These Are The Robin Williams Movies That Were Nominated For Academy Awards
Williams was beloved for his roles in silly comedies and heartwarming family tales, but he was also a highly respected dramatic actor.
In August 2014, the world lost an extraordinary comedian and actor. Robin Williams left a legacy behind when he passed away, including his most famous hit movies, such as Aladdin, Good Will Hunting, The Birdcage, and Mrs. Doubtfire. He was one of the few actors who could do improvisation so well you couldn’t even tell he made it up. He had the ability to make tons of people laugh and was a part of so many people’s childhoods, especially those who grew up in the 90s. Almost of all of his hit movies came out during that decade.
But surprisingly, only a handful of his movies were nominated for an Academy Award and only some of them were for Robin’s performances. Here are all of his movies that were nominated for an Oscar.
10 ‘The World According To Garp’ (1982)
The World According to Garp is Robin Williams’ second feature film. It’s one of his lesser known movies, but it was his first critically acclaimed film. According to IMDb, the movie is about “A struggling young writer finds his life and work dominated by his unfaithful wife and his radical feminist mother, whose best-selling manifesto turns her into a cultural icon.” Robin wasn’t nominated for any awards for it, but it was still nominated for two Oscars, including Best Actor in a Supporting Role and Best Actress in a Supporting Role.
9 ‘Good Morning, Vietnam’ (1987)
Good Morning, Vietnam earned Robin Williams his first Academy Award nomination for his performance in the movie. “Set in Saigon in 1965, during the Vietnam War, the film stars Robin Williams as a radio DJ on Armed Forces Radio Service, who proves hugely popular with the troops, but infuriates his superiors with what they call his ‘irreverent tendency,’” according to Fandom. Robin was nominated for an Oscar for Best Actor in a Leading Role and he also won a Golden Globe for his performance.
8 ‘Dead Poets Society’ (1989)
Dead Poets Society was the second movie that earned Robin Williams an Oscar nomination. According to IMDb, the movie is about “Maverick teacher John Keating [who] uses poetry to embolden his boarding school students to new heights of self-expression.” Robin was nominated for Best Actor in a Leading Role. The film was nominated for two other Oscars and won an Oscar for Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen.
7 ‘Awakenings’ (1990)
Awakenings literally “awoke” Robin Williams career—the 90s was the time where he starred in his most famous movies and became the legendary actor we all love. According to Rotten Tomatoes, the movie is about “The story of a doctor’s extraordinary work in the Sixties with a group of catatonic patients he finds languishing in a Bronx hospital. Speculating that their rigidity may be akin to an extreme form of Parkinsonism, he seeks permission from his skeptical superiors to treat them with L-dopa, a drug that was used to treat Parkinson’s disease at the time.” It was nominated for three Oscars, but Robin didn’t receive any of them.
6 ‘The Fisher King’ (1991)
The Fisher King isn’t as well-known as some of Robin Williams’ other movies, but it’s still a critically acclaimed film and earned him a third Oscar nomination. According to IMDb, the movie is about “A former radio DJ, suicidally despondent because of a terrible mistake he made, [who] finds redemption in helping a deranged homeless man who was an unwitting victim of that mistake.” Robin received another Oscar nomination for Best Actor in a Leading Role and the movie was nominated for three other Oscars.
5 ‘Aladdin’ (1992)
The Genie wouldn’t be the same without Robin Williams. And Aladdin wouldn’t be the magical movie it is without the Genie. According to Rotten Tomatoes, the Disney movie is about “Street rat Aladdin [who] frees a genie from a lamp, [and] he finds his wishes granted. However, he soon finds that the evil has other plans for the lamp—and for Princess Jasmine.” Aladdin won two Oscars and was nominated for three, but Robin surprisingly didn’t receive any.
4 ‘Mrs. Doubtfire’ (1993)
Mrs. Doubtfire is perhaps Robin Williams’ most famous movie and millions of kids grew up watching his iconic character. According to CNN, the classic film is about “a struggling actor who disguises himself as a female housekeeper to spend time with his children after he loses custody in a bitter divorce.” It’s surprising that Robin didn’t receive a nomination for this movie either, but the movie still won an Oscar for Best Makeup.
3 ‘The Birdcage’ (1996)
The Birdcage might not be as famous as Mrs. Doubtfire, but it’s still an iconic Robin Williams movie. According to IMDb, the movie is about “A gay cabaret owner and his drag queen companion [who] agree to put up a false straight front so that their son can introduce them to his fiancée’s right-wing moralistic parents.” The film was nominated for one Oscar for Best Set Decoration. Robin wasn’t nominated for any Oscars for it.
2 ‘Good Will Hunting’ (1997)
Good Will Hunting is another one of Robin Williams’ iconic movies. Besides Mrs. Doubtfire, it’s one of the movies he’s most remembered for and earned Robin his first and only Oscar. According to IMDb, the film tells the story of “Will Hunting, a janitor at M.I.T., [who] has a gift for mathematics, but needs help from a psychologist to find direction in his life.” He played Sean Maguire, the psychologist who helps Will and won Best Actor in a Supporting Role. It’s hard to believe that was the only Oscar he ever won throughout his career, but he definitely deserved it for his performance. The movie also won an Oscar for Best Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen and was nominated for seven other Oscars.
1 ‘Happy Feet’ (2006)
Happy Feet is an adorable animated movie where Robin Williams voices a penguin named Ramon. According to Rotten Tomatoes, the movie is about “Mumble (Elijah Wood), a young emperor penguin, [who] lives in Antarctica. Like others of his kind, he needs to be able to sing to attract a mate, but he has a terrible voice. Instead, Mumble must express himself, and lure a female through his amazing talent for tap-dancing.” Robin wasn’t nominated for an Oscar for this movie either, but the movie won an for Best Animated Feature.
