Judi Dench Says Robin Williams Was ‘Gently Supportive’ During Her Late Husband’s Cancer Battle: ‘I’ve Often Thought About’ His ‘Sensitivity and Understanding’

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Judi Dench is reflecting on her relationship with Robin Williams and how he supported her when her husband, Michael Williams, was battling lung cancer in her forthcoming memoir, “Is It Too Late to Make a Run For It?”

Nearly 30 years earlier, Dench had been staying at actor Billy Connolly’s Scotland home with her late husband when they ran into Williams. “One evening there was a big party in the woods with a ceilidh and a bonfire,” Dench writes (via People). “Michael was very ill at the time and I could see him flagging, so we said our good nights and began walking up this very steep hill.”

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“Robin Williams appeared beside us and offered to help, but Michael said he could manage,” Dench continues. “And Robin said, ‘Well, I think I’ll ride shotgun anyway’, which was such a lovely thing to say. I’ve often thought about that moment — Robin’s sensitivity and understanding, just offering to be there, gently supportive, without imposing himself.”

Dench had worked with the “Hook” actor years prior in 1996’s “Hamlet,” and she’d been presented with the Oscar for best supporting actress for the role of Queen Elizabeth I in “Shakespeare in Love” by Williams in 1999. The iconic comedian, who starred in films including “Jumanji,” “Good Will Hunting,” “Dead Poets Society,” “Mrs. Doubtfire,” and more, died in 2014 at the age of 63.

Dench’s husband died on Jan. 11, 2001, at the age of 65. The two had married in 1971.

Also in her memoir, which hits shelves on Tuesday, Dench reflected on her experience acting in the panned 2019 film “Cats” for the first time publicly.

Adapted from Andrew Lloyd Webber’s hugely successful musical of the same name, the film was considered a critical and commercial failure despite its stacked cast — which also included James Corden, Idris Elba, Taylor Swift and others among Dench.

“Oh God, I can’t bear it – and [Lloyd Webber] had waited so long for it to be made,” she wrote. “What a waste of all that goodwill and talent. I understand the critics were rather hostile to the film. I never saw the final cut so I can’t judge. All I’ll say is nobody sets out to give a poor performance or make a bad film. You do your best, offer something up and hope that people will get on board and join the party.”