# R.I.P. Robin Williams **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** celebrity-death\ **Created:** [August 11, 2014, 11:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/r-i-p-robin-williams/695333 "2014-08-11T23:04:35Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 12
**Author:** ![SlackerInc](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slackerinc/32/275_2.png) [@SlackerInc](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SlackerInc)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2014, 7:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/r-i-p-robin-williams/695333/221 "2014-08-12T19:09:17Z")
I saw the pilot of TCO and kind of liked it. I was borderline on keeping it on my list of things to watch, but there is so much good TV these days, it’s a very tough competition. I had intended on checking back into it later to see if it improved as many comedies do; but then it was cancelled. ETA: BBT has some of the most advanced vocabulary on TV, and everyone I know who likes it has at least a masters degree, so I hardly think that’s a good example of a “paradise for halfwits”. ---
**Author:** ![woodstockbirdybird](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/woodstockbirdybird/32/7905_2.png) [@woodstockbirdybird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/woodstockbirdybird)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2014, 7:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/r-i-p-robin-williams/695333/222 "2014-08-12T19:16:51Z")
> [@nevadaexile](#): > > No, I’m not high. > Are you suffering from hypoxia or its after-effects? > > _ **The Crazy Ones** _ was not that bad consider that _ **Big Bang Theory** _ is a paradise for halfwits. Perhaps if people had watched the program more, we wouldn’t be online expressing sympathy for its star, who according to interview he gave beforehand, only starred in it because he needed the money. > > I see a contradiction. > If you don’t, then that’s you. So we’re supposed to watch projects we don’t like to prevent actors from killing themselves? You make absolutely no sense. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2014, 7:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/r-i-p-robin-williams/695333/223 "2014-08-12T19:20:59Z")
> [@SlackerInc](#): > > As the son of a wonderful, loving father (who by the way had a great sense of humor and seemed fairly happy-go-lucky to most people) who hung himself when I was fifteen, let me cosign that. I never understood why anyone thought I should be angry with him. He didn’t kill someone else, he took his own life. FFS. > [@mhendo](#): > > What? Are you high? > [@nevadaexile](#): > > No, I’m not high. > Are you suffering from hypoxia or its after-effects? Again: _do not make your arguments personal. This is the wrong forum for that._ **nevadaexile** , if you want to argue about other projects or something, start a different thread. What you’re saying appears to be way off-base and off-topic. ---
**Author:** ![Sherrerd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sherrerd/32/8_2.png) [@Sherrerd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sherrerd)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2014, 8:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/r-i-p-robin-williams/695333/224 "2014-08-12T20:13:36Z")
> [@saje](#): > > My heart hurts. > I think I was one of the few people who liked the movie Toys, but it’s all I’ve been thinking about this evening. I like _Toys_; Robin Williams was very touching in that role. I liked him in _The Birdcage_, too–he was so generous to Nathan Lane in that one, giving the quieter performance so as to let Lane shine. I was particularly sad to hear this news because of the message it is probably sending to some depressed people. I hate to think that some may be concluding ‘if he couldn’t make it through, why should I try?’ For that reason, I am hoping that the family will be willing to be open about Williams’ treatment situation. There are so many medications that DO help the chemical imbalance at the base of depression. I would hope that the message to others struggling with the physical (not moral!) debility that is depression, would be “don’t struggle alone; do work with a doctor to find treatment that may give you more relief than you can even imagine, now.” This is not intended as a criticism of Robin Williams or of his right to make his own choices. But I do hope that his family will supplement his immortal legacy as an entertainer–something that nothing can erase–with an additional legacy of helpful information for others who struggle. ---
**Author:** ![bup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/6bbea6/32.png) [@bup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bup)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2014, 8:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/r-i-p-robin-williams/695333/225 "2014-08-12T20:18:39Z")
> [@nevadaexile](#): > > Are you suffering from hypoxia or its after-effects? Classy! ---
**Author:** ![Spice\_Weasel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spice_weasel/32/5435_2.png) [@Spice\_Weasel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spice_Weasel)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2014, 9:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/r-i-p-robin-williams/695333/226 "2014-08-12T21:03:06Z")
Robin Williams is an actor I always respected but never thought too much about. I would love his awesome films individually but if you asked who my favorite actor was, I would not say Robin Williams. However, now that he is dead every article about him makes some attempt to encapsulate his life’s work. But the thing is, they can’t. I am only now realizing this, but he was in so many goddamn amazing movies (including my favorite, Goodwill Hunting) that every time I think I’m remembering them all, someone mentions another one. Good Morning Vietnam Goodwill Hunting Dead Poet’s Society What Dreams May Come Aladdin The Birdcage We lost a fucking legend. And I am really happy this has gotten people to start talking about suicide and depression. I think that is the best possible thing that could come out of this tragedy. ---
**Author:** ![HMS\_Irruncible](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hms_irruncible/32/7394_2.png) [@HMS\_Irruncible](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HMS_Irruncible)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2014, 9:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/r-i-p-robin-williams/695333/227 "2014-08-12T21:04:12Z")
I’ll lift a quote I heard when Philip Seymour Hoffman passed away… “Many celebrity deaths feel like tragedies, but this one feels like a robbery.” I will totally cop to a selfishly personal sense of loss. When you consider the full spectrum of his work, there were equal possibilities that he was either the most exuberant clown to mock the joyful silliness of life, or the most heroic warrior against what can seem like the dark absurdity of it all. It feels like the question has resolved, and the answer is deeply unsettling. ---
**Author:** ![FXMastermind](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fxmastermind/32/7289_2.png) [@FXMastermind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FXMastermind)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2014, 9:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/r-i-p-robin-williams/695333/228 "2014-08-12T21:06:35Z")
The Fisher King ---
**Author:** ![Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eyebrows_0f_doom/32/3119_2.png) [@Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eyebrows_0f_Doom)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2014, 9:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/r-i-p-robin-williams/695333/229 "2014-08-12T21:30:29Z")
> [@nevadaexile](#): > > No, I’m not high. > Are you suffering from hypoxia or its after-effects? > > _ **The Crazy Ones** _ was not that bad consider that _ **Big Bang Theory** _ is a paradise for halfwits. Perhaps if people had watched the program more, we wouldn’t be online expressing sympathy for its star, who according to interview he gave beforehand, only starred in it because he needed the money. > > I see a contradiction. > If you don’t, then that’s you. By this logic, everyone should watch every single program on every single channel at all times, because if you don’t watch something an actor in them might kill themselves. :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![Washoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/ecae2f/32.png) [@Washoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Washoe)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2014, 9:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/r-i-p-robin-williams/695333/230 "2014-08-12T21:30:38Z")
> [@bup](#): > > Classy! When determining whether or not it is ‘too soon’ to make jokes, I always put it to the WWPDD? (What Would Phyllis Diller Do?) test. ---
**Author:** ![astorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2014, 9:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/r-i-p-robin-williams/695333/231 "2014-08-12T21:37:45Z")
> [@Lancia](#): > > Holy shit. > > I always thought his painful scenes, like when he when he was justifying his actions to the judge in _Mrs. Doubtfire_ or his emotional appeal the VC kid in _Good Morning Vietnam_ were the “real” him, and his high-strung, manic acting was just that—acting. He seemed to be a genuinely sad person. > > I hope he finally has some peace. I don’t think the happy, hyper Robin was JUST an act. I think he had genuinely high highs and painfully low lows. The role I found him most convincing, touching AND scary in, however, was _ **One Hour Photo.** _ ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2014, 10:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/r-i-p-robin-williams/695333/232 "2014-08-12T22:10:27Z")
> [@Washoe](#): > > When determining whether or not it is ‘too soon’ to make jokes, I always put it to the WWPDD? (What Would Phyllis Diller Do?) test. So… three nanoseconds? Or two? ---
**Author:** ![VinylTurnip](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b2d939/32.png) [@VinylTurnip](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VinylTurnip)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2014, 10:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/r-i-p-robin-williams/695333/233 "2014-08-12T22:22:28Z")
In this case, I think two nanos would be appropriate. ---
**Author:** ![computergeek](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e56c9b/32.png) [@computergeek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/computergeek)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2014, 10:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/r-i-p-robin-williams/695333/234 "2014-08-12T22:24:46Z")
Do I understand correctly that Williams didn’t take medication because he thought it would dull his humor? I wonder if it would have helped him. ---
**Author:** ![Magiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4491bb/32.png) [@Magiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magiver)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2014, 10:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/r-i-p-robin-williams/695333/235 "2014-08-12T22:37:52Z")
If that’s true it’s all the sadder. ---
**Author:** ![Washoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/ecae2f/32.png) [@Washoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Washoe)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2014, 10:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/r-i-p-robin-williams/695333/236 "2014-08-12T22:44:10Z")
> [@VinylTurnip](#): > > In this case, I think two nanos would be appropriate. You could count the number of Planck times on one hand… ---
**Author:** ![Dangerosa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/22d042/32.png) [@Dangerosa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dangerosa)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2014, 10:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/r-i-p-robin-williams/695333/237 "2014-08-12T22:51:20Z")
> [@Chefguy](#): > > **Common Good** : Quite often addiction and depression go hand in hand. Substance abuse can alter how your mind works, and addicts commonly also take anti-depressants. And its a chicken and the egg sort of thing - people become addicts because they are depressed and self medicate through alcohol or drugs. And addicts become depressed because drugs and alcohol addiction are mind altering. When someone becomes an addict young and hasn’t had mental health care, it can be hard to tell when they clean up if the depression is a result of addiction or the addiction was a result of depression (or anxiety or some other mental health issue). ---
**Author:** ![chiroptera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/df705f/32.png) [@chiroptera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chiroptera)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2014, 11:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/r-i-p-robin-williams/695333/238 "2014-08-12T23:02:18Z")
NPR replayed a Terry Gross interview with Robin Williams today in which she asked him directly if he suffered from, or was ever treated for, clinical depression. His answer was a rather emphatic NO. I loved him in Good Morning Vietnam, and plan to watch it again soon. Also The Birdcage. I also loved his manic stand up routines and brilliant impressions, he was one hell of a mimic. Posting from my mobile device and cannot figure out links, but search YouTube for Robin Williams on alcoholism. Pure gold. I hope he is making people laugh in the afterlife, as he wished for. ---
**Author:** ![Trancephalic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/trancephalic/32/380_2.png) [@Trancephalic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trancephalic)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2014, 11:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/r-i-p-robin-williams/695333/239 "2014-08-12T23:17:48Z")
[Here are some remembrances from those who worked with Williams on Aladdin.](http://www.cartoonbrew.com/rip/remembrances-of-robin-williams-by-eric-goldberg-john-musker-and-ron-clements-102610.html) Bye, man, we ain’t never had a friend like you. ---
**Author:** ![Sarabellum](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sarabellum/32/3492_2.png) [@Sarabellum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sarabellum)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2014, 11:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/r-i-p-robin-williams/695333/240 "2014-08-12T23:18:27Z")
I think my favorite Robin Williams role was in **Good Will Hunting**. The “It’s not your fault” scene. Man, that one moves me to tears every time. I also loved him in **The Birdcage** , which is the only example that I can think of where a French farce film was actually improved by an American remake. A damn shame that they never filmed any of the existing sequels to that, because they were all pretty funny. **Mrs. Doubtfire** was pretty good fare, but I’m glad they didn’t try to make a sequel to that! [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/r-i-p-robin-williams/695333.md?page=11) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/r-i-p-robin-williams/695333.md?page=13)