List of Robin Williams performances


The American actor and comedian Robin Williams starred in films, television and video games throughout a career that spanned nearly four decades. Known for his fast-paced, improvisational style and for playing a wide variety of characters, he was described by Screen Actors Guild president Ken Howard as "a performer of limitless versatility, equally adept at comedy and drama, whether scripted or improv". He is often regarded as one of the greatest comedians of all time.
Williams's career began in 1977 with minor roles in the film Can I Do It... 'Til I Need Glasses? and the television shows The Richard Pryor Show and Laugh-In. The guest role of an alien named Mork in a 1978 episode of the sitcom Happy Days earned him positive reviews, and led to the spin-off Mork & Mindy, focusing on his character's experiences on Earth. Running for four seasons, the show was Williams's breakthrough and earned him his first Golden Globe Award and a nomination for a Primetime Emmy Award. By the early 1980s, Williams wanted to do mainstream acting, and made his film debut in a lead role in the musical comedy Popeye, a critical failure that earned thrice its budget. Williams then took on more serious parts in the comedy-dramas The World According to Garp and Moscow on the Hudson. He won two consecutive Primetime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Individual Performance in a Variety or Music Program for the television specials Carol, Carl, Whoopi and Robin and ABC Presents A Royal Gala. He received his first of three Academy Award for Best Actor nominations for playing disc jockey Adrian Cronauer in the war comedy Good Morning, Vietnam, in which he improvised some of his scenes.
Further critical acclaim followed with Williams's lead roles in Dead Poets Society, Awakenings and The Fisher King. He also found greater commercial success in the 1990s. Many of his films during this period grossed more than $100million, including the fantasy Hook, the animated musical Aladdin, the comedy-drama Mrs. Doubtfire, the adventure Jumanji and the comedy The Birdcage. Aladdin, in which he improvised 52 characters, was the highest-grossing film of the year. Mrs. Doubtfire, which he also produced, won him a third Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy; he had previously won for Good Morning, Vietnam and The Fisher King. While hailed "the funniest person alive" by Entertainment Weekly in 1997, Williams wanted to do more serious work as an actor around this time. Such opportunities arose with the roles of a therapist in the psychological drama Good Will Hunting and a man in heaven who attempts to save his wife from hell in the fantasy drama What Dreams May Come. The former won him the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor.
In the 2000s, Williams continued to do voice roles, including in A.I. Artificial Intelligence, Robots and Happy Feet. Pursuing more diverse parts, he took on the darker roles of an emotionally disturbed photo developer in One Hour Photo, a writer who is involved in the murder of a teenage girl in Insomnia and a radio host who is caught up with a troubled fan in The Night Listener. He returned to comedy in 2006 with the family adventure RV, the satire Man of the Year and the fantasy Night at the Museum. The latter was the fifth-highest-grossing film of the year and spawned two sequels in 2009 and 2014. He began touring for the one-man stand-up comedy show Weapons of Self Destruction, focusing on "social and political absurdities", and starred in the Disney film Old Dogs. In the 2010s, he starred in the sitcom The Crazy Ones, played supporting roles in the 2013 features The Big Wedding and The Butler, and had three films released posthumously, including the sequel Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb.

Film

YearTitleRoleNotes
1977Can I Do It... 'Til I Need Glasses?Lawyer / Man with Tooth AcheFilm debut
1980PopeyePopeye
1982'
1983'
1984Moscow on the Hudson
1986'
1986Club Paradise
1986Seize the Day
1987Good Morning, Vietnam
1988'King of the MoonCredited as Ray D. Tutto
1988Portrait of a White MarriageAir Conditioning SalesmanUncredited cameo
1989Dead Poets Society
1990Cadillac Man
1990Awakenings
1991Shakes the ClownMime Jerry, Class InstructorCameo appearance; Credited as Marty Fromage
1991Dead Again
1991'
1991HookPeter Banning / Peter Pan
1992FernGully: The Last RainforestVoice role
1992AladdinGenie, PeddlerVoice role
1992Toys
1993Mrs. Doubtfire / Euphegenia DoubtfireAlso producer
1994Being HumanHector
1995Nine Months
1995To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything! Julie NewmarUncredited cameo
1995Jumanji
1996'
1996The Truth About Cats & DogsSecond Radio CallerVoice role; Uncredited
1996Jack
1996Aladdin and the King of ThievesGenieVoice role; Direct-to-video
1996'Uncredited
1996HamletOsric
1997Fathers' Day
1997Deconstructing HarryMel
1997Flubber
1997Good Will Hunting
1998What Dreams May Come
1998Patch Adams
1999Jakob the LiarAlso executive producer
1999Bicentennial Man
1999Get BruceHimselfDocumentary
2001A.I. Artificial IntelligenceVoice role; Cameo appearance
2002One Hour Photo
2002Death to Smoochy
2002Insomnia
2004'
2004House of DPappass
2004Noel / The PriestUncredited
2005RobotsFender PinwheelerVoice role
2005'
2005'HimselfDocumentary
2006'
2006RV
2006Everyone's HeroVoice role; Uncredited
2006Man of the Year
2006Happy FeetRamon, LovelaceVoice role
2006Night at the Museum
2007License to Wed
2007August Rush
2009World's Greatest Dad
2009Shrink
2009Night at the Museum: Battle of the SmithsonianTheodore Roosevelt / Theodore Roosevelt Bust
2009Old Dogs
2011Happy Feet TwoRamon, Lovelace, NarratorVoice role
2013'
2013'
2013'Roger
2014Boulevard
2014'
2014'Mitch MitchlerReleased posthumously
2014Night at the Museum: Secret of the TombTheodore Roosevelt, Garuda Released posthumously
2014ChewMason Savoy Unreleased; partial recording; lines re-recorded by David Tennant
2015Absolutely AnythingDennis the DogVoice role; Released posthumously
2023Once Upon a StudioGenieVoice role; Unused archive recordings

Television

YearTitleRoleNotes
1977Sorority '62HenryTelevision pilot
1977The Richard Pryor ShowVarious characters2 episodes
1977Rowan & Martin's Laugh-InRegular performer
1977Eight Is EnoughBand MemberEpisode: "The Return of Auntie V"
1978America 2-Night2 episodes
1978–1979Happy DaysMork2 episodes
1978–1982Mork & MindyMork
1979Out of the BlueMorkEpisode: "Random's Arrival"
1982E.T. and Friends: Magical Movie VisitorsHimself Television special
1982Faerie Tale TheatreFrog/Prince RobinEpisode: "Tale of the Frog Prince"
1982SCTV NetworkVarious charactersEpisode: "Jane Eyrehead"
1982–1983Mork & Mindy/Laverne & Shirley/Fonz HourMork
1984Saturday Night LiveHimself Episode: "Robin Williams/Adam Ant"
1984Pryor's PlaceGabyEpisode: "Sax Education"
198658th Academy AwardsHimself Television special
1986Saturday Night LiveHimself Episode: "Robin Williams/Paul Simon"
1987Carol, Carl, Whoopi and RobinVarious charactersTelevision special
1987Dear America: Letters Home from VietnamBaby-san Documentary
1988Saturday Night LiveHimself Episode: "Robin Williams/James Taylor"
1990The Earth Day SpecialEverymanTelevision special
1990–2012Sesame StreetHimself
1991A Wish for Wings That WorkTelevision special; Credited as Sudy Nim
1992, 1994The Larry Sanders ShowHimself2 episodes
1994Homicide: Life on the StreetEpisode: "Bop Gun"
1994In Search of Dr. SeussTelevision film
1997FriendsTomasUncredited; Episode: "The One with the Ultimate Fighting Champion"
1999L.A. DoctorsEpisode: "Just Duet"
2000Whose Line Is It Anyway?Himself1 episode
2002Television film
2003Freedom: A History of Us; Ulysses S. Grant; Missouri farmer; Wilbur Wright; Orville Wright4 episodes
2003Life with BonnieEpisode: "Psychic"
2008Law & Order: Special Victims UnitEpisode: "Authority"
2009SpongeBob SquarePantsHimselfEpisode: "SpongeBob's Truth or Square"
2010Saturday Night LiveHimselfEpisode: "Robert De Niro/Diddy – Dirty Money"
2012Wilfred / HimselfEpisode: "Progress"
2012LouieHimselfEpisode: "Barney/Never"
2013–2014The Crazy OnesSimon Roberts