Throughout the 90s, dozens of comedies were being released making it a very fruitfull decade for the development of cinema. One man who contributed to this success was the highly talented and fun-loving actor, Robin Williams. One of Williams' most notable performances is, without a doubt, is in Chris Columbus' 1993 film 'Mrs. Doubtfire'.
The plot consists of Williams playing a man named Daniel Hillard. When his ex-wife is on the search for a new carer for her children, Hillard sees it as an opportunity to continue seeing his kids regularly. With a spot of make up and a ladies wig, Mrs. Doubtfire becomes the perfect housekeeper and nanny.
Unfortunately, Robin Williams is no longer with us, however the legacy of the film and him as an actor will continue to last for many years to come. The least that Williams and his alter ego deserve is a tribute, so we are going to do our bit by providing you with some fun facts and Mrs. Doubtfire.
1 Unrecognisable
To make sure the disguise was foolproof enough, Robin Williams wanted to do a test run. So, he dressed up as Mrs. Doubtfire and visited an adult bookstore to buy something and no one recognised him. The disguise was so good that even Williams' son had no idea it was his father dressed up until he started to speak.
2 A sequel we will never get to see
In 2003, ten years after the release of the film, there was talk about a possible sequel with the script written by Bonnie Hunt. Three years later in 2006, the script was re-written, however Williams wasn't satisfied with the plot. After a few quiet years regarding the subject, talks suddenly advanced again in April 2014 when Williams and director Christopher Columbus got to work to really start pushing a possible sequel. However, the sad passing of Williams just four months later ended the possibility of a sequel.
3 Born improviser
Robin Williams and comedy go hand in hand, and he believed the art of improvising in scenes was a way to make comedies even more authentic. Director Columbus knew this and so during the production of the film he always had two or three cameras operating at a time, because he had no idea what the actor had up his sleeve.
4 Grandmother on stage
Years before the release of the film on the big screen, Williams played Mrs. Doubtfire on stage. The actor dressed up as our beloved nanny and appeared at the Carnegie Hall for a show that Andy Kaufman was hosting. Williams disguised himself and played Kaufman's grandmother.
5 "Help is on the way, dear!"
Robin Williams says the word "dear" a whopping 101 times throughout the film. Sometimes he is belting it out, for example during the scene when Stu (Pierce Brosnan) is choking on a prawn and Mrs. Doubtfire shouts "help is on the way, dear!" as she runs across the restaurant to try and save him. Other times, Mrs. Doubtfire is seen mumbling the word quietly.
6 The Real Mrs. Doubtfire
Robin Williams based his role for Mrs. Doubtfire around the mannerisms of his childhood nanny in real life. When this was revealed, British journalists went on the search for her and found out she was staying in a care home in Michigan and her name was Lolly. She was interviewed and made it into newspapers with the headline "The Real Mrs. Doubtfire".
7 Big screen debut
The 1993 film was the big screen debut for Mara Wilson. She beat off competition from the likes of Blake Lively to earn the role as Natalie Hillard, the youngest of the three Hillard children. Wilson starred as a 6 year old in 'Mrs. Doubtifre' and three years later in 1996 she was the protagonist in the film 'Matilda'.
8 Make up time
There is no doubt that the make up team achieved their objective of hiding Robin Williams identity under an elderly ladies face. It did take them a while to disguise the famous actor though. Apparently, make up took approximately 4 and a half hours every day of filming to transform Williams into Mrs. Doubtfire.
9 Warren Beatty the womanizer
Although we can't imagine anyone but Robin Williams playing the role of Mrs. Doubtfire, the author of the book which the film is based on wanted someone else for the role. When asked, author Anne Fine though it would have been suited perfectly for actor Warren Beatty. Due to his image as a womanizer, Fine thought it would be hilarious to see Beatty dressed up and acting as a woman.