Robin Williams was found dead on Monday and the apparent cause of death was suicide by asphyxiation, according to police. In recent times, Williams had been battling severe depression. He was found unconscious around noon in his home in Tiburon, California, near San Francisco. Williams was best known playing characters in films like Mrs. Doubtfire, Good Morning, Vietnam and Jumanji. To celebrate his life, here are some clips that showcase just how talented he was. Continue reading for more.
5. Robin Williams as Genie in Disney’s Aladdin
His role as the Genie in the animated film Aladdin (1992) was instrumental in establishing the importance of star power in voice actor casting. Williams was known for his improvisational skills and impersonations, and his performances frequently involve impromptu humor designed and delivered in rapid-fire succession while on stage. According to the Aladdin DVD commentary, most of his dialogue as the Genie was improvised.
4. Improvisation
His stand-up work was a consistent thread through his career, as seen by the success of his one-man show (and subsequent DVD) Robin Williams: Live on Broadway (2002). He was voted 13th on Comedy Central’s list “100 Greatest Stand-ups of All Time” in 2004. Williams appeared on an episode of the American version of Whose Line Is It Anyway?
3. Stand-Up Comedy
Williams did a number of stand-up comedy tours, beginning in the early 1970s. Some of his most notable tours include An Evening With Robin Williams (1982), Robin Williams: At The Met (1986) and Robin Williams LIVE on Broadway (2002). The latter broke many long-held records for a comedy show. In some cases, tickets were sold out within thirty minutes of going on sale.
2. Movies (Full “The Survivor” Film Below)
Most of Williams’ acting career was in film, although he gave some performances on stage as well (notably as Estragon in a production of Waiting for Godot with Steve Martin). His first film was the 1977 comedy Can I Do It ‘Till I Need Glasses? His performance in Good Morning, Vietnam (1987) resulted in Williams being nominated for an Academy Award.[24] Many of his roles have been comedies tinged with pathos.
1. Personality
Williams was an avid enthusiast of video games and named two of his children after game characters. He named his daughter after Princess Zelda from The Legend of Zelda action-adventure game series. They both have even been featured in an ad for the Nintendo 3DS remake of The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. On this note, his son may have been named after Cody from the beat ’em up game Final Fight.
