Characters

Today a great actor has passed away.  Did I know him?  No, sadly I did not.  What I did know were the characters he brought to life.  He not only presented us with characters, he made us believe in them and care about them and what happened to them.  He gave them life.

Who is this you might ask?  He was Robin Williams.  We were first introduced to him via a quirky little half hour comedy show called Mork and Mindy.  He was Mork and he made us believe he was an alien. From that most of us found his stand up comedy routines.  His jokes weren't merely jokes, but skits with characters who had unique perspectives on the world.  His comedy specials weren't always about laughs and that was good.

Then he moved on to movies and dramatic as well as comedic roles.  Mrs. Doubtfire, Dead Poets Society, Patch Adams, The World According to Garp, good Morning Vietnam, Bicentennial Man, One Hour Photo - all of these showcased his range and ability to present full characters about which we cared.  

His talent will be sorely missed. It is said that he died of an apparent suicide.  That saddens me greatly that someone who was so talented could feel so lost that taking his own life seemed to be his only way out. I pray for his family and his friends and his fans that somehow they might find a little peace.

I choose to remember the greatness he has shown us rather than this possible ending. I hope to one day write something that would have been worthy of a talent such as his.