Robin Williams is the most popular actor to impersonate

Impressionists tend to have a limited shelf life, something noted stand-up A-list Jim Carrey discovered when he tried to carve out his own niche early in his career, but Williams never lost his ability to emulate it Cadence of a famous face, even if he was rarely incorporated into his most memorable screen appearances.

To say that Williams could embody a diverse range of personalities would be an exaggeration if his impressions covered everything and everyone from Pope John Paul II, Margaret Thatcher and Rodney Dangerfield to Julia Child, Robert De Niro, Elmer Fudd and Arnold Schwarzenegger, but none of them were his favorite.

Instead, that honor was bestowed on someone for whom Williams had great personal respect, but also a touch of professional jealousy. After all, he famously wanted to play the Joker in Tim Burton's 1989 comic classic Batmanonly for Jack Nicholson to steal the role right under his nose.

However, they clearly let bygones be bygones, with Williams once intervening and accepting an award on Nicholson's behalf when Nicholson was far too stoned to give a speech himself. The Oscar-winning film Hunting for good will Star loved the three-time Oscar winner's unique personality, so there was only one answer when a Reddit AMA asked him to name the person he most liked to impersonate.

“Oh God, Jack Nicholson,” Williams replied. “He was at a fundraiser with me once, leaned over and said, 'Even oysters have enemies.' In a very urgent voice I replied, “Increase your dosage.” More intrigued than frightened. He says things that even Buddha asks, 'What did you mean?'”

While it's entirely true that oysters do indeed have a number of natural and underwater enemies long before they're scooped out of the sea and served on a plate, it's understandable that even an unhinged comedian like Williams was caught off guard. Beware the David Attenborough-esque assessment one of the greatest actors of all time throws at him over dinner.

Williams managed to impersonate Nicholson for decades, and his effortless appropriation was no doubt aided immensely by his repeated, first-hand encounters with the icon himself.

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