Robin Williams played English teacher and father figure John Keating in the 1989 film Dead Poets Society.
Keating teaches at the strict Welton Academy, where he encourages his students to approach poetry and life with independent judgment. His classroom methods contrast with the school’s rigid traditions and with the intense expectations imposed on many of the boys by their families.
Although Keating is not the students’ biological father, the film presents him as a mentor whose guidance strongly shapes their decisions. The story focuses particularly on Neil Perry, Todd Anderson, and their friends as they respond to Keating’s ideas about individuality and courage.
Peter Weir directed the film, which received four Academy Award nominations. Williams was nominated for Best Actor, and the screenplay won the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay. The phrase “carpe diem,” meaning “seize the day,” became closely associated with the film.