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Watch Robin Williams' Best Stand-Up Routines And Improvisations
Robin Williams kisses the hand of an U.S. Army soldier while entertaining the troops on October 18, 2002 at Bagram military base in Bagram, Afghanistan. (Photo by Paula Bronstein/Getty Images)
Robin Williams was an award-winning actor, but maintained his one-of-a-kind stand-up throughout his career. His standup started to take off in the late '70s while he was portraying Mork the alien on TV. His signature mania on stage combined with a natural skill for improvising on the fly garnered him a lot of attention and fans. He was also good with impressions and dialects, and was able to switch through a number of characters and concepts at a rapid pace.
Three HBO comedy specials, the highly praised show Robin Williams: Live on Broadway, his 2008 tour 'Weapons of Self Destruction' and countless appearances and cameos kept the showman in the public eye during his decades-long career.
In Robert Byrne’s The Fourth—And By Far the Most Recent—637 Best Things Anybody Has Ever Said, Williams is quoted as having said, "Death is nature's way of saying, 'Your table is ready.'"
Flowers will be placed on his star on Hollywood Blvd’s Walk of Fame tomorrow morning at 9:25 a.m. But for now, here are some of Willams’ stand-up clips and appearances, including his emotional acceptance speech for the Best Supporting Actor Oscar in 1997 for Good Will Hunting.
Williams on HBO in 1977:
Williams' first appearance on Johnny Carson in 1981:
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Here he is discussing drugs and alcohol:
Here he is winning Best Supporting Actor for "Good Will Hunting" in 1998:
Williams improvises on the spot for This is Set List:
Williams helps out Matt Damon on Jimmy Kimmel:
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Williams doing what he does best on Ellen: lots of accents:
Williams ponders the construction of the human body in his comedy special "Weapons of Self Destruction:"
Williams discusses the difference between "Dogs and Cats" on the special:
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On alcoholics:
On fundamentalism:
And, finally, on golf:
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Your tax-deductible donation keeps LAist independent and accessible to everyone.
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