![]() ![]() It is Hawke who stands on his desk in defiance of the monstrous headmaster who forces Keating to leave, blaming his radical teaching methods for Leonard’s death. It was painful to watch the gifted actor play endless nonconformist clowns in saccharine vehicles like “Patch Adams.” The word saccharine could also be used to describe Weir’s film, where students at an oppressively strict prep school learn to explore life’s boundless possibilities under the tutelage of Keating, who quotes the immortal words of iconic poets while urging the kids to “seize the day” and “make their lives extraordinary.” Though the film has its moments of levity, people tend to forget just how somber a picture this is, and how well-acted by its excellent ensemble of actors led by Robert Sean Leonard, as a free spirit whose intolerant parents drive him to suicide, and Ethan Hawke as the shy boy who is drawn out of his shell by Keating and finds empowerment. Yet the role that will always tower above them all in my life is the inspirational English teacher, John Keating, in Peter Weir’s Oscar-winning yet much-maligned 1989 drama, “Dead Poets Society.” It was the role that cemented the template for a long series of subsequent Williams roles that often verged into self-parody. His great roles are numerous: the spinach-gulping sailor man in “Popeye,” the riotous DJ in “Good Morning Vietnam,” the wisecracking moon in “The Adventuress of Baron Munchausen,” the homeless eccentric in “The Fisher King,” the grown-up Peter Pan in “Hook,” the perpetually out-of-focus actor in “Deconstructing Harry,” the compassionate psychologist in “Good Will Hunting” (a role that deservedly won him an Oscar), the dead man who strives to save the soul of his wife in “What Dreams May Come,” the deranged loner in “One Hour Photo” and, in his last big screen triumph, the long-suffering father in “World’s Greatest Dad,” whose son accidentally succumbs to asphyxiation. There was never anyone like Robin Williams and there never will be again. I think of him every time a movie makes me hyperventilate with laughter, which so memorably occurred when I watched his side-splitting impersonations as the shape-shifting genie in “Aladdin.” I see him in every performer who takes the risk in being unashamedly themselves, even if it means going against the grain and refusing to fit into the sort of marketable persona preferred in Hollywood. I see him in my father when I watch him morph from his identity as a veteran social worker and into the gloriously kooky character of Count Nickel, the unofficial school mascot of Thomas Jefferson School in Hoffman Estates, who recites the morning announcements with the same improvisational exuberance as Mrs. ![]() I continue to feel his influence every single day. It’s an impossible task to list the number of ways Robin Williams changed my life. ![]() These words were given new, heartbreakingly poignant meaning today when it was announced that Williams died of a suspected suicide after battling severe depression. Suddenly the comedic façade evaporates and we hear Williams’ voice convey arresting vulnerability devoid of schtick. Know, an info-spewing robotic mirage that delivered the typical motormouth riffs that were Williams’ signature trademark, until a request from Haley Joel Osment’s remarkably humanlike “mecha” triggers this startlingly melancholy response. This infamous poem by William Butler Yeats was recited by Robin Williams in Steven Spielberg’s 2001 film, “A.I.: Artificial Intelligence.” He played Dr. Mickey and Ian are still going through a rough patch.Robin Williams in Peter Weir’s “Dead Poets Society.” Courtesy of Touchstone Pictures.Debbie cheats on her girlfriend with her daughter.The Gallaghers are starting to notice their father's disappearance but think he'll be back.Tami begins to understand the hardships of Lip's childhood.Ian struggles to connect with Mickey after their blowup. Carl takes extreme measures to toughen up his new group of cadets. Frank goes back in time to uncover his connection to Faye, as Debbie's day with Claudia's daughter goes awry.
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