My Cart - Here at Electronic World, the home of cheap TVs, we were extremely saddened this morning to learn of the untimely death of Robin Williams; one of the most well-beloved actors and comedians in recent memory.
According to the BBC News website, Mr Williams, 63, was found dead at his California home at around noon on Monday 11th August. After paramedics found him in an unresponsive state, he was pronounced as deceased, with the suspected cause of his tragic death being asphyxiation.Williams had famously struggled with depression, alcohol and drug addiction in the past, being vocal about these battles on numerous occasions, and the exact nature of his death now awaits upon a forthcoming coroner’s report. However, the overwhelming focus of the world is now an expression of sadness for Williams’ passing, as few other actors have brought so many moments of laughter to so many people.
The wife of Robin Williams, Susan Schneider, has declared herself to be ‘utterly heartbroken’, and that is a sentiment that is being echoed by countless millions of people who grew up with Williams on the television screen. Born in 1951, Williams pursued drama at high school and went on to secure a place at the respected Juilliard School for the arts in New York, and it was here that he was urged to embrace his burgeoning talent for comic roles.
Thankfully, Williams readily accepted this advice, and so began a career that was generously scattered with the creation of memorable characters that, absolutely invariably, made the world laugh until it cried. Williams’s first notable role was the portrayal of an alien in the Mork and Mindy TV show, and his success in this part proved to be the springboard that lead on to a multitude of unforgettable films.
Nobody who saw Robin Williams within films like Mrs Doubtfire, or indeed who simply heard his distinctive voice within the animated Disney classic Aladdin, could help but smile, but in addition to his stand-up comic talents he was actually an incredibly versatile actor with a diverse portfolio of work. Capable of portraying serious characters, as well as displaying a deeply soulful side, outstanding features like Good Morning Vietnam, Dead Poets Society and The Birdcage all had Williams in a starring role, and all were all much the better for his welcome presence.
The winner of a veritable cascade of Emmy, Golden Globe, Grammy and Screen Actor Guild awards, Williams’s finest moment of critical recognition probably came about when he received an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor in Good Will Hunting, and nobody could possibly begrudge Williams his richly deserved success. Most recently featuring in his very own TV programme The Crazy Ones, Williams will still appear in the third instalment of the popular Night at the Museum franchise, out later this year, yet future projects – such as a return to the titular role in a long-awaited sequel to Mrs Doubtfire – will remain sadly unrealised.
It is very difficult to pick out highlights from the life of such a charming, talented, kind and undeniably funny man as Robin Williams was. The truth was that his entire career was lauded by a multitude of admirers, and the hearts of all of those people now go out to his family. Williams was dubbed ‘the funniest man alive’ by Entertainment Weekly in 1997; a bold claim perhaps, but one that, in this case, seems to have been perfectly fitting.
