Goodbye, Robin!

I've always claimed two men as my favorite actors.  There is a third that I absolutely adore, but the original two were there from the beginning for me.  I've had celebrity crushes and other actors that I admired as I grew older, but my two favorites from the start were always Robin Williams and Tom Hanks.

Hearing the devastating news that Robin took his life earlier this week has taken a bit to sink in with me.  I wanted to know all the facts and read more about his story before I formulated my thoughts.  For some reason, I thought it would make a difference...but it really hasn't.

I have loved so many of Robin's movies over the years.  And even tried to make it through the full season of The Crazy Ones last fall.  I think I got about halfway through the season before I just had to pass on it, but the ONLY reason I tuned in to begin with was Robin.

I hadn't had a chance to share it with all of you because it happened pre-blog, but back in the Spring of 2011 I actually met Robin.  My brother and sister-in-law came to New York for a visit and we went to see Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo staring Robin Williams as none other than the tiger.

He was great though the show was quite bizarre and not quite my cup of tea.  I was ecstatic when Robin said "sure" after I asked him if I could take a photo with him.  He didn't say much more than sure to the multitude of requests and I must admit I felt a little sad that he wasn't the animated character that I always imagined him to be.  He was agreeable for certain, but I didn't really get a glimpse into who he really was...or maybe I did.

Either way, I still loved his movies and watched them any chance I had.  No matter who Robin Williams was underneath all the layers the public knew, I am positive of one thing - his talent brought joy to the masses.  And it's sad he isn't around to continue doing that any longer...

Andrea :)