Robin Williams is one of the very few actors whose known as a master across two very distinct genres, comedy and drama. Having started his career with comedy, Williams later on made a switch to drama, showcasing his spectacular range. Williams did not belong to a bracket of actors who stayed in their comfort zone, modeling a mediocre career out of done-to-death, conventional roles. Instead, he experimented, inspired, failed and succeeded. But beyond anything else, Robin Williams wasn’t afraid of revealing a part of himself in a bid to holistically entertain the audience, thereby making them fall in love with him in the process. Here are some of his best comedies, ranked.

8 Flubber (1997)

Robin Williams in Flubber
Buena Vista Pictures Distribution

Flubber is as bizarre a film as its title suggests. The film showcases Robin Williams as professor Phillip Brainard, an absent-minded scientist who takes it upon himself to save Medfield College from by shut down by developing a new source of energy. Brainard feels very strongly about the college since his sweetheart Sara is its president. While manically pursuing this new source of energy, the mad professor accidentally ends up creating a substance called flubber that allows objects to fly through the air.

7 Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb (2014)

A scene from Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb
20th Century Fox

In this mysterious comedy classic, Robin Williams joins Ben Stiller along with a heavyweight cast of Hollywood classics as they portray the roles of various historical figures. The film’s hilariously absurd plot revolves around a watchman, who joins a museum where its residents come to life at night. Despite having a laundry list of Hollywood’s who’s who making brief cameos, Robin Williams' endearing portrayal of the American President Theodore Roosevelt manages to carve out a space in the viewer’s minds.

Related: Why Night at The Museum Should Get a TV Series

6 Mrs. Doubtfire (1993)

williams-mrs-doubtfire-1993-20th-century-fox
20th Century Fox

Williams was a master at using comedy as a means to unveil a tragedy. Expanding on this thought, Mrs. Doubtfire goes to a deeper level garbs the pain of a father who’s been separated from his kids, and comically explores the lengths he’ll go to, to be around them. Apart from having a solid narrative structure, it’s Robin Williams' transformation into an old British nanny that really causes comic chaos throughout the film.

5 Jumanji (1995)

Jumanji movie
Sony Pictures

When two siblings play a board game that has a life of its own, they meet a man named Alan (Robin Williams) who’s trapped in the game. As the children attempt to free Alan, they release a world of animals into reality causing mayhem and chaos. In Jumanji, director Joe Johnston beautifully makes the most of Williams' gift of comic timing by deriving comedy via a sub-route of action, making it a supremely entertaining film.

Related: Jumanji 4: Is the Franchise Sequal Actually Happening

4 Death To Smoochy (2002)

Robin Williams as Randolph Smiley in Death to Smoochy (2002)
Warner Bros. Pictures

Death To Smoochy, is a satirical black comedy film directed by Danny DeVito. The film follows a children’s TV show host named "Rainbow’ Randolph Smiley. On-screen, Rainbow appears to be friendly and nice, but in reality he’s a corrupt alcoholic who makes deals with parents to put their kids on his talk show. Rainbow Randolph soon gets busted for corruption and is replaced from the network by a younger act named Smoochy (Edward Norton). Having had everything taken away from him, he vows to destroy Smoochy and reclaim the limelight he once called home.

3 Good Morning, Vietnam (1987)

Robin Williams DJs in Good Morning Vietnam
Buena Vista Pictures

Robin Williams once again extends his gift of dealing with tragic themes within a layer of comedy. This time, he does it in the form of an armed forces radio jockey that’s tasked with boosting the morale of the troops while they are busy fighting the war in Vietnam. Williams brings his natural eccentricity to the Radio Jockey, Adrian, thereby shaking the core of the military ethos at base, creating a tense but humorous conflict throughout the film.

Related: 12 Groundbreaking LGBTQ+ Movies of the 21st Century

2 The Birdcage (1996)

The Birdcage movie
MGM

Stepping out of his perfected image of family entertainer in The Birdcage, Robin Williams plays the role of Armand, an over-the-top, gay manager of a tacky Miami nightclub, who lives a rosy life along with his partner, Albert. One day their harmony is tattered when Armand gets to know his son has decided to marry the daughter of a conventional Senator. The Birdcage is a hilarious clash of values, exuberance vs conservativeness, where there is no apparent plot, but rather acts as a screwball comedy with a twisted sense of logic.

1 Patch Adams (1998)

Patch Adams Biopic Movie
Warner Bros

Patch Adams takes the age-old adage of "laughter is the best medicine" to the next level. While it's important to have a cognizance that medicine is essential to cure disease, it's often the spirit that has to also be taken care of by positive reinforcement. That’s what Patch Adams aims to do. The film is a biographical comedic drama based on the life of Dr. Hunter “Patch’ Adams, who made it his life's mission to emphasize the role of interpersonal interactions with his patients, in order to improve the quality of care provided to them. In the film, Patch Adams is portrayed by Robin Williams, who extends his usual warmth and charm flawlessly.