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In 1993, the whole world discovered Mrs. Doubtfirea comedy by Chris Columbus (Harry Potter 1 and 2), in which Robin Williams becomes a hell of a nanny. Daniel Hillard, his character, is a voice actor and a father who is a little too lax. One day, his wife Miranda, played by Sally Field (Mrs. Gump in Forrest Gump), no longer able to stand her behavior, filed for divorce and obtained full custody of their three children. Refusing to be separated from them, Daniel used his acting talents by posing as a governess in order to get closer to his children. He became Iphigenia Doubtfire. It was a real commercial success and, thirty years later, it remains one of the most cult comedies of the actor, who died on August 11, 2014.
Robin Williams, who was diagnosed with Lewy body dementia, a form of dementia that causes neurological disorders, including memory loss, committed suicide. Ten years later, in his memory, his former acting partners look back on their encounters with the actor, highlighting his radiant personality, his kindness, and his talent. Al Pacino, Ben Stiller, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Peter Weir, Matt Damon and others have spoken to Vanity Fair. Among them, Sally Field, who played his ex-girlfriend on screen, recalls the time Robin Williams helped her through a difficult time in her life:
“I've never shared this story before. I was in the RV outside the courtroom where we were filming the divorce scene. My dad had had a stroke a few years ago and was in a facility receiving treatment. I got a call from the doctor saying my dad had just died of a massive stroke. He asked me if I wanted to resuscitate him and I said, 'No, he didn't want that. Let him go. And please lean over and tell him that Sally is saying goodbye.' I was of course devastated.”
Returning to the set, the actress pulls herself together and refuses to crack. But Robin Williams senses that something is wrong.
“Robin came over, led me off the set and asked if I was okay. I said : 'Yes, why?' 'I don't know, I thought I should ask you. 'No, actually, I'm not okay, Robin. My father just died.' 'Oh my god, but we need to get you out of here. Now!'”
Immediately, he changes the order of the scenes in order to free Sally Field as quickly as possible: “That's a part of Robin that few people know: he was very sensitive and intuitive.”
This is not the first time that Robin Williams' personality has been highlighted by his teammates. As recalled VarietyLisa Jakub, who played the oldest child, Lydia, has previously said that Robin Williams was the first person on set to openly talk to her about mental health. In another interview in May with the podcast 'Brotherly Love', she also admitted that the actor wrote a letter to her school principal when she was fired for spending too much time on set:
“He saw that I was upset […] The principal received the letter, framed it and hung it in his office, and didn't ask me to come back. Unbelievable.”
For Matthew Lawrence (Christopher Hillard), Robin Williams even wrote a letter of recommendation to the University of Southern California for his application.
For this role, Robin Williams won the Golden Globe for best actor in a comedy. It must be said that he had improvised a lot and shown spontaneity. Known for his comedies like Jumanji And Hook or the Revenge of Captain Hookhe had also made a name for himself in dramas that have become classics, such as Dead Poets Society, And Good Will Hunting for which he won the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor.
Making-of: how Robin Williams became Mrs. Doubtfire