O CAPTAIN! MY CAPTAIN!

The enduring 30-year legacy of ‘Dead Poets Society’

The enduring legacy of Dead Poets Society

When the world’s most beloved comedian and actor, Robin Williams, passed away in 2014, the outpouring of grief from across the globe was undeniable. Williams was more than just a familiar face from a television or movie screen. He was an entertainer who had seamlessly embedded himself into the lives of multiple generations thanks to memorable performances that made him as dear to us as our own family and friends.

Among the accolades that followed in the days of his passing (for his roles in Mrs Doubtfire, Good Will Hunting, and Good

Morning, Vietnam), one performance stood out as the most profound and life-changing for audiences – Williams’ role as the unconventional and passionate English teacher John Keating in Dead Poets Society. This year marks the film’s 30th anniversary.

Set in 1959, and directed by Australian Peter Weir, the film centres on a group of male students in an environment where conformity and achievement are placed above everything else. While the movie is dark and confronting, the performances ensure it has remained a fan favourite. We look back at the characters we loved, and take a glimpse at the actors who played them.

ROBIN WILLIAMS AS PROFESSOR JOHN KEATING

As the new English literature teacher at the Welton Academy for boys, John Keating challenges the teenage protagonists and encourages them to live their lives with passion and purpose. Keating doesn’t subscribe to the rigid standards upheld by the other teachers at the academy and prefers his students to be free thinkers. Encouraging them to rip pages out of their books, teaching classes outside and fostering a love of poetry is all part of his plan to open their eyes. Sadly, Williams’ long and welldocumented history with severe depression,

as well as a more recent diagnosis of Parkinson’s disease, saw him take his own life in 2014. Williams’ wife, Susan Schneider, later released a statement saying, “as he is remembered, it is our hope the focus will not be on Robin’s death, but on the countless moments of joy and laughter he gave to millions”.

ETHAN HAWKE AS TODD ANDERSON

When Hawke won the role of Todd Anderson, he had only just completed two months of university. Speaking to Conan O’Brien in 2013, he admitted he wasn’t doing well in his classes and wanted an escape. “I struggled so much in college that I kind of raced down to this audition just praying that I’d get this part and I did, so I got to drop out,” Hawke said.

As the shy newcomer at the school, Todd is at a disadvantage thanks to his popular older brother, who was once valedictorian. When Todd meets Professor Keating, his life starts to change as he turns away from the expectations placed on him by the school and his family. Speaking to WHO following Williams’ death, Hawke, who has since starred in film such as Reality Bites and the Before Sunrise trilogy, explained how DPS impacted him in the years that followed. “I didn’t realise at the time what a tattoo that movie was on my heart,” he said.

ROBERT SEAN LEONARD AS NEIL PERRY

As the most tragic of all characters, Neil Perry is smart and popular but trapped in a life governed by his strict father. More than anyone, Neil becomes inspired by Keating’s teachings when he discovers the professor was once a member of the unofficial Dead Poets Society. Neil decides to bring back the secret society, which quickly becomes a focal point for him and his friends. Life starts to unravel, however, when Neil’s disapproving father discovers his son has landed a role in a local production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream. With no support from his mother, and knowing he can’t ever stand up to his father, Neil makes a heartbreaking decision.

Following this film, Leonard went on to star in The Age of

Innocence and in TV’s House.

JOSH CHARLES AS KNOX OVERSTREET

Knox is your typical prep schoolboy – until he meets the girl of his dreams. This coincides with Keating’s arrival at the school. While seizing the day and learning more about the great poets, Knox finds the confidence to successfully pursue his blonde beauty. Two years later, Charles hit the big screen in Don’t Tell Mom the Babysitter’s Dead. Since then, Charles has appeared in TV series Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, Masters of Sex and Inside Amy Schumer.

“I didn’t realise what a tattoo it was on my heart” — Hawke