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Hillard House
“Jesus! If I find the misogynistic bastard that invented heels, I’ll kill him.”
Daniel Hillard (Robin Williams)
The filming of Mrs. Doubtfire takes place in San Francisco and the Bay Area. The Hillard house is located at the same address as in real life, 2640 Steiner Street. As is often the case, only the exterior of this beautiful Victorian building is exploited. For the interiors, the production invests a former candy warehouse in the Richmond district. KTVU’s television studios in Oakland are also used. The house is chosen for its architecture, typical of the city, but also for its location. The address indeed allows to realize wonderful plans exploiting the splendid sight offered since the door step. In this, 2640 Steiner Street stands out as a true snapshot of San Francisco, capturing the essence of this part of the Bay Area. The perfect place to start telling the story of an actor in need of a role.
In Mrs. Doubtfire, Robin Williams plays a father in the midst of a divorce whose desire to stay as close to his children as possible leads him to give birth to Mrs. Doubtfire, an extravagant housekeeper. If the character is, in the novel on which the film is based, modelled on the owner of an antique store, really called Doubtfire, the director Chris Columbus begins the production of his film by going through hundreds of photos in order to find the perfect English woman of the 1940s. His goal? Work especially on the look of the housekeeper played by Robin Williams. The makeup is designed by Ve Neill, already working on Tim Burton’s Beetlejuice. It takes Robin Williams more than four hours every morning to become Mrs. Doubtfire. For all that, the actor seems to take a lot of pleasure in playing this elderly lady who is a bit offbeat. One day, he even goes to a sex shop dressed as in the film, buys particularly evocative items under the hallucinated gaze of the managers, and comes out as if nothing had happened.With a penchant for improvisation, Robin Williams keeps changing the script without notifying Chris Columbus. He then decided to shoot simultaneously with several cameras to capture the genius at work of the actor but also to capture on the spot the sometimes unexpected reactions of his partners. Teasing, Robin Williams also tries to disconcert his colleagues and in particular Pierce Brosnan. When the film was released in theaters, it was an immediate success. While many critics compare it to Some Like It Hot and Tootsie, Mrs. Doubtfire manages to stand out. A sequel is regularly mentioned over the years. In 2014, the project was ready to go into production, but the death of Robin Williams put a definitive end to it.
Adaptation of Anne Fine’s novel Madame Doubtfire, Mrs. Doubtfire was a hit with critics but delighted the public. It amassed more than 441 million dollars at the worldwide box office and remains one of the most cult comedies of the 1990s.
The application of the prostheses useful in order to transform Robin Williams into Mrs. Doubtfire required four hours a day.
2640 Steiner St
The Hillard house in Mrs Doubtfire has become, since the death of Robin Williams, a veritable shrine for fans.
This beautiful Victorian style house was built in 1906 in one of the steepest streets of San Francisco. Overlooking the bay, it is today the property of a plastic surgeon. Far from repelling fans, he often comes to meet them to discuss the film and Robin Williams. Thus, in August 2014, following the death of the comedian, the one nicknamed Dr. Douglas K. welcomed visitors and willingly accepted that they lay wreaths of flowers in front of his house. Since then, the famous house has changed color but remains very recognizable.
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SAN FRANCISCO map of the 100 most famous places (French Edition)
The San Francisco Fantrippers map, an original way to discover the Californian city! Through 100 pop culture places, walk its streets from another angle. Movies, TV shows, music, comics and novels, will allow you to spend a pleasant moment in The City by the Bay. With a folded size of 10 x 18 cm and an unfolded size of 60 x 54 cm, it slips easily into your pocket or bag for easy reference.
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By Gilles Rolland
Passionné de cinéma, de rock and roll, de séries TV et de littérature. Rédacteur de presse et auteur des livres Le Heavy Metal au cinéma, Paroles de fans Guns N' Roses, Paroles de fans Rammstein et Welcome to my Jungle : 100 albums rock et autres anecdotes dépareillées. Adore également voyager à la recherche des lieux les plus emblématiques de la pop culture.