Robin Williams was one of the most loved actors in Hollywood. Born in Chicago, Williams began his career as a stand-up comic in San Francisco and Los Angeles during the mid-70’s, and is credited with leading San Francisco’s comedy renaissance.

He rose to fame by playing the alien ‘Mork’ in the sitcom Mork and Mindy and created a niche for himself in both stand-up comedy and films. Williams was widely known for his improvisation skills and the wide variety of memorable character voices he created.

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On the eve of his birthday, that falls on 21 July, here is a look at some of the most iconic roles he played in films that went on to become cult-favourites, themselves.

Good Will Hunting

The critically acclaimed drama of an unrecognised genius( played by Matt Damon) and his psychologist, Sean played by Robin deserves to be on the top of this list. After getting nominations for Dead Poets Society and Good Morning, Vietnam – Williams bagged the Oscar for his strong character in Good Will Hunting. The film was also earned a Best Original Screenplay nomination for Affleck and Damon.

Dead Poets Society

The movie that motivated the entire world with Carpe Diem is Williams’ one of the finest performances. Williams got his second Oscar nomination for his performance of the English teacher – John Keatings.

Insomnia

Christopher Nolan’s murder mystery Insomnia set in Alaska received huge appreciation for pairing Al Pacino and Robin Williams on screen. The investigative thriller with Williams’s straight acting kept audiences at the edge of their seats, wondering if he was the killer or not.

Jumanji

Although not a first choice for critics, Jumanji is still one of the most loved films among audiences. In Jumanji, Williams played Alan, who got sucked into a game and came back after 26 years as an adult.

Awakenings

Awakenings  is one of the most moving performances of Robin. He played a nerdy doctor with such depth that this became a movie, one could not easily strike off their most favourite-film-actor-performance list.

(Robin Williams’s documentary – Come Inside My Mind now airing on Star World)