Robin Williams Was Truly One Of The Kindest Celebrities In The World, And If You Disagree, Here Are 31 Stories To Prove It

3. “When I was 6 months old, I got a really bad case of pneumonia and almost died. My family and I were in the hospital around Christmas time, and Robin fucking Williams walked into the room, talked with my parents and older brother, and gave me a toy. He did that for all of the children in the hospital, and that’s how the man spent his Christmas — he literally hid from the press because he didn’t want it turning into a huge media event. What a stand-up lad.”

MGM / UA Distribution Co.

4. “I met Robin Williams after a performance of Bengal Tiger in the Baghdad Zoo — he was very quiet, but happy to sign autographs and take pictures with us. He saw a young boy standing next to me and froze, then a smile appeared on his face — it was like a light switched on in him. Robin started doing voices and making jokes (he even did shtick from Aladdin) to get the boy to laugh, and it worked like a charm! The boy started roaring with laughter (as did the rest of us) — it was incredible to get to see both the performer and the person in that one encounter. It’s a memory I’ll always cherish.”

5. “I was at the airport in the Bahamas with my entire family about 35 years ago — my grandmother, who was 80 years old and quite shy, caught Robin Williams’ eye from her chair when he walked by. She called out, ‘Oh, I just love your work!’ (which was very out of character for her) — then he crouched down, patted her hand, and talked to her for about five minutes. She introduced him to all of us, and he smiled and was very patient. I’ll never forget it because it made her so happy.”

Buena Vista Pictures Distribution

6. “When he was filming something in Toronto, he ‘worked’ in our store around Christmastime selling PC video games because he was bored and looking for something to do. He asked customers what they were into, and then went back to our LAB and showed them the games. 85% of the people he dealt with had no idea who he was and just assumed he was a nerd, but when someone did notice, he was super cool and said, ‘Shhhh, this is our secret!’ Since he was staying at the hotel behind our store, we would see him all the time — he used to walk past my now-wife and say, ‘Hi, gorgeous!’ with his Canada Goose hoodie zipped up like Kenny from South Park.”

7. “I met Robin Williams at the Sundance Film Festival at a midnight showing. My boyfriend was off somewhere, so I was just sitting in my seat by myself, looking around — I finally turned around and sitting exactly two rows behind me was Robin. I smiled so big that he started laughing, and he said, ‘Well, hey there! Nice to see you!’ and I just said ‘Hiiiiiiiiiiiii.’ After that, whenever I turned around, he would say, ‘Peekaboo!’ or something random, and gave me a heart-melting smile (it was like being smiled at by God, I am not exaggerating). He had a gift of making a person feel like they were the most important person in the world, and at that time, I really needed that. I am so fortunate to have had that experience.”

20th Century Fox

8. “He had been flying from base to base in Afghanistan doing shows for the troops. It was about 9 p.m. when he did his show for us (which didn’t end until 11 p.m.), and he stayed up another hour taking pictures, signing autographs, and making jokes. Before he left, he asked if I enjoyed the show, and when I said yes, he said, ‘Good, ’cause you seemed extra sad today.’ I worked in the trauma hospital and lost three people that day — I watched his standup shows as part of my treatment for survivors guilt when I got home.”

9. “I was putting my snowboard boots on and Robin Williams happened to be sitting next to me putting his on, too. I was 14 at the time and only knew him as Mrs. Doubtfire, so I whispered to my mum: ‘Mum, it’s Mrs. Doubtfire!’ He started laughing and talking to me in Mrs. Doubtfire’s voice, and quoting the movie — then he started doing voices and quoting lines from his other movies. It was such a surreal moment, and he was a super-nice guy.”

20th Century Fox

10. “I’ve read a story on [the internet] about a person who was in a line and had a baby in a stroller who was laughing and giggling like mad. When they turned around to figure out why, they saw that Robin Williams was behind them making silly faces at their baby.”