Remembering Robin Williams: 40 Intriguing Tidbits About the Comedy Legend

Robin Williams was considered for the lead role in "The Shining," but upon viewing 'Mork & Mindy,' Stanley Kubrick deemed him too psychotic for the part.

27. Prior to Norm MacDonald's debut appearance on the Tonight Show, Robin Williams surprised him in his dressing room. During the visit, Williams assumed various roles, including pretending to be a Jewish tailor and a Chinese restaurant employee, before helping dress Norm and departing.

28. In the 1990 movie "Awakenings," Robin Williams accidentally broke Robert De Niro's nose. However, De Niro took it in stride, as he had previously broken his nose during the filming of "Raging Bull," so breaking it again in the other direction straightened it out.

29. Robin Williams mastered fluent Russian and learned to play the saxophone within several months for his role as Vladimir Ivanoff in "Moscow on the Hudson." His proficiency in Russian impressed the Russian actors, many of whom were not fluent in English.

30. In one of Robin Williams' final films, "The Angriest Man in Brooklyn," his character Henry jokingly stated that his tombstone would read "1951-2014." Ironically, Robin Williams was born in 1951 and passed away in 2014.

Following Robin Williams's tragic death by suicide, the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline experienced its highest call volume in history the following day.

32. Robin Williams's autopsy revealed a significant loss (around 40%) of dopamine neurons, with nearly every neuron in his brain and brainstem bearing Lewy bodies, indicating Lewy body disease (LBD).

33. Both Steve Carell and Robin Williams had expressed interest in portraying The Joker in "The Dark Knight."

34. Robin Williams's will includes provisions that prevent Disney from utilizing his name, taped performances, or voice recordings for 25 years after his death.

35. Robin Williams played a pivotal role in convincing network executives to greenlight Oprah Winfrey's first television talk show.

Robin Williams's great-great-grandfather served as the governor of Mississippi from 1896 to 1900.

37. An enthusiastic online gamer, Robin Williams named his daughter Zelda after the iconic video game series "The Legend of Zelda." Zelda Williams, in turn, has expressed her fondness for her namesake and cited "Majora's Mask" as her favorite game.

38. Despite maintaining sobriety for 21 years, Robin Williams resumed drinking during the production of his film "Insomnia."

39. Robin Williams was among the last individuals to see John Belushi alive, as they engaged in cocaine use together.

40. In 1986, Robin Williams faced a lawsuit after allegedly transmitting herpes to a waitress while cheating on his wife.