Hollywood friendships are usually a bit of a mirage. You see two huge stars hugging on a red carpet, and you assume they’re grab-a-beer-on-Tuesday-night friends. Usually, they haven't spoken in three years. But the bond between Robert De Niro and Robin Williams was different. It was weird. It was quiet. It was actually real.
Most people point to their 1990 film Awakenings as the beginning and end of their story. They see the "Method King" and the "Genie" and think it was just a professional collision of two opposites.
Honestly? That’s barely scratching the surface.
The Time Robin Williams Actually Broke De Niro’s Nose
You can't talk about these two without mentioning the "chicken bone" incident. During the filming of Awakenings, there’s a scene where Williams, playing the shy Dr. Malcolm Sayer, has to restrain De Niro’s character, Leonard Lowe, during a seizure.
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Williams was nervous. De Niro, being De Niro, was going full-tilt into the physicality of the role. In the chaos of the take, Williams’ elbow connected squarely with De Niro’s face.
"Bam!" Williams later described the sound as a "chicken bone breaking." He was mortified. He thought he’d just maimed a living legend. But this is where the story gets peak De Niro. Instead of getting angry, Bob just sat there. He looked at his nose, which was now significantly more crooked than it had been five minutes prior.
Then he thanked him.
See, De Niro had originally broken his nose years earlier while filming Raging Bull. It had never quite healed right. Robin’s accidental elbow basically performed a free rhinoplasty, knocking the bone back into its original alignment. De Niro told him, "You did what the doctors couldn't do."
It’s a funny story, but it also highlights the trust they had. You don't let just anyone accidentally reconstruct your face.
Two Opposite Worlds Colliding
On paper, Robert De Niro and Robin Williams shouldn't have worked.
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De Niro is the architect of silence. He builds characters out of stares, grunts, and internal tension. Williams was a human firework. He couldn't stay still if his life depended on it. On the set of Awakenings, Penny Marshall (the director) basically had to act as a tether.
Williams was terrified of being "too much" for a serious drama. De Niro, meanwhile, was fascinated by Robin’s energy. There’s a misconception that De Niro is always this cold, intimidating statue. He’s actually a huge fan of comedy. He spent a lot of time just watching Robin riff between takes, likely wondering how one brain could hold that many voices.
Why Awakenings Still Matters in 2026
If you haven't seen it recently, watch it. It’s not just a "sad movie." It’s a masterclass in chemistry.
- The Restraint: Robin Williams delivers arguably the most quiet, internal performance of his life.
- The Physicality: De Niro captures the tragedy of a man "waking up" to a world that has passed him by.
- The Reality: They filmed in a real hospital, the Kingsboro Psychiatric Center in Brooklyn, using actual patients as extras.
The film was nominated for three Oscars, including Best Actor for De Niro. Strangely, Williams was passed over for a nomination that year, despite many critics feeling his "straight" performance was the harder lift.
The 2010 SNL Moment Nobody Remembers
Fast forward twenty years. Most "co-star friendships" have withered by then.
In 2010, Robert De Niro was hosting Saturday Night Live. There’s a recurring sketch called "What Up With That?" where Kenan Thompson plays a talk show host who never lets his guests speak. De Niro was sitting on the panel, looking typically uncomfortable.
Suddenly, Robin Williams walks out.
He wasn't a guest. He wasn't the host. He just showed up to support his friend. Seeing the two of them on that stage—De Niro trying to keep a straight face while Robin did a bizarre, silent dance behind him—was a reminder that they stayed in each other's orbits for decades.
The Quiet Support Behind the Scenes
When Robin Williams passed away in 2014, the world went into a collective state of shock. Robert De Niro is a man of notoriously few words, especially in public. He doesn't do "tribute" posts. He doesn't do long-winded talk show appearances about his feelings.
But when he was presented with the Entertainment Icon Award at the Friars Foundation Gala shortly after Robin's death, he broke his usual silence. He dedicated the award to Williams.
He didn't give a long speech. He just spoke about Robin’s heart. He spoke about the man behind the jokes. It was a rare glimpse into the "Bob" that only people like Billy Crystal and Robin Williams ever really saw.
What Really Happened with the "Comedy Trio"?
There’s this famous circle in Hollywood: Robert De Niro, Robin Williams, and Billy Crystal.
People think of them as this formal clique, but it was more like a brotherhood. Billy Crystal was the bridge. He was the one who could make De Niro laugh until he cried, and he was the one who could keep up with Robin’s 100-mph brain.
They did Comic Relief together. They showed up for each other's charity events. When you look at the footage of them together, you see a dynamic that is surprisingly normal. No ego. Just three guys who had seen the highest highs of fame and realized that the only people who understood them were each other.
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Misconceptions About Their Relationship
- They were constantly hanging out: Not really. They were both workaholics. They didn't have Sunday brunches, but they were the "call in a crisis" type of friends.
- De Niro found Robin annoying: This is a common trope because of their personas. In reality, De Niro has often said he envied Robin’s freedom on stage.
- They only did one movie: They actually both appeared in The Big Wedding (2013), though their scenes weren't as central as in Awakenings. It was one of the last times they worked together.
How to Appreciate Their Legacy Today
If you want to actually understand the Robert De Niro and Robin Williams connection, don't just watch the highlight reels of Robin being funny.
Go back to the quiet moments.
Watch the scene in Awakenings where they are sitting on the bench. There’s no dialogue. It’s just two men looking at a world they don't quite fit into. That’s where the "human quality" is.
Actionable Ways to Revisit Their Work:
- Watch the 4K Restoration of Awakenings: It was recently released and the clarity on the performances—the micro-expressions—is staggering.
- Look for the 2007 Mark Twain Prize Ceremony: Watch the way De Niro looks at Robin when Robin is on stage. It’s pure, unadulterated respect.
- Check out the "What Up With That" SNL clip: It’s a short, weird moment that shows how much fun they had together outside of "prestige" cinema.
The friendship between Robert De Niro and Robin Williams wasn't about being "Hollywood royalty." It was about two guys who found a way to bridge the gap between comedy and tragedy, silence and noise. They proved that you don't have to be alike to be inseparable.
Take a page from their book: find someone who challenges your style. If you're the quiet one, find a firework. If you're the firework, find an anchor. It might just result in the best work of your life—or at the very least, a fixed nose.