Farewell Robin Williams, We Hardly Knew Thee.

“You know, you get that tattoo of barbed wire when you’re 18, but by the time you’re 80, it’s a picket fence.”
                                         ~Robin Williams

No jokes today other than that one. Its a time for me to pay my respects to one of the greatest comedians and actors in my lifetime.

Williams climbed to the top in a very short time, once he began doing stand up. He didn’t have to worry about money, which is an advantage, but make no mistake, he possessed amazing talent.

From Wikipedia:

“Rising to fame with his role as the alien Mork in the TV series Mork & Mindy (1978–1982), Williams went on to establish a successful career in both stand-up comedy and feature film acting. His film career included such acclaimed films as The World According to Garp (1982), Good Morning, Vietnam (1987), Dead Poets Society (1989), Awakenings (1990), The Fisher King (1991), and Good Will Hunting (1997), as well as financial successes such as Popeye (1980), Hook (1991), Aladdin (1992), Mrs. Doubtfire (1993), Jumanji (1995), The Birdcage (1996), Night at the Museum (2006), and Happy Feet (2006). He also appeared in the video “Don’t Worry, Be Happy” by Bobby McFerrin.

Nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actor three times, Williams received the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his performance in Good Will Hunting. He also received two Emmy Awards, four Golden Globe Awards, two Screen Actors Guild Awards and five Grammy Awards.

Williams attained a full scholarship to the esteemed Juilliard School. He also attended the College of Marin, in California, for theatre.

Williams did a number of stand-up comedy tours, beginning in the early 1970s. Some of his 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.

After a six-year break, in August 2008, Williams announced a new 26-city tour titled “Weapons of Self-Destruction”. The tour started at the end of September 2009 and concluded in New York on December 3, and was the subject of an HBO special on December 8, 2009.”

From a comedian’s perspective, his success was something we could only dream of. His talent was seemingly endless. His amazing quick wit and acting ability, usually not well received by Hollywood, and his talent for improvisation helped catapult his career to include major motion pictures.

Unfortunately, Williams was plagued with severe depression for most of his life. In the end, the illness proved to be too much to bear. He will be remembered by millions as a beloved icon in the entertainment business and one of the funniest people of all time.

So, farewell to you Mr. Williams. You will never be forgotten. Your legacy will keep you alive in all of us on television and your amazing films.

See you tomorrow.

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