R.I.P. Robin Williams

July 21, 1951 - August 11, 2014

mer·cu·ri·al

mərˌkyo͝orēəl/

adjective

1. 1.

   (of a person) subject to sudden or unpredictable changes of mood or mind.

Sadly, another star has exited stage left. This time, Robin Williams has died of an apparent suicide. For me, this one is a little extra sad because he truly is a person I grew up watching. I first became aware of him when I was about eight, thanks to a couple of guest spots on one of my favorite TV shows at the time, Happy Days. This turned out to be his big break as he played a quirky extra terrestrial known as Mork from Ork. Watching reruns lately, I realize how insane it was to include an alien on one of the most square shows of all time. It was so out of left field, something I couldn't really appreciate at the time, yet it worked. It worked so well, the character was given his own series, Mork & Mindy which I watched religiously. "Na-nu na-nu" and "Shaz-but" become part of my everyday vernacular.

As the years went by, I learned of his wacky stand-up act, and heard stories of his habits. Eventually, he began doing lots of movies. By this time I hadn't totally lost interest, but I paid less attention to him than I once did. Still, I did see a number of the films in which he appeared. Somehow, I haven't fully witnessed many of his most popular performances in their entirety. Good Morning, Vietnam, Mrs. Doubtfire, and Hook are movies I've only seen in pieces. Occasionally, I'll catch a bit of the beginning, but can't finish it for some reason. More often, I'll catch a bit of the end, or somewhere in the middle and stop watching a few minutes later rather than try to catch up. The Best of Times, The Fisher King, and The Adventures of Baron Munchausen are movies I've not seen at all.

In what I have seen Williams in, I've almost always enjoyed his performance, even if I hated the movie. I love Dead Poets Society. He was great in The World According to Garp, Jumanji, Good Will Hunting, and Aladdin. He was even good in the Night at the Museum movies. That said, I was strangely drawn to the roles where his character was miserable. I thought he was excellent in World's Greatest Dad and downright brilliant in both The Final Cut and One Hour Photo. I guess having an inkling of some of his troubles in life gave these portrayals a truth his more jovial work didn't have. In those roles that required him to be funny, it feels like him giving us the Robin Williams persona. His more conflicted characters felt closer to reality. The clown was exposing the tears behind the smile.

It's been said that inside every comedian is a sad man refusing to weep. Williams has extraordinary success in channeling this other person. How strange that the same actor can play some of the most uninhibited of all characters, and some of the most morose. - Roger Ebert

If you're at all familiar with him you know that he was a ball of kinetic energy, seemingly with a serious case of ADHD. To watch him in action was not to witness anything coherent. It was a study in unfiltered, stream of conscience. Listening to him was quite literally hearing someone verbally brainstorm, using our ears as the paper he's scribbling numerous random thoughts on. Even in death, he proves that if each person were only allowed one word to describe them, mercurial would most certainly be his.