role, Williams' low-key performance in this fantastic John Irving adaptation showed he didn't need to be manic to win over audiences. He further proved this with films like
Williams' manic stylings found a natural home as an army DJ in this hit anti-authoritarian comedy. The unfettered Williams on show here was re-deployed with even greater success in the Disney animated smash
The point at which Williams (and director Terry Gilliam) found genuine pathos in the actor's rapid-fire delivery. It generated Williams his third Oscar nomination (after
Williams' movie presence reached critical mass with this hugely successful family comedy that saw the actor devour the screen in drag as a matronly babysitter.
As store clerk Sy Parrish, Williams accessed a clearly deep reservoir of darkness and played against his cheery public image in this unnervingly creepy thriller. Williams' clearly relished challenging his public persona, and spent the next decade subverting it in films like