Who was the better comedic actor ?

Robin Williams is a good actor, period. I actually don't like many of his comedic roles.

Jerry Lewis was good in King of Comedy where he played himself and was directed by Martin Scorsese. I think his movies suck and he's a try hard. That Said I do like this scene of him as the cool guy in Nutty Professor.




Winner: Robin Williams. It's harder to be a good actor than a comic actor. Simple enough.
 
way more said:
Robin Williams is a good actor, period. I actually don't like many of his comedic roles.

Jerry Lewis was good in King of Comedy where he played himself and was directed by Martin Scorsese. I think his movies suck and he's a try hard. That Said I do like this scene of him as the cool guy in Nutty Professor.




Winner: Robin Williams. It's harder to be a good actor than a comic actor. Simple enough.
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That scene was really funny.

Now let's contrast it with this.

 
I don't find either one particularly funny, but I have occasionally laughed at Jerry Lewis (especially with Dean Martin) while I don't think I have even chuckled at anything by Robin Williams. Just always creeped me out, like a giant unfunny Danny Devito
 
RIP Robin Williams

so many favorites from my childhood like Hook, Mrs Doubtfire, Aladin, Jumanji, Jack, Flubber, Patch Adams,etc
some of his more serious roles like Dead Poets Society and Good Will Hunting will always hit me in the feels.
there was something really special about him, and he had a great sense of humor when it came relationships and life in general.
 
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Robin Williams obviously

But another old actor who has passed also comes to mind and that's Leslie Nelson. I can't be the only one who found the guy completely hilarious.
 
DiscoJer said:
I don't find either one particularly funny, but I have occasionally laughed at Jerry Lewis (especially with Dean Martin) while I don't think I have even chuckled at anything by Robin Williams. Just always creeped me out, like a giant unfunny Danny Devito
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Lies. Williams was one of the GOAT. He was funny and humble and an avid gamer.
 
All day every day Robin.

Nobody could get on his level at the time and there are very few that still could today.

His stand up specials are crazy out of this world, and I've never seen anyone come close to them.
 
Watched Popeye a few days ago. Williams is amazing in it, and honestly at first the casting doesn't entirely make sense. But he is transformative in the role.

Rewatched Ms Doubtfire this year and that movie still holds up, just great comedy & drama.

Still need to see some Jerry Lewis. He's been on my list for a while now of films to watch
 
They are of a different time, and type of comedy.

For me Jerry Lewis is really amazing, but his films do not hold up. I think I have seen his biggest half dozen or so films, and I would only begrudgingly watch them again.

Now that is not to say he was not fantastic, but his performance is the only thing that makes those films compelling at all.

Looking at Robin Williams. A lot of his comedy films are really good films, and Williams elevates them. So you at least have a decent film as a basis, that translates to modern comedy enough that they do not feel super dated.

Jerry Lewis films feel a bit more like Mr Bean, or later Eddie Murphy. Where the performance is fun, but everything from the direction to writing is shit.

So Robin Williams destroys Lewis just based on the quality of the material.

Looking at Charlie Chaplin, is a more interesting comparison. He made classic films that are both fantastic because of his performance, but he often did it without any real dialogue.

Not to dismiss Jerry in the end. But his films were mostly shit outside of his contribution. And even with his contribution, they are still not films I would revisit.
 
Jerry Lewis has always been grating to me.
I asked my old man if it was just comedy of its time and he said he always hated him as well.

Robin is incredibly charismatic and likable in ways Jerry Lewis never could be, but I stopped laughing at his style of humor in high school.
I think 'Live on Broadway' really sealed it for me. Just a frenetic mess of sweat and body hair.

In conclusion, Robin wins for great movies that still kinda hold up.
 
Robin Williams, easily. I loved his standup, his voiceover work, and most of his movies. I don't give a shit about many entertainers, but he was always someone I looked up to and appreciated in my 40 years.
 
Pallas said:
Robin Williams obviously

But another old actor who has passed also comes to mind and that's Leslie Nelson. I can't be the only one who found the guy completely hilarious.
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I didn't like Leslie Nelson. Poor parody wannabe actor.

But Leslie Nielsen was effin ace. Great addition to comedy.
 
Robin Williams easy

Wtf is with posts listing other people. The original post offered 2 and you think you just write in some new shit? Lewis or Williams that's all they are asking and you fuck that up.
 
Redneckerz said:
I didn't like Leslie Nelson. Poor parody wannabe actor.

But Leslie Nielsen was effin ace. Great addition to comedy.
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Oops, I didn't realize I typo'ed his name.

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