• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • ABOUT US
  • MEDIA
  • PRIVACY
  • TERMS
  • DMCA
  • CONTACT US
  • AUTHORS
do you remember

DoYouRemember?

The Home of Nostalgia

  • Celebrity News
    • Family
    • Obituaries
    • Life Behind the Fame
    • ICONS
    • Celebrity Feuds
  • Entertainment
    • Cast
    • Showbiz Rewind
    • Music
    • Beauty & fashion
  • STORIES
  • Celebrity Buzz!?
  • Sitcoms
    • Bewitched
    • Little Rascals
    • The Partridge Family
    • I Dream of Jeannie
    • All in the Family
    • MASH
    • Happy Days
    • Cheers
  • Celebrity Collections
  • SHOP DYR
    • DYR Book

Stories

Ilene Graff Remembers Working With The Greats Robin Williams And Rodney Dangerfield

by Lauren Novak

Published September 6, 2022

Ilene Graff talks about working with Robin Williams and Rodney Dangerfield

Ilene Graff is best known for her role in Mr. Belvedere, but prior, she was able to work alongside Robin Williams in Mork & Mindy. Ilene said that Robin was just an amazing person and not only was he nice, but incredibly funny and talented.

She shared, “There was a two-parter that I was on with Jonathan Winters. The table read was like being in the Comedy Store. Robin Williams and Jonathan couldn’t stop [improvising], and one line would be funnier than the next. It was just remarkable.”

Related:

  1. Robin Williams’ Daughter, Zelda Williams, Is All Grown Up And Working As An Actress
  2. Sam Neill Remembers Robin Williams As The ‘Funniest’ Yet ‘Saddest Person I Ever Met’

Ilene Graff talks about working with Robin Williams and Rodney Dangerfield

MR. BELVEDERE, Ilene Graff, (1980s), 1985-1990
MR. BELVEDERE, Ilene Graff, (1980s), 1985-1990. ph: Jim McHugh / TV Guide / TM & Copyright © 20th Century Fox Film Corp./ Courtesy Everett Collection

Ilene added, “Robin was also really, really nice. And a good acting partner. He was Julliard trained, so when the director said action, his eyes, mind and brain were with you. He was so creative. He never did anything the same way twice.”

RELATED: Zak Williams Honors Robin Williams’ Legacy On Seven-Year Anniversary Of His Father’s Death

INSOMNIA, Robin Williams, 2002
INSOMNIA, Robin Williams, 2002 (c) Warner Brothers, courtesy Everett Collection

Not only did Ilene get a chance to work with Robin, but comedian great Rodney Dangerfield. She appeared in the 1992 film Ladybugs with Rodney and spoke about how great he was with improvising as well. She said, “Rodney was an original. In his heart, he was a writer. We would be doing a scene, and they wouldn’t be happy with the joke. So they would say, ‘Rodney, we need a better joke here.’ Within seconds, he’d have 10 or 15 new jokes. I was just in awe.”

CASPER: A SPIRITED BEGINNING, Rodney Dangerfield, aired: Sept. 9, 1997
CASPER: A SPIRITED BEGINNING, Rodney Dangerfield, aired: Sept. 9, 1997, TM & Copyright © 20th Century Fox Film Corp. All rights reserved./Courtesy Everett Collection

These days, Ilene Graff hasn’t worked in Hollywood in years but mainly focuses on being a wife and mom. She also immerses herself in charity work and is involved with Doors for Change and the Entertainment Community Fund.

RELATED: Robin Williams’ Autopsy Shows That His Dementia Was Severe

Next up: Clint Eastwood’s Son Scott Eastwood Has Made A Name For Himself In Hollywood, Just Like His Dad

Previous article: Clint Eastwood’s Son Scott Eastwood Has Made A Name For Himself In Hollywood, Just Like His Dad
Next Post: Kelly Clarkson Celebrates 20th Anniversary Of Winning ‘American Idol’

Primary Sidebar

© 2025 DoYouRemember? Inc.

  • about us
  • media
  • privacy
  • terms
  • DMCA
  • CONTACT US
  • AUTHORS