Note: As I sit here typing this, it's Tuesday morning. I have just woken up to the news that Robin Williams has passed away and I wanted to write something immediately. The post date will state it's Wednesday.
Just like a lot of people. the first time I came across Robin Williams was when he played the character of Mork in Mork & Mindy. The series aired over here in the UK on either BBC 2 or Channel 4 back in the 1980s.
I recall first reading about the comedy in Look-In magazine. I'm unsure whether it had been on UK TV before then.
After that came Good Morning Vietnam - a film I watched while staying with my American relatives who were based in West Germany.
My Robin Williams story wouldn't be complete without mentioning a film that was out long before the aforementioned Good Morning Vietnam.
Back in 1989, I visited Malta. One of the country's proudest claims is that it was where Disney Studios made Popeye, which came out in 1980. Williams played the title role.
I had never heard of a Popeye movie until that trip. As this ten-year old walked around 'Popeye Village' he was in awe that Robin Williams walked the same path.
He had such a great run of movies in the late '80s and 1990s. He was a huge cog in the Hollywood machine back then. Think about it - Aladdin, Jumanji, Toys, Dead Poets Society, Good Will Hunting, Mrs. Doubtfire.
I rifled off the above titles from the top of my head. There are so many more.
"How about Hook?"
I had only just reacquainted myself with Hook as my youngest nephew decided he wanted to watch it while I was babysitting him. It had been over twenty years since I last viewed it, so it was newish to me again.
There are two productions Robin Williams did that I had wanted to see, but never got around to doing so.
I recorded One Hour Photo, but never found myself watching it. I was intrigued to see him play a bad guy. Maybe I'll pop it in the DVD one day soon.
The most recent Robin Williams project I had hoped to see is the television series, The Crazy Ones. It was constantly being advertised when I was watching NFL games last season so was hoping it would make it to TV over here. I'm unsure whether it ever did, unless it landed on a channel I don't have access to.
I'm going to close this post with a final thought of the comedian/actor.
Even though he has left the world with some lasting moments, his death will forever remind me of a happy clown with a hidden inner turmoil.
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