50 Fun Facts About Mrs. Doubtfire

Who plays Daniel Hillard, the divorced dad who becomes Mrs. Doubtfire?

He also produced the film with his then wife Marsha Garces Williams; Tim Allen turned down both Daniel and Stu.

Who directed Mrs. Doubtfire?

He came to it straight off Home Alone and Home Alone 2, and went on to direct the first two Harry Potter films.

Mrs. Doubtfire is based on a 1987 novel by which English author?

The book is called Madame Doubtfire in the UK and Alias Madame Doubtfire in the US; her first choice for Daniel was Warren Beatty.

What is Daniel Hillard's job at the start of the film?

He quits after refusing to voice a cartoon that glamorises smoking, then uses his voices to sabotage Miranda's nanny applicants.

What are the names of the three Hillard children?

They are 14, 12 and 5; Mara Wilson beat a young Blake Lively to the role of Natalie.

What is Mrs. Doubtfire's first name?

In Anne Fine's novel she is Iphigenia and Scottish; the film's version is English and takes her surname from a newspaper headline.

Where does Daniel get the surname 'Doubtfire'?

He is glancing at the paper while inventing the character on the phone to Miranda.

Who plays Miranda Hillard?

Columbus wanted Catherine O'Hara from Home Alone, but she was busy with The Nightmare Before Christmas.

Who plays Stu Dunmeyer, Miranda's handsome new boyfriend?

Daniel Stern was another choice but was busy with Rookie of the Year; Tim Allen declined the role.

Who transforms Daniel into an old woman with makeup and prosthetics?

Harvey Fierstein plays Frank, a makeup artist; the real makeup took four hours to apply each day.

How long did the Mrs. Doubtfire makeup take to apply each day?

He liked to walk around San Francisco in full costume, once visiting a sex shop without being recognised.

How do Lydia and Chris discover that Mrs. Doubtfire is their father?

They agree to keep his secret so they can keep seeing him; Natalie is not told.

At the restaurant, what does Daniel secretly put on Stu's jambalaya, knowing his allergy?

When Stu chokes, a guilty Daniel does the Heimlich and his mask slips off, exposing him to Miranda.

Why is Daniel at the same restaurant as Miranda's birthday party that night?

CEO Jonathan Lundy wants to discuss a new children's show, so Daniel keeps switching between his suit and the costume.

What is the name of the children's TV show Daniel ends up hosting as Mrs. Doubtfire?

Miranda watches an episode at the end and decides that things were better with 'her' around.

In which city is Mrs. Doubtfire set and filmed?

The Hillard home is a real Painted Lady at 2640 Steiner Street, which became a memorial after Williams's death in 2014.

What is the address of the Hillard family house, which became a fan memorial in 2014?

The street signs at Steiner and Broadway are visible on screen; fans left tributes on the steps in August 2014.

Which legendary animator directed the 'Pudgy and Grunge' cartoon Daniel is voicing in the opening scene?

The Looney Tunes director was 80 at the time; Daniel quits when the script has the bird start smoking.

Where was the famous jambalaya dinner scene filmed?

An extended version of the scene turned up among the deleted scenes on later home releases.

Which Oscar did Mrs. Doubtfire win?

Greg Cannom, Ve Neill and Yolanda Toussieng took the award at the 66th Academy Awards.

Which Golden Globes did Mrs. Doubtfire win?

Critics were lukewarm, but the Globes were not; Roger Ebert wondered how the family could fail to recognise him.

Mrs. Doubtfire was the second-highest-grossing film of 1993 worldwide. Which film beat it?

It made $441 million on a $25 million budget and was Fox's highest-grossing film internationally at the time.

What was Mrs. Doubtfire's approximate production budget?

Against that it grossed $441 million and sold an estimated 52.6 million tickets in the US alone.

How did the director capture the cast's reactions to the star's improvising?

They shot so much improvisation that, according to Columbus, they literally ran out of film.

In 2021 online articles claimed an NC-17 cut existed. What did the director say?

Mara Wilson also debunked the rumour.

Why did British censors initially give Mrs. Doubtfire a 12 certificate rather than PG?

A compromise removed thirteen seconds of innuendo for a PG; the 12 was reinstated for the uncut version in 2012.

Which future star unsuccessfully auditioned to play little Natalie Hillard?

Mara Wilson got the part and went on to Matilda and Miracle on 34th Street.

Which actor was the novelist's first choice to play Daniel Hillard?

Tim Allen was also offered the role and declined.

Which actress plays Daniel's nosy neighbour Gloria Chaney in a subplot cut from the final film?

Deleted scenes released later also include a spelling-bee argument and a post-restaurant confrontation.

Which TV station's studios in Oakland were used for the station scenes?

It is where Daniel works in the shipping department before CEO Lundy spots him playing with props.

Where does Daniel live after the divorce, in the film's Bay Area geography?

His children's school was at Filbert and Taylor.

Who began developing a Mrs. Doubtfire sequel in 2001 that was eventually scrapped?

Rewrites started in 2006 because Williams disliked the plot, and the project was shelved that December.

How long after its cinema release did Fox put Mrs. Doubtfire out on VHS?

It was still grossing over $1 million a weekend in theatres when the tape came out in April 1994.

Mrs. Doubtfire was the last non-Disney Thanksgiving box office winner until which 2000 film?

On its opening weekend it beat Addams Family Values and Clint Eastwood's A Perfect World.

In the original 1987 novel, what nationality is Madame Doubtfire supposed to be?

In the book Daniel is an out-of-work actor moonlighting as a nude model, and Lydia and Natalie see through him at once.

Which prizes was the original novel Madame Doubtfire shortlisted for in the UK?

The novel was written for teenage and young adult readers.

Who originated the role of Daniel Hillard in the Mrs. Doubtfire stage musical?

The show premiered in Seattle in 2019, began Broadway previews in March 2020 and was shut down by the pandemic after three performances.

Which songwriting brothers wrote the score for the Mrs. Doubtfire musical?

They also wrote Something Rotten!; John O'Farrell co-wrote the book with Karey.

Where did the Mrs. Doubtfire musical have its world premiere in December 2019?

It was extended to January 2020 by popular demand before heading to the Stephen Sondheim Theatre on Broadway.

Which Broadway house hosted the Mrs. Doubtfire musical?

Previews began on March 9, 2020, days before Broadway went dark.

The star of Mrs. Doubtfire first found fame playing which TV alien?

Garry Marshall cast him as Mork in a 1978 Happy Days episode before Mork & Mindy ran for four seasons.

Where did the film's star begin performing stand-up in 1976?

He worked his way up from tending bar there; he was born in Chicago and had left Juilliard the same year.

The film's director made which two Christmas hits immediately before it?

He had earlier written Gremlins and The Goonies for Steven Spielberg.

Which two screenwriters adapted Anne Fine's novel into the Mrs. Doubtfire screenplay?

Robin Williams co-produced the film with his then-wife Marsha Garces Williams and Mark Radcliffe.

Which sitcom star turned down the roles of both Daniel Hillard and Stu Dunmeyer?

Daniel Stern was also considered for Stu but was busy with Rookie of the Year.

Which Home Alone actress did Chris Columbus first want for Miranda, before Sally Field was cast?

She was tied up with The Nightmare Before Christmas; Kirstie Alley was another name considered.

Which composer wrote the score for Mrs. Doubtfire?

He composed, orchestrated and conducted it himself, a year before starting work on Ed Wood and several before The Lord of the Rings.

How much did Mrs. Doubtfire take in its three-day opening weekend in November 1993?

It beat Addams Family Values and A Perfect World to the number one spot and finished with $441.3 million worldwide.

Which Elf screenwriter was hired in 2014 to write a Mrs. Doubtfire sequel?

Williams and Columbus were expected to return, but the project drew mixed reactions and ended with Williams's death that August.

Which three actors were considered for TV boss Jonathan Lundy before Robert Prosky got the role?

Lundy's dinner invitation lands Daniel at the same restaurant as Miranda's birthday, forcing the frantic costume swaps.