Died at 74
male
Robin McLaurin Williams (July 21, 1951 – August 11, 2014) was an American actor and comedian. Known for his improvisational skills and the wide variety of characters he created on the spur of the moment and portrayed on film, in dramas and comedies alike, he is regarded as one of the greatest comedians of all time. He received numerous accolades including an Academy Award, two Primetime Emmy Awards, six Golden Globe Awards, two Screen Actors Guild Awards, and five Grammy Awards. Williams began performing stand-up comedy in San Francisco and Los Angeles during the mid-1970s, and released several comedy albums including Reality ... What a Concept in 1980. He rose to fame playing the alien Mork in the ABC sitcom Mork & Mindy (1978–1982). He received his first leading film role in Popeye (1980). Williams went on to win the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for Good Will Hunting (1997). His other Oscar-nominated roles were for Good Morning, Vietnam (1987), Dead Poets Society (1989), and The Fisher King (1991). Williams starred in the critically acclaimed dramas The World According to Garp (1982), Moscow on the Hudson (1984), Dead Poets Society (1989), Awakenings (1990), Patch Adams (1998), Insomnia (2002), One Hour Photo (2002), and World's Greatest Dad (2009). He also starred in family films such as Hook (1991), Mrs. Doubtfire (1993), Jumanji (1995), Jack (1996), Flubber (1997), RV (2006), and the Night at the Museum trilogy (2006–2014). He lent his voice to the animated films Aladdin (1992), Robots (2005), Happy Feet (2006), and its 2011 sequel. Williams was found dead at his home in Paradise Cay, California, in August 2014, at the age of 63. At the time of his suicide, he had been diagnosed with Parkinson's disease. According to his widow, Williams had experienced depression, anxiety, and increasing paranoia. His autopsy found "diffuse Lewy body disease" and Lewy body dementia professionals said his symptoms were consistent with dementia with Lewy bodies.
Robin Williams
The Fast-Talking Witty Scientist
for The Fast-Talking Witty Scientist in The Ultimate Action Comedy (1992)
Suggested by thedispearing
The final form of '80s action cinema: the action comedy! Let's say it's a, I dunno, buddy comedy, since America loved them so much. And, in classic buddy film format, two polar opposites: the king of the action movie, Arnold Schwarzenegger, as a hyper-macho special federal agent with a generically American name that doesn't really work since Arnold keeps his accent, and the king of the comedy film, Robin Williams, as a nerdy, witty scientist with an infectious comedic ability. Now, the plot. The scientist has made an incredible invention with a massive potential for bettering the world... and causing mass destruction. Some foreign terrorist (led by a critically acclaimed, award-winning actor in a role so blatantly for the paycheck it's comedic; let's say John Lithgow, but it could be anyone with a few prestige roles.) is after Robin Williams, and it's up to Arnold to protect him. Combined with a female police officer who also on the case (initially clashes with Arnold but inevitably ends up with him; again, wide range of actors here, but let's go with Sharon Stone for max nostalgia.) and Robin Williams' estranged family who he's gotta make up with (let's say Christina Ricci plays his young daughter for max audience "aww"), and you've got a classic.
