Our sincere condolences to the family of Robin Williams, and to those who knew the actual man. Williams died on August 11th, apparently of suicide. He battled depression and addiction, but he also gave us indelible characters that are stitched into the very fabric of growing up for many of us.
From Mork's rainbow suspenders (Nanu, Nanu) to Adrian Cronauer in Good Morning Vietnam, or the Genie in Disney's Aladdin, there are so many gentle-yet-wild characters in his canon that everyone has a favourite. His performance as Psychologist Sean Maguire made our recent "Top 10 movie therapists" list. Mork was one of the first things I can remember loving on TV as a kid, and the goofy montage while he's finding his Mrs. Doubtfire look taught me more Hollywood history than my first semester of film class. His death sent a ripple of shock through the YMC Community when the news broke, and we'd like to share some of our favourite memories and performances. Please join us by leaving yours in the comments.
Favourite Roles & Quotations From His Films
Julie Green:
The Fisher King: "There's three things in this world that you need: respect for all kinds of life, a nice bowel movement on a regular basis, and a navy blazer."
Dead Poets Society: "We don't read and write poetry because it's cute. We read and write poetry because we are members of the human race. And the human race is filled with passion."
Ashley MacInnis: "Mrs. Doubtfire and Jumanji were my go-tos as a kid. Patch Adams makes me cry every time."
Ali Martell:
Dead Poets Society: "No matter what anybody tells you, words and ideas can change the world."
Good Morning Vietnam: "Gooooooood morning, Vietnam! It's 0600 hours. What does the "o" stand for? 'O my God, it's early!"
Dani LeClair: I love this, from the man himself: "You're only given one little spark of madness. You mustn't lose it."
Erin Chawla: Dead Poets Society — "O Captain, my captain!"
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences sent out this touching tweet in reaction to the sad news:
Find a photo memorial for Robin Williams here.
If you or someone you love is living with depression, there's help. Visit the Canadian Mental Health Association site here.
photo from collider.com via Google
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