It’s been three years since Robin Williams died. He was unforgettable and unique artist who inspired many people around the world through humor. As a comedian he was without equal, and as an actor he was extraordinarily versatile. Robin Williams wasn’t born in New York, but his life path is inextricably linked to the Great Apple.
In 1973, Williams attained a full scholarship to the Juilliard School (Group 6, 1973–1976) in New York City. He was one of 20 students accepted into the freshman class and one of two students to be accepted by John Houseman into the Advanced Program at the school that year; the other was Christopher Reeve. Reeve remembered his first impression of Williams when they were new students at Juilliard:
“He wore tie-dyed shirts with track suit bottoms and talked a mile a minute. I’d never seen so much energy contained in one person. He was like an untied balloon that had been inflated and immediately released. I watched in awe as he virtually caromed off the walls of the classrooms and hallways. To say that he was “on” would be a major understatement.”
Williams left Juilliard during his junior year in 1976 at the suggestion of Houseman, who said there was nothing more Juilliard could teach him. Gerald Freedman, another of his teachers at Juilliard, notes that Williams was a “genius” and that the school’s conservative and classical style of training did not suit him. No one was surprised that he left.
Robin Williams and Broadway
Robin Williams starred in a number of theatrical productions, including Mike Nichols’ 1988 off-Broadway version of “Waiting for Godot” alongside Steve Martin, and his one-man show “Robin Williams: Live on Broadway.” He also appeared in Broadway’s “Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo” in 2011. He loved the stage and the stage loved him. Even the bright lights of Broadway turned out in his memory.
I think the saddest people always try their hardest to make people happy because they know what it’s like to feel absolutely worthless and they don’t want anyone else to feel like that.
Robin Williams
