Robin Williams was a once-in-a-lifetime entertainer who lived and breathed comedy. His energy and enthusiasm appealed to kids and adults alike, and Williams will be fondly remembered for his roles in a variety of films such as Good Morning, Vietnam (1987), Dead Poets Society (1989), Aladdin (1992) and Good Will Hunting (1997).

Williams sadly passed away in 2014 but his memory still lives on and in the article below, we’ve brought you 10 fascinating things you never knew about the much-loved actor and comedian.

Enjoy! And try not to set yourself on fire…

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10. He used to work as a mime in Central Park

In 1974, a photographer named Daniel Sorine was out and about in NYC when he came across two mimes in Central Park.

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And funnily enough, one of the mimes later turned out to be Robin Williams! Apparently Williams was attending Juilliard acting school at the time and was out and about in NYC getting some mime practice.

Fans might remember that the comedian revisited his miming days in 1991 when he played a character called ‘Mime Jerry’ in Shakes the Clown.

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9. He tried to get one of his Mrs Doubtfire co-stars back into high school

Lisa Jakub played Williams’ daughter Lydia in the hit comedy Mrs Doubtfire. After Williams passed away, Jakub revealed that she had been kicked out of high school during filming because her teachers refused to modify her workload.

Writing on her blog, Jakub revealed that Williams could see how upset she was and wrote a letter to her school stating that “a student of her caliber and talent should be encouraged to go out in the world and learn through her work.”

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Even though the school framed the letter Williams sent them, they didn’t let Jakub return. Jakub still fondly remembers the fact that her co-star always ‘had her back’.

8. He singlehandedly started the trend of celebrity voice acting

Williams’ voice performance as the Genie in Aladdin was so successful that it marked a huge transition in the number of famous actors switching to voice work.

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Ever since that moment, so-called ‘big name’ actors have been more than willing to try their hand at voice acting – just look at Tom Hanks and Toy Story!

Of course, Williams himself also continued to do voice acting and appeared in the Happy Feet film as Ramon.

7. He comforted Steven Spielberg throughout the filming of Schindler’s List

It’s probably little surprise to hear that Jewish director Steven Spielberg had a tough time filming Schindler’s List, particularly as his parents lost several members of their extended family.

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To lighten the mood on set, Williams (who worked with Spielberg on Hook) would periodically phone up the director and tell jokes to make him feel better! Spielberg later remembered that “Robin knew what I was going through, and once a week, Robin would call me on schedule and he would do 15 minutes of stand-up on the phone.

“I would laugh hysterically, because I had to release so much.” Aww!

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6. He helped Ethan Hawke get an agent

Ethan Hawke recently revealed how his Dead Poets Society co-star went above and beyond the call of duty to try and get Hawke an agent.

Hawke had initially assumed that Williams hated him during filming because Hawke was so nervous about trying to do a good job and Williams thought it was hilarious that Hawke was so serious on set. However, Hawke went back to school after the film’s release, only to receive a very surprising phone call.

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The phone call was from Williams’ agent, who wanted to sign Hawke after being recommended by none other than Williams himself. Hawke still has the same agent to this day!

5. He and Billy Crystal used to talk on the phone for hours every night

Williams isn’t short of show biz friends, and he was particularly close with fellow comedian Billy Crystal. Crystal revealed the extent of their friendship on The View shortly after Williams died in 2014.

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Crystal explained: “We were like two jazz musicians. Late at night I get these calls and we’d go for hours. And we never spoke as ourselves. When it was announced I was coming to Broadway, I had 50 phone messages, in one day, from somebody named Gary, who wanted to be my backstage dresser.”

Of course, “Gary” turned out to be none other than Williams.

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4. He was a massive fan of Rugby Union

Believe it or not, Williams was actually a massive fan of rugby union! He even forged a close friendship with former All Black star Jonah Lomu.

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Lomu once flew to San Francisco and presented him with a signed All Black jersey. Williams then paid a visit to New Zealand and received another jersey with Lomu’s number 11 on the back.

We had no idea Williams was secretly a rugby fan!

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3. He paid a very special visit to Christopher Reeve when the Superman actor was in hospital

Christopher Reeve and Robin Williams became friends after they became roommates at the Juilliard school in 1973. They remained close for decades, and in true Williams style, the comedian pulled out all the stops after Reeve’s life-altering horse-riding accident in 1995.

Reeve was paralysed from the neck down and awaiting a major surgery when a Russian doctor suddenly burst into the room.

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Reeve said: “At an especially bleak moment, the door flew open and in hurried a squat fellow with a blue scrub hat and a yellow surgical gown and glasses, speaking in a Russian accent.” The ‘doctor’ announced he would be performing a rectal exam before pulling down his mask to reveal Reeve’s old friend.

Reeve later stated “For the first time since the accident, I laughed. My old friend had helped me know that somehow I was going to be okay.”

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2. He briefly struggled to make friends as a young kid

It seems impossible to think about now, considering all the joy that Williams brought to so many people, but as a young child Williams struggled to make friends.

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Apparently at one point when he was younger, Williams was extremely overweight and nobody would play with him as a result.

Instead he started talking to himself and improvising voices – the humble start to a very long career in comedy.

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1. He improvised so many of his lines in Aladdin that they ended up with 16 hours worth of material

Robin Williams improvised nearly all of his speech in Aladdin to the point where the movie’s script had to be rejected for consideration in the Best Adapted Screenplay Academy Award nomination!

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As well as denying people Oscars though, Williams also ad0libbed so much that he left the film’s editors with a whopping 16 hours of recorded material to sift through. Amazing!

Did you know all of these facts about Robin Williams? Let us know in the comments section below!

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