12 Friends Actors Who Are No Longer With Us

1. Robin Williams

Who Was He? He doesn't really require an introduction, does he? One of the all-time great comedic actors, and an excellent serious one too, there was genuine shock and sadness when Williams passed away in 2014, aged just 63. After breaking through as a stand-up with rapid-fire improv skills, he broke into acting and went on to star in a number of critically acclaimed and beloved films, including Good Will Hunting (which won him an Oscar), Aladdin, Dead Poets Society, Mrs Doubtfire, Jumanji, and (a personal favourite) Hook, to name but a few.

Role On Friends: Williams and Billy Crystal appear in The One With The Ultimate Fighting Champion, in one of the rare episodes where outsiders are sitting on the couch in Central Perk. They play Tomas and Tim respectively, who ask the friends to move along so they can share the couch, and then proceed to have a conversation about Tomas' belief that his wife is cheating on him (it then transpires she is having an affair with Tim). It's a funny scene, especially as the bewildered friends eavesdrop on their conversation, but made even better by the fact it was totally unscripted. Williams and Crystal had been working on their movie Father's Day in the same building, so the producers asked if they wanted to make a cameo. They agreed, and then ad-libbed the entire conversation, while Matt LeBlanc also improvised the part where he interrupts them.