It’s always sad to learn about another great talent who left this world too early. As you probably know, comedian and actor Robin Williams died on Monday. So many of his performances are permanently etched on my psyche, from watching Mork and Mindy during my 80s childhood, to memorable performances in The World According to Garp, Dead Poets Society and The Fisher King.
For radio-heads his performance as irreverent Armed Forces Radio Service DJ Adrian Cronauer in Good Morning Vietnam is utterly unforgettable. In Williams’ potrayal an entire generation of wannabe broadcasters found a prototype for the raucous–and hilarious–power of the Rock N Roll DJ, standing up to the stodgy forces of reactionary censorship on air.
Here’s a compilation of Williams’ highlights in the film:
Williams played another radio DJ in the 2006 psychological thriller The Night Listener, in which he played a popular gay radio host in New York City, Gabriel Noone, who develops a telephone relationship with a young teenager, diagnosed with AIDS, who wrote a memoir recounting the years of abuse he suffered at the hands of his parents.
I have to admit I haven’t seen the film, and only learned about it when searching through Williams’ other movie roles today. The trailer is on YouTube.
Goodbye Robin, you’ll be missed. NaNu NaNu.
