Robin Williams Remembered By Family and Friends 10 Years After His Death: ‘He Had So Much Empathy’
To the people who loved Robin Williams — including his millions of fans around the world — it’s hard to believe it’s been a decade since his passing. “I’m reflecting on the immense love you shared with all of us — your family, your friends and everyone you met,” Zak Williams, his eldest of three children recently posted. “You continue to inspire me every single day to do whatever I can to help create a more connected and loving world for our family.”
The San Francisco-based stand-up, who trained as an actor at New York’s Juilliard School, became a household name on TV’s Mork & Mindy in 1978. Unlike so many TV performers who experience near overnight success, Robin successfully transitioned into movies, proving as equally adept at dramas and thrillers as he was at comedy. After three previous nominations, he won an Oscar for his nuanced portrayal of a reclusive, grieving psychologist in 1997’s Good Will Hunting.
Among his most popular screen roles is Daniel, a divorced father who masquerades as a matronly nanny to secretly spend time with his children in 1993’s Mrs. Doubtfire. Sally Field, who played Daniel’s ex-wife, has never forgotten her costar’s kindness to her after she received a call during filming informing her of the death of her father. “I came on the set trying with all my might to act,” she remembers. “I wasn’t crying. Robin came over, pulled me out of the set, and asked, ‘Are you OK?’”
She confided what had just happened and he insisted she go home. “He made it happen — they shot around me the rest of the day,” she recalls, praising Robin for his sensitivity and intuition.
Jeff Bridges, Robin’s costar in The Fisher King, also appreciated the comedian’s kindness after the actor lost his home in an earthquake. “He was my first friend to call: ‘Do you need anything? How are you money-wise?’” recalls Jeff, who credits Robin for helping him get hired on the film Fearless soon after. “[Robin] acted as my agent.”
Robin Williams Was ‘Introspective’
While Robin’s style of rapid-fire comedy was uniquely his own, his friends reveal that he was not always “on.” He could be quiet, serious and thoughtful. “Our times offstage were so important to us,” says Billy Crystal, who costarred in 1997’s Fathers’ Day and frequently cohosted the telethon Comic Relief with Robin. “We could talk about anything with no attempts at humor. Kids, parents, life’s ups and downs.”
His son Zak’s favorite memories are also of time spent out of the spotlight with his dad. “He was very funny, but he also was very introspective,” Zak says. “He had so much appreciation and empathy for others and his family.”
Billy recalls taking late-night walks with his friend around New York City. Robin would always bring a roll of $20 bills to hand out to anyone they came across who needed help. Says Billy: “I miss being able to talk with him, laugh with him, grow older with him.”
