As Memorial Day commemorates the sacrifices of U.S. military members, Lisa Jakub, who played Robin Williams’ daughter in the beloved 1993 film Mrs. Doubtfire, is shedding light on the late comedian’s passionate advocacy for veterans behind the scenes.
Jakub, now running the veterans nonprofit Mission Flexible, revealed that Williams made a concerted effort to hire local veterans as background actors and crew members whenever possible during his movie productions.
“So many people have told me that Robin did a lot of work with the veteran population as well, and that he always had production crews hire local veterans to be background actors or things like that on set,” Jakub told Fox News Digital.
Beyond his support for former service members, the Mrs. Doubtfire star also fondly recalled how Williams was one of the first to openly discuss mental health struggles with her as a young actress, helping to destigmatize the issue.
“Robin was everything you would hope Robin would be,” Jakub reminisced. “He would talk to me about his struggles and the things that he went through. And it was the first time that I felt like, ‘Oh, I’m not a freak. I don’t have to hide this about myself. This is just something that some of us have to deal with.'”
Williams, who took his own life in 2014 at age 63 after a years-long battle with depression, clearly had a profound impact on Jakub’s perspective as someone also grappling with mental health challenges.
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“I am grateful that I got to be in his presence, that I got to be working with him, that he was so kind to me,” she said of the late comic legend, expressing gratitude for his compassion and openness about such deeply personal matters.
While Williams’ acting genius and ability to make audiences laugh are well-documented, Jakub’s touching tribute highlights his lesser-known roles as an advocate for veterans and a pioneer in mental health awareness. His lasting legacy extends far beyond the screen to the lives he touched through his caring actions.
