In Honor of Robin Williams....

A little inside baseball for you about Robin Williams: At NCSA, I had a teacher named Jared Sakren who attended Juilliard with Robin Williams, and he told us this story. Apparently while at Juilliard, young Mr. Williams wasn’t necessarily the best student. He had this obnoxious habit of doing a handstand in the middle of Lincoln Center Plaza until a crowd gathered around him. He then plopped down and started a comic routine of some sort until the crowd dispersed. When they left, he did another handstand until another crowd gathered. Lather, rinse, and repeat. He missed classes doing this. The school’s drama director at the time was John Houseman, he of “Paper Chase” fame, and maybe the best monologue ever delivered on film in “The Fog.” Houseman, a bit tired of Williams’ antics, called Robyn in his office and said, “Mr. Williams. We at Juilliard feel you have absolutely no place in the serious theatre. We do, however, feel you are a unique comic talent and we have arranged a meeting for you with the William Morris agency. My advice…don’t be late. Good day.” As the story goes, soon after meeting with William Morris, Williams auditioned for a small part in a little TV series called “Happy Days.” The rest, as they say, is showbiz history.