The Essential Robin Williams: 15 Films We’ll Never Forget

We still can’t believe it: Robin Williams, the actor and comedian who took us by the hand in one classic performance after another for nearly 40 years, has passed away at the age of 63. As of this writing, it still appears that his death was a tragic suicide, a sad culmination to a life spent bringing joy to millions. He warmed our hearts, he tickled our funny bones, and sometimes he held himself up to a very gloomy mirror, giving unexpected performances that expressed profound sadness, and illustrated the very cruel actions that people filled with despair and loneliness sometimes resort to.

Related: R.I.P. Robin Williams (1951-2014)

That was the beauty of Robin Williams’ career: even when he made bad movies (and sure enough, he made more than a few), he found the psychological honesty in all of them and laid it bare for all of us. Many of his characters expressed themselves with humor. Some spoke volumes with silence. And yes, in some of his most notable dramatic performances, he did things we never thought the beloved star of “Mork & Mindy” could possibly be capable of. When he had great material to work with, he was great. When he was trapped in something as admittedly inane as Nine Months, he still endeavored to play his comically bumbling gynecologist with the emotional honesty of someone who just wanted to do his job and deliver babies to people who loved them.

Over the course of his nearly 40-year film career, Robin Williams made a remarkable number of films, many of which will stick with us forever. They’re not all four-star classics – indeed, a few of them are merely ingrained into our shared sense of nostalgia – but these are The 15 Robin Williams Films We Will Never Forget. They made us love Robin Williams, but more than that they made our lives a little happier, a little more thoughtful, and a little easier to bear.

Rest in peace, Robin Williams. We will never forget you.

Slideshow: The Essential Robin Williams – 15 Films We’ll Never Forget


William Bibbiani is the editor of CraveOnline’s Film Channel and the host of The B-Movies Podcast and The Blue Movies Podcast. Follow him on Twitter at @WilliamBibbiani.

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