Mt. Rushmore- Robin Williams
One of the greatest comedic actors of all-time, Robin Williams was known for his improv skills, impressions, and impeccable timing. Every role he took on became extremely popular because of the man behind it. I’m confident in the four roles I’ve picked as his the four most iconic for his Mt. Rushmore, but there are so many honorable mentions I need to honorably mention because they would be on almost any other actors top four. They include Mork in ‘Mork & Mindy,’ Adrian Cronauer in ‘Good Morning, Vietnam,’ Patch Adams in ‘Patch Adams,’ Peter Pan in ‘Hook,’ Alan Parrish in ‘Jumanji,’ & Theodore Roosevelt in the ‘Night at the Museum’ trilogy.
Mrs. Doubtfire in ‘Mrs. Doubtfire’- I guess the character he’s playing is really Daniel Hillard, but both Hillard & Williams fully step into the role of Euphegenia Doubtfire. At the core of the film, Williams plays a man wanting to connect with his family, but on the surface he plays a silly old British woman. Classic.
John Keating in ‘Dead Poets Society’- An Oscar-nominated role, Williams is really not the main character of ‘Dead Poets Society,’ but he is the glue of the film. He holds the story together by being a teacher and mentor that all the boys in his class needed, whether they knew it or not. The two most powerful connections in the film come between Keating & two of the students, Neil & Todd (Robert Sean Leonard & Ethan Hawke), and although the film is tragic and sad, it is also incredibly inspirational.
Sean Maguire in ‘Good Will Hunting’- Williams’s Oscar-winning role, this supporting role lets the comedic actor again take on a more dramatic role, though some of his signature comedy still seeps in. He mentors the titular Will Hunting (Matt Damon) when he becomes the young man’s court appointed therapist. Although it takes some time, Sean is eventually able to break through to Will by relating to him and sharing his own sorrows. Every line he says is quotable & powerful and this role rightfully won Williams the Academy Award and is the best acting performance of his career. On a side note, I guess it would’ve been fitting to put Teddy Roosevelt here.
The Genie in ‘Aladdin’- I suppose it may be peculiar to some that this is on here, but you have to think about it. This performance completely changed the trajectory of voice acting in films and many experts in the field cite this as the best voice acting performance ever. Williams is funny, quotable, & iconic (remember iconicity is what we’re going for here) and a majority of his dialogue was improvised by the actor (we of course know improv is where he shines best).
