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Lot Essay
Widely regarded as one of the greatest improvisational comedians of all time, Robin Williams (1951-2014) received ten competitive Golden Globes nominations over the course of his career. In addition to a Special Achievement Award for voicing the Genie in Aladdin in 1993 and a Cecil B. deMille award in 2005 for outstanding contributions to the world of entertainment, Williams won four times – first in 1979 for his breakthrough role as a quirky alien in the television series Mork & Mindy, followed by Good Morning, Vietnam in 1988, The Fisher King in 1992, and Mrs. Doubtfire in 1994. When Williams accepted the award from co-star Pierce Brosnan at the 51st Golden Globe Awards in January 1994, he began his speech by quipping in his Mrs. Doubtfire voice ‘Oh dear, it’s so phallic in many ways, big and round…,’ as he handled the trophy.
In one of his most beloved roles, Williams played a struggling actor who cross-dressed as an elderly British housekeeper to spend more time with his children amid a bitter divorce. Produced by Williams and his then wife Marsha Garces Williams, Mrs. Doubtfire was their first official collaboration as a husband-and-wife producing team. Williams’ biographer Dave Itzkoff contends that the film was ‘the cinematic embodiment of the philosophy [Williams had] learned from his own upbringing, through two marriages, and now his own experiences as a husband and father: family is where you find it; all are welcome and no one ever loses their membership. Beneath the movie’s farcical, cross-dressing premise, Mrs. Doubtfire exemplified how intensely Robin loved his family – his children especially – and the lengths he would go for them.’ Along with director Christopher Columbus, Robin and Marsha objected to the Cinderella-story conclusion that reunited the parents in the film’s original script, instead fighting for a realistic ending that showed the characters moving on from their divorce on good terms. A staggering commercial success, Mrs. Doubtfire earned $441 million at the global box office, becoming the second highest-grossing film of 1993 after Jurassic Park and winning both an Academy Award for Best Makeup (reportedly Williams’ transformation into Mrs. Doubtfire took the makeup artists up to four hours) and a Golden Globe Award for Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy. Williams would go on to win an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor four years later for his role in Good Will Hunting. His transition to dramatic roles and into the acting hall of fame paved the way for comedic artists in Hollywood and saw William’s become the benchmark for range and diversity in performance. His groundbreaking achievements and singular performances have served to inspire modern greats including Matt Damon, Jessica Chastain and Ethan Hawke.
In one of his most beloved roles, Williams played a struggling actor who cross-dressed as an elderly British housekeeper to spend more time with his children amid a bitter divorce. Produced by Williams and his then wife Marsha Garces Williams, Mrs. Doubtfire was their first official collaboration as a husband-and-wife producing team. Williams’ biographer Dave Itzkoff contends that the film was ‘the cinematic embodiment of the philosophy [Williams had] learned from his own upbringing, through two marriages, and now his own experiences as a husband and father: family is where you find it; all are welcome and no one ever loses their membership. Beneath the movie’s farcical, cross-dressing premise, Mrs. Doubtfire exemplified how intensely Robin loved his family – his children especially – and the lengths he would go for them.’ Along with director Christopher Columbus, Robin and Marsha objected to the Cinderella-story conclusion that reunited the parents in the film’s original script, instead fighting for a realistic ending that showed the characters moving on from their divorce on good terms. A staggering commercial success, Mrs. Doubtfire earned $441 million at the global box office, becoming the second highest-grossing film of 1993 after Jurassic Park and winning both an Academy Award for Best Makeup (reportedly Williams’ transformation into Mrs. Doubtfire took the makeup artists up to four hours) and a Golden Globe Award for Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy. Williams would go on to win an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor four years later for his role in Good Will Hunting. His transition to dramatic roles and into the acting hall of fame paved the way for comedic artists in Hollywood and saw William’s become the benchmark for range and diversity in performance. His groundbreaking achievements and singular performances have served to inspire modern greats including Matt Damon, Jessica Chastain and Ethan Hawke.