Robin Williams (1951-2014) – The Tragic Comedian

"You can do anything you want, you are bound by nothing."

This dialogue from 1997 Good Will Hunting sums up the legend that Robin Williams was. He was a wonderfully gifted actor who had the unmatched ability to make anybody cry laughing. But more than the laughter, it was the magic, the love, the warmth that oozed out from each of the character that Williams played in his distinguished and diverse career spanning almost four decades.

"You can do anything you want, you are bound by nothing."

This dialogue from 1997 Good Will Hunting sums up the legend that Robin Williams was. He was a wonderfully gifted actor who had the unmatched ability to make anybody cry laughing. But more than the laughter, it was the magic, the love, the warmth that oozed out from each of the character that Williams played in his distinguished and diverse career spanning almost four decades.

A week later, it is still difficult to come in terms that Robin Williams- the guy with a red ball on his nose and twinkle in his eyes- is no more.

In his long career, Robin Williams played a variety of role. If you look at the list, it is mind boggling to see how one man could play just about anyone with such ease. A stout gentle housekeeper, a big blue cartoon, an eccentric English teacher, a defiant military radio jockey to a blunt therapist, to his latest of being a maverick crazy advertising executive, Williams was truly a versatile comedic actor.

A 90s kid, I grew up experiencing the magic of Robin William’s talent in ‘Mrs Doubtfire’, ‘Aladdin’ ‘Jumanji’, ‘Popeye’. For a kid he came across as the only funny adult in an otherwise serious world.

I was first introduced to Robin Williams, as a benevolent kind Scottish nanny who had a funny streak to her. During the times of VCRs, my father brought the video cassette and on a typical weekend afternoon introduced me and my brother to a man who goes to the extreme of turning himself in a woman to be with his kids. In that day and time when prosthetics was a word hard to pronounce, forget knowing the meaning, it was magical to see a man play a role of an elderly woman so convincingly. William played the part of the Scottish nanny so realistically, donning a dress, wig and an impressive set of fake breasts, that I remember wishing that I had a nanny just like him.

Cool yet stern, funny yet serious, Mrs Doubtfire was the ideal nanny a kid could ever wish for. From the fake boob catch on fire, to disguising his face with the "nightly meringue mask", to the dinner scene when he has to continually make rounds of the toilet to change from a she to he, every scene in the film was doubled over with laughter with the antics of Robin Williams. Williams was such a brilliant impersonator, that he brought Mrs Doubtfire to such life, that till date she remains one of my favourite characters and it is with no qualm, I say that I will always remember him as her.

After Mrs Doubtfire, Aladdin and Jumanji, William had become such a comedic, light hearted actor that to see him in serious movies like Dead Poets Society or Good Will Hunting (which got him an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor) was surprising. I got to see Dead Poet Society for a particular assignment, in my first year of university. Knowing Williams till now as a funnymen, as Mrs Doubtfire, it was a surprising change to see him portray a character of John Keating, the unconventional English teacher who harnesses the power of poetry to open the minds of his students. Throwing in his unique style of easiness to the role, William played the role of John Keating with much authenticity.

Similarly, vying away from his typical rolee, Williams played the role of a therapist/ psychiatrist in Good Will Hunting. With the same ease and noir, the goofy William played the role of a blunt therapist and captivated the audience, showcasing a subdued side of his acting. There was such power and vigour in his role that his famous “it’s not your fault” dialogue wells up the eyes each time it’s played.

Robin Williams was a master of what he did. He played each role with the same ease and conviction. The super goofy and talented guy who was last seen playing Eisenhower in the Butler, was able to glide between characters and voices in the blink of an eye. Playing multitude unforgettable characters, each act of Williams had vividness and fluidity to it.

Known for his quirky humour and ability to ad-lib his way through performances and film scripts, he was indeed, as Steven Speilberg puts, ‘a lightning storm of comic genius and our laughter was the thunder that sustained him’. Arguably the best, great comedian of his generation, Williams’s comedy is an art form which I doubt anybody could imitate. Even when Williams wasn't making us laugh, he made us smile. It is therefore very tragic, heartbreaking to think that a funny man like him who had a mischievous look to him could be battling such deep sorrows. He could indeed do anything and everything, except he was bounded by pain.

And though it has been said and written about by every third 90s kid, with Williams gone a part of their childhood too has died. But not for me. I thank Robin Williams for all the laughs and joy his simple acting brought to my growing years. ‘O Captain, my Captain’ you will forever be remembered as the man who bedazzled and changed lives, with your humour and beautiful acting

About The Author

Shruti Vyas

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