# List of Robin Williams performances
[Robin Williams](https://www.edgepedia.org/robin-williams)'s performances span a four-decade career (1977-2014) as a stand-up comedian, television actor, and film and voice actor, beginning with 1970s television work, breaking into film with *Popeye* (1980), and earning Oscar nominations for *Good Morning, Vietnam* (1987), *Dead Poets Society* (1989), and *The Fisher King* (1991) before winning the [Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor](https://www.edgepedia.org/academy-award-for-best-supporting-actor) for *Good Will Hunting* (1997).[1](https://catalog.afi.com/Person/220587-Robin-Williams) • [2](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000245/awards/) The American Film Institute's catalog records 61 titles in his feature filmography, covering cast, producer, song, and history credits from 1979 to 2014.[1](https://catalog.afi.com/Person/220587-Robin-Williams)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Career span | 1977 to 2014; AFI lists 61 feature titles across cast, producer, song, and history credits[1](https://catalog.afi.com/Person/220587-Robin-Williams) |
| Television breakthrough | Cast as Mork in a guest role on *Happy Days*, leading to the spin-off *Mork & Mindy* (1978-1982) with Pam Dawber[3](https://www.televisionacademy.com/bios/robin-williams) |
| Film debut | *Popeye* (1980), directed by Robert Altman[4](https://goldenglobes.com/person/robin-williams/) |
| Oscar record | Nominated for Best Actor for *Good Morning, Vietnam*, *Dead Poets Society*, and *The Fisher King*; won Best Supporting Actor for *Good Will Hunting*[2](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000245/awards/) |
| Major awards | Five Grammys, four Golden Globes, two Emmys, and one Oscar[3](https://www.televisionacademy.com/bios/robin-williams) |
| Voice roles | The Genie in *Aladdin* (1992), Batty Koda in *Ferngully: The Last Rainforest* (1992), Dr. Know in *A.I. Artificial Intelligence* (2001), and Ramon/Lovelace in *Happy Feet* (2006) and *Happy Feet Two* (2011)[1](https://catalog.afi.com/Person/220587-Robin-Williams) |
| Final roles | 2014 releases: *A Merry Friggin' Christmas*, *The Angriest Man in Brooklyn*, *The Face of Love*, and *Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb*[1](https://catalog.afi.com/Person/220587-Robin-Williams) |
## Early television and stand-up (1977-1982)
Williams began as a stand-up comedian in San Francisco before moving to Los Angeles, and his rapid-fire, free-associative style led quickly to television work.[5](https://www.pbs.org/wnet/pioneers-of-television/pioneering-people/robin-williams/) A TIME chronology of his roles lists his earliest screen appearances in 1977: *Can I Do It ... 'Til I Need Glasses?*, *The Richard Pryor Show*, *Laugh-In*, and a guest spot on *Eight Is Enough*.[6](https://time.com/3110834/basking-in-robin/)
**Mork and Mindy.** His 1978 guest role as Mork, a naive space alien on *Happy Days*, drew such a positive response that it spawned its own series, *Mork & Mindy*, in which he costarred with [Pam Dawber](https://www.edgepedia.org/pam-dawber).[3](https://www.televisionacademy.com/bios/robin-williams) The show ran from 1978 to 1982 and made him a star; he received an Emmy nomination for the role in 1979 and won the 1979 Golden Globe for Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series, Musical or Comedy.[3](https://www.televisionacademy.com/bios/robin-williams) • [4](https://goldenglobes.com/person/robin-williams/) TIME's chronology also records a 1978 *Happy Days* Mork appearance, the special *Robin Williams: Off the Wall*, and a 1979 *Out of the Blue* Mork appearance.[6](https://time.com/3110834/basking-in-robin/)
## Film debut and the 1980s
While *Mork & Mindy* was still on the air, Williams starred in his first feature film, *Popeye* (1980), directed by [Robert Altman](https://www.edgepedia.org/robert-altman).[3](https://www.televisionacademy.com/bios/robin-williams) • [4](https://goldenglobes.com/person/robin-williams/) When the series ended in 1982, he showed his dramatic range in *The World According to Garp*, an adaptation of [John Irving](https://www.edgepedia.org/john-irving)'s novel.[3](https://www.televisionacademy.com/bios/robin-williams)
The mid-1980s brought a series of roles listed by AFI: *The Best of Times* (Jack Dundee), *Club Paradise* (Jack Moniker), and *Seize the Day* (Tommy Wilhelm), all released in 1986.[1](https://catalog.afi.com/Person/220587-Robin-Williams) That same year, TIME's chronology records him hosting the 58th Academy Awards and appearing as himself in *Robin Williams: An Evening at the Met* and the first *Comic Relief* special.[6](https://time.com/3110834/basking-in-robin/)
**First dramatic recognition.** *Good Morning, Vietnam* (1987), in which he played radio DJ Adrian Cronauer, brought his first Academy Award nomination and won him the 1988 Golden Globe for Best Actor in a Motion Picture, Musical or Comedy.[1](https://catalog.afi.com/Person/220587-Robin-Williams) • [2](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000245/awards/) • [4](https://goldenglobes.com/person/robin-williams/) Director Barry Levinson took advantage of Williams's improvisational skills by secretly filming him from a distance as he naturally interacted with locals, using the footage as character background.[5](https://www.pbs.org/wnet/pioneers-of-television/pioneering-people/robin-williams/)
## The 1990s: dramatic range and blockbuster comedy
The decade opened with *Awakenings* (1990), in which he played Dr. Malcolm Sayer, a role based on neurologist [Oliver Sacks](https://www.edgepedia.org/oliver-sacks), followed in 1991 by *Dead Again* (Dr. Cozy Carlisle), *The Fisher King* (Parry), and *Hook* (Peter Banning/[Peter Pan](https://www.edgepedia.org/peter-pan)).[1](https://catalog.afi.com/Person/220587-Robin-Williams) • [4](https://goldenglobes.com/person/robin-williams/) *Dead Poets Society* (1989), in which he played teacher John Keating, earned him a second Best Actor nomination.[1](https://catalog.afi.com/Person/220587-Robin-Williams) • [2](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000245/awards/) *The Fisher King* won him the 1992 Golden Globe for Best Actor in a Musical or Comedy, and he received a 1991 drama nomination for *Awakenings*.[4](https://goldenglobes.com/person/robin-williams/)
**1992 and the Genie.** Williams voiced the Genie in Disney's *Aladdin* (1992) and Batty Koda in *Ferngully: The Last Rainforest*, and played Leslie Zevo in *Toys* the same year.[1](https://catalog.afi.com/Person/220587-Robin-Williams) The Genie performance earned him the Golden Globes' 1993 Special Achievement Award, a Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actor, and, later, the direct-to-video reprise *Aladdin and the King of Thieves*.[4](https://goldenglobes.com/person/robin-williams/) • [2](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000245/awards/) • [7](https://d23.com/a-to-z/williams-robin/)
His 1993 *Mrs. Doubtfire* role, Daniel Hillard disguised as a nanny, won the 1994 Golden Globe for Best Actor in a Musical or Comedy, and he took a producer credit on the film.[1](https://catalog.afi.com/Person/220587-Robin-Williams) • [4](https://goldenglobes.com/person/robin-williams/) The rest of the decade included *Jumanji* (1995, Alan Parrish), *The Birdcage* (1996, Armand Goldman, in the Ugo Tognazzi role from the *La Cage aux Folles* remake), *Jack* (1996, Jack Powell), *Fathers' Day* (1997, Dale Putley), *Flubber* (1997, Prof. Phillip Brainard), *Good Will Hunting* (1997, Sean), *Patch Adams* (1998), *What Dreams May Come* (1998, Chris Nielsen), *Bicentennial Man* (1999, Andrew), and *Jakob the Liar* (1999, Jakob).[1](https://catalog.afi.com/Person/220587-Robin-Williams) • [4](https://goldenglobes.com/person/robin-williams/)
**Good Will Hunting.** His role as the grieving psychologist [Sean Maguire](https://www.edgepedia.org/sean-maguire) earned him the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor in 1998, completing a run of four consecutive Oscar nominations.[2](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000245/awards/) • [7](https://d23.com/a-to-z/williams-robin/) TIME's obituary retrospective noted that his serious film roles garnered him a Supporting Actor Oscar and three Best Actor nominations, while his purest register remained his improvisational stand-up and late-night talk-show appearances.[8](https://time.com/3110842/robin-williams-the-heart-of-comedy/)
## Voice work and Disney ties
Williams was in frequent demand as a voice performer, lending his vocal talent to *Aladdin*, *A.I. Artificial Intelligence* (2001, Dr. Know), *Robots*, and *Happy Feet*.[3](https://www.televisionacademy.com/bios/robin-williams) In *Happy Feet* (2006) he performed two roles, Ramon and Lovelace, and reprised both in *Happy Feet Two* (2011).[1](https://catalog.afi.com/Person/220587-Robin-Williams)
His Disney association extended beyond *Aladdin*: he appeared with [Walter Cronkite](https://www.edgepedia.org/walter-cronkite) in *Back to Neverland* for the Disney-MGM Studios Animation Tour, voiced the Timekeeper for the [Walt Disney World](https://www.edgepedia.org/walt-disney-world) attraction of that name, and appeared in [Hollywood Pictures](https://www.edgepedia.org/hollywood-pictures)' *Jack* and the 2009 comedy *Old Dogs*. He was named a Disney Legend in 2009.[7](https://d23.com/a-to-z/williams-robin/)
## The 2000s and final roles
The 2000s opened with a cluster of darker roles. In 2002 alone he played Rainbow Randolph in *Death to Smoochy*, the writer Walter Finch in [Christopher Nolan](https://www.edgepedia.org/christopher-nolan)'s *Insomnia*, and the photo lab technician Seymour Parrish in *One Hour Photo*; the last of these won him the 2003 Saturn Award for Best Actor.[1](https://catalog.afi.com/Person/220587-Robin-Williams) • [2](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000245/awards/) He also played a talk show host modeled after [Jon Stewart](https://www.edgepedia.org/jon-stewart) in [Barry Levinson](https://www.edgepedia.org/barry-levinson)'s *Man of the Year* (2006) and Theodore Roosevelt in the *Night at the Museum* comedies (2006, 2009, 2014).[4](https://goldenglobes.com/person/robin-williams/) Other credits in the period include *The Final Cut* (2004, Alan Hakman), *The Big White* (2005, Paul Barnell), *House of D* (2005, Pappass), *The Night Listener* (2006, Gabriel Noone), *RV* (2006, Bob Munro), *August Rush* (2007, Maxwell "Wizard" Wallace), *License to Wed* (2007, Rev. Frank), *Old Dogs* (2009, Dan), and *World's Greatest Dad* (2009, Lance).[1](https://catalog.afi.com/Person/220587-Robin-Williams)
His last years on screen returned him to series television with the CBS comedy *The Crazy Ones* (2013), costarring [Sarah Michelle Gellar](https://www.edgepedia.org/sarah-michelle-gellar), and to feature work as President Dwight D. Eisenhower in *Lee Daniels' The Butler* (2013).[3](https://www.televisionacademy.com/bios/robin-williams) • [1](https://catalog.afi.com/Person/220587-Robin-Williams) His 2014 releases, all posthumous or near-final performances, were *A Merry Friggin' Christmas* (Virgil Mitchler), *The Angriest Man in Brooklyn* (Henry Altmann), *The Face of Love* (Roger Stillman), and *Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb*, in which he voiced Teddy Roosevelt and Garuda.[1](https://catalog.afi.com/Person/220587-Robin-Williams)
## Stand-up, hosting, and television beyond acting
Throughout his career Williams continued to perform stand-up comedy, with specials such as *An Evening with Robin Williams* and *Robin Williams: An Evening at the Met* recorded for television.[3](https://www.televisionacademy.com/bios/robin-williams) He received nine Emmy nominations in all and won twice for Outstanding Individual Performance in a Variety or Music Program, in 1987 for *A Carol Burnett Special: Carol, Carl, Whoopi & Robin* and in 1988 for *ABC Presents a Royal Gala*.[3](https://www.televisionacademy.com/bios/robin-williams) His Emmy nominations included a 2003 writing nod for *Robin Williams: Live On Broadway* and a 2008 guest actor nomination for playing Merritt Rook on *Law & Order: Special Victims Unit*.[3](https://www.televisionacademy.com/bios/robin-williams)
With Billy Crystal and Whoopi Goldberg, he hosted a series of Comic Relief HBO specials that raised some $50 million for the homeless, according to TIME's retrospective.[8](https://time.com/3110842/robin-williams-the-heart-of-comedy/) His full honors record, as summarized by the Television Academy, comprises five Grammys, four Golden Globes, two Emmys, and an Oscar.[3](https://www.televisionacademy.com/bios/robin-williams)
## References
1. [Robin Williams filmography, AFI Catalog of Feature Films, American Film Institute](https://catalog.afi.com/Person/220587-Robin-Williams)
2. [Robin Williams - Awards, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000245/awards/)
3. [Robin Williams - Emmy Awards and Nominations, Television Academy](https://www.televisionacademy.com/bios/robin-williams)
4. [Robin Williams, Golden Globes Awards Database](https://goldenglobes.com/person/robin-williams/)
5. [Robin Williams, Pioneers of Television, PBS](https://www.pbs.org/wnet/pioneers-of-television/pioneering-people/robin-williams/)
6. [Basking in Robin, TIME (career chronology)](https://time.com/3110834/basking-in-robin/)
7. [Williams, Robin, Disney D23 A to Z](https://d23.com/a-to-z/williams-robin/)
8. [Robin Williams: The Heart of Comedy, TIME](https://time.com/3110842/robin-williams-the-heart-of-comedy/)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Films and standalone screen works › Film people and crafts › Film actors and performers › Actor filmographies and performer list articles › Surnames M to T*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
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