12/02/2025
Williams called him "one of the best actors in New York" and quipped, "We must be Siamese twins," due to their similar scruffy beards and quick-witted personalities.
While filming the movie The Fisher King in 1991, Robin Williams met Radioman, a homeless man (Craig Castaldo) known for wearing a big radio on his shoulder. They became friends immediately.
Their instant connection tells the heartwarming story of the good man Williams was when the cameras stopped rolling.
Thanks to Williams, Radioman made his first film cameo in The Fisher King.
Williams ensured Radioman was treated as a valued member of the chaotic set environment, giving him a sense of belonging and recognition that the streets lacked.
Today, Radioman is no longer homeless and has built a stable life, having appeared in over 300 films and TV shows, becoming a cultural landmark of the New York film industry.
Meeting people like Radioman showed the world a secret rule Williams followed throughout his life.
Robin Williams, the comedy and movie legend, used his influence not for glory, but to lift up those who had nothing: the homeless.
His kindness was a secret mission woven into every movie he made.
For example, when they were making the popular film Mrs. Doubtfire (1993), Williams made a request that puzzled the crew: he wanted to hire several people from a local San Francisco shelter.
An assistant director later shared the secret: Williams always put a rule into his contracts that forced producers to give jobs to people struggling on the edges of society.
One man who got a catering job through this rule remembered:
“He treated me like I’d been part of the team all along. I served food on set, and he joked with me every day like we were old friends.”
Williams asked that every film he made hire at least ten people who were unhoused to work on the crew.
By the end of his life, this quiet rule is thought to have provided temporary employment and a steady paycheck to approximately 1,520 people.
He never talked about this rule in interviews or accepted praise for it. It was simply written down and fulfilled quietly.
Only after he passed away did directors and producers share the true size of his commitment.
Director Chris Columbus, who worked with him often, later noted the seriousness of the requirement: “It wasn’t a suggestion; it was a non-negotiable part of his contract. It was his way of spreading the work and spreading the grace.”
Williams's efforts extended far beyond the structured demands of a movie set, often taking a spontaneous and deeply personal form:
In the late 1980s, after a stand-up show in New York City, Williams was spotted slipping into a shelter not far from Broadway.
With no entourage, he brought pizzas, sat cross-legged on the floor with residents, and simply listened.
One resident recalled that he didn't pry into their struggles, but instead, “He asked what made us laugh as kids.”
During the production of Good Will Hunting (1997) in Boston, he again ensured temporary positions were offered.
Many of Williams’s big donations were made using fake names.
A shelter in Los Angeles only found out years later that his checks were coming from him when a staff member recognized his unique handwriting on a returned thank-you letter envelope.
He worked hard to keep his name out of it.
Even during a break from filming Patch Adams (1998), he stopped by a shelter in West Virginia, bringing with him boxes of new socks, gloves, and warm coats.
When a helper asked why he came, he simply replied, “The weather’s turning. And cold doesn’t care if you’re tired.”
Robin Williams used his immense, shining presence not to glorify himself, but to open doors for others.
He refused to let poor people be invisible. His ultimate goal wasn't pity, but to foster a deeper, more fundamental recognition of shared humanity.
As he once powerfully said: “It’s about recognizing someone’s humanity, even when the world refuses to.”
Robin Williams built bridges where the world had erected fences, leaving behind a heartwarming legacy of kindness and compassion.
We miss you, Robin!
Authors
Awakening the Human Spirit
We are the authors of 'We Are Human Angels,' the book that has spread a new vision of the human experience and has been spontaneously translated into 14 languages by readers.
We hope our writing sparks something in you!
