Dundas remembers Robin Williams

(Update)
Robin Williams rose to fame in his role as an alien in the TV show Mork and Mindy in the late 70’s. He then found great success as a stand up comedian and in the movies. He won an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor in ‘Good Will Hunting’. He also won two Emmy’s and four Golden Globes. But people in Dundas who met Williams while he was filming a movie there — say he didn’t act like a big movie star.

People in Dundas have been sharing their memories all day of brushes with Williams.

Robin Williams will be remembered for so many of his movies: ‘Mrs. Doubtfire’, ‘Good Morning Vietnam’, ‘Dead Poets Society’ and ‘Jumanji’. But the people of Dundas remember him for his work in ‘Man of the Year’.

He spent a week here filming scenes of the movie in 2005, and he embraced this community.

That’s Robin Williams in Taylor’s Tea Room in the movie ‘Man of the Year’. A photo of Williams shooting that scene along with the cup he drank out of is proudly displayed on the wall of the Dundas restaurant. Owner Brayden Ehlrich met Williams while he was filming and says for such a big star he was really down to earth: “He was a really cool guy, he was a lover of all things, he was really interested which made it sort of sincere and refreshing to meet someone so famous.”

In the movie, Williams played a comedian who runs for President of the United States and wins.

“Just off the top of my head, I was kind of thinking of Bruce Springsteen for Secretary of State.”

But in real life, he could be a very different person. Vince, at Freewheel Cycle in Dundas, sold Williams a bike and says he saw two sides of this famous funny man: “In the environment where we were talking about bikes, he was an incredibly quiet and thoughtful person. But it was just before Christmas and when carollers came in the front door he goes from a quiet guy to belting out operatic tenor and singing along to Christmas carols.”

Vince says Williams spent much of his spare time in the bike shop. His handlers would have to come looking for him when shooting started. He says Williams wasn’t like other stars who have filmed in this community: “Usually the talent would hide away in their trailers and have nothing to do with the community at large when they are in these shoots. That’s not what Robin was about.”

Williams stopped for photo’s with numerous fans while filming Man of the Year in Dundas in 2005.: “Thank you for coming to Dundas.” “Thank you ma’am. Thanks for having us here.”

So Robin meandered through the streets of Dundas. We heard he filmed at the tea shop, bought a bike at Freewheel Cycle and then he would come up here and have dinner at what used to be known as the Deluxe Restaurant. Patrons here remember Williams as a man who wasn’t tall in stature but was bigger than life.

Jan Van Beek, met Williams at a coffee shop: “He was a short guy. But whatever we were talking about ended up with a big story and funny as hell.”

“At 1:23 East Coast Time, the free world will be lead by a comedian.”

Today, the world mourns the loss of that comedian.

Taylor’s Tea Shop is remembering Williams — writing ‘RIP Robin Williams, thanks for visiting us’.

Vince at Freewheel Cycle became teary eyed talking about him. So he really had an impact on the people he met here.