I hate writing these.
It's bad enough when our favorite celebrities pass due to old age or accidents.
When they decide to take matters into their own hands, it makes me angry and depressed.
So time to take a trip down memory lane and remember the good times that Robin Williams brought to audiences for the last three decades.
For me, I first met Robin Williams in a guest spot on Happy Days, playing an alien.
Sound familiar?
Yep, Mork from Ork, and Williams was soon going to be on television weekly in Mork and Mindy (1978).
Genius casting was made when they brought Jonathan Winters on the show in the final season. Perhaps the two fastest improvisational wits to ever perform in comedy, together they made audiences laugh until it was time for Robin to move on to the big screen.
In 1982, Williams began his career with The World According to Garp.
However, it was 1987 with Good Morning Vietnam where he began to earn his accolades by taking his trademark humor down a notch and applying layers of drama to his performances.
This was even more apparent with 1989s Dead Poets Society where nearly all of his trademark humor was locked away for a dramatic performance for the ages.
Had Robin Williams turned a page on his manic persona that made millions laugh as a stand-up?
Nope.
He was about to unleash possibly his best performance, ever.
1992, Robin Williams channeled the energy of a genie in Disney's masterpiece, Aladdin. Part of Disney's animation renaissance, this one often gets overlooked against The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast and The Lion King.
But, the animation is just as stellar, the music and songs just as memorable and the vocal casting top-notch.
Finally, in 1997, he did the unthinkable, and won an Oscar for his Best Supporting Role in Good Will Hunting.
The evolution of the manic stand-up comedian was complete.
He would continue to entertain audiences up until his untimely passing. He still has a few movies in post-production still to be seen.
I would also be remiss if I failed to mention and thank him for all the trips he went on with the USO to entertain the troops throughout the Theater of Operations during Iraqi/Enduring Freedom. He was a huge supporter of the military, and he will be missed.
RIP Robin Williams. Thanks for the laughter.
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