A Funny Man Gone Too Soon

Robin Williams may have started in a quirky 70's TV show as an alien named Mork, but he became famous for his comedic ability in movie after movie since then. Dead Poets Society, Good Will Hunting, Saving Mrs. Doubtfire, Good Morning Vietnam, Night At the Museum, Hook, Jack, The Birdcage.. The list goes on and on. I'm old enough to remember him on Mork and Mindy but as someone in radio, Good Morning Vietnam will always be one of my favorite movies. Why is it when someone dies too soon you can look back at  their body of work and realize just how talented they were?

President Obama extended his condolences in a statement “Robin Williams was an airman, a doctor, a genie, a nanny, a president, a professor, a bangarang Peter Pan, and everything in between.  But he was one of a kind,” Obama said. “He arrived in our lives as an alien – but he ended up touching every element of the human spirit.  He made us laugh.  He made us cry.  He gave his immeasurable talent freely and generously to those who needed it most – from our troops stationed abroad to the marginalized on our own streets.

Of course he could do comedy but roles like Teddy Roosevelt in Night  at the Museum were funny and serious at the same time. He won an Oscar for his role in Good Will Hunting and he deserved it. Dead Poet Society is a must see for any high school student. His resume was long and he could be great when he was funny as well as when he was serious. But to me he was always his funniest on a talk show. Particularly on Late Night With David Letterman. Whether it was an impression or one of his witty come back lines he was damn funny.

Scary to think that a guy who made us all laugh at one time or another could have struggled so much with his own happiness. I wonder if over the decades he spent in the business of entertaining others he every really knew how many people he touched in one way or another. Thank you for all the times you made us laugh Robin Williams. We thank you for that. God speed.

Here's a clip of Williams with Letterman that shows how well they interact together.