Sally Field Reveals Incredibly Touching Act by Robin Williams While Filming 'Mrs. Doubtfire'

The actors we co-stars in the 1993 comedy.

By Brenda Alexander

This year marks the 10-year anniversary of beloved comedian Robin Williams' death. In 2014, Williams died by suicide after years of mental health struggles and a recent Parkinson's diagnosis. He left behind a legacy via his body of work on film and television. And those who worked beside him have spoken publicly about his brilliance. One of those people is his Mrs. Doubtfire co-star, Sally Field. The two starred as husband and wife, Daniel and Miranda, in the comedy about a divorced father who poses as a British nanny to spend time with his three children amid the split. In a tribute edition of Vanity Fair, Field opens up about a fond moment she shared with him, telling the story for the first time publicly. 

While filming a difficult scene, Field received a phone call that would alter her day, and life, forever. "I never shared this story before. I was in the camper outside of the courtroom where we were shooting the divorce scene. My father had a stroke a couple of years before, and was in a nursing facility. I got a phone call from the doctor saying my father had passed, a massive stroke," she said. "He asked if I wanted them to put him on the resuscitator. I said "No, he did not want that. Just let him go. And please lean down and say, 'Sally says goodbye.'" I was of course beside myself. I came on the set trying with all my might to act. I wasn't crying. Robin came over, pulled me out of the set, and asked, "Are you okay?"

Field initially told Williams that she was fine. "I don't know, just thought [I'd ask] that," he responded when she asked why. She then told him the truth.

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"No, I'm not, Robin. My father just passed," she told him. He responded: "Oh my God, we need to get you out here right now."

Field says Williams ensured she was able to leave work early, which allowed her to focus on her family. They shot the rest of the day without her. "I could go back to my house, call my brother, and make arrangements. It's a side of Robin that people rarely knew: He was very sensitive and intuitive," she explained. 

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