Advertisement
Before establishing himself as one of the best actors in the industry and starring in some of the best movies ever made, Robin Williams gained fame for his role as Mork in the TV series “Mork and Mindy.” The comedy series, which was a spin-off from an episode of “Happy Days,” followed the adventures of Mork, an alien living on Earth with a human, Mindy.
Given the character’s penchant for speaking in various languages and gibberish, Williams saw an opportunity to sneak in some swear words. However, production caught on, leading to the hiring of a specialist translator to identify potential curse words in different languages on the fly. This measure aimed to maintain the family-friendly nature of the show.
In an interview for Pioneers of Television, Williams shared insights into this mischievous practice, stating, “Eventually they had to have a censor who spoke three or four different languages because I was sneaking things in in different languages. They went, ‘She knows what that means.’ Really? Oh, sad. Because I was using – sometimes Mork would speak Yiddish, ‘Was machst du, Mindy?'”
He continued, “There must have been some Hassidim watching, ‘Thank God, it’s Thursday, we can watch!’ But the idea that we would try different things, and it was just kind of to see what could get under the radar.”
While Mork and Mindy showcased Williams’ comedic talent, he would go on to leave an indelible mark in the entertainment industry with a diverse range of roles, including those in family-friendly classics like “Hook,” “Mrs. Doubtfire,” and voicing the Genie in Disney’s “Aladdin.”