Williams, then leave them in the comments box below.

Any thoughts or questions which you have, can be put in the comments box below, which will be answered ASAP.

Comments

Dreammore (author) from British Empire on August 12, 2014:

Thanks for the comment Treasuresofheaven. Robin Williams was also one of my favourite comedians and actors, as he always knew how to put a smile on your face. His acting performances were breathtaking, and he will be truly missed.

Sima Ballinger from Michigan on August 12, 2014:

Robin Williams was definitely one of my favorite comedians because he was a genius at impersonations. I didn't know he was in so many films. Thanks for the list. R.I.P. Robin Williams!