Daniel Hillard

"Look at this! My first day as a woman, and I'm getting hot flashes!""

- Daniel Hillard/Mrs. Doubtfire Daniel Hillard is the main protagonist of the 1993 family comedy Mrs. Doubtfire. He is played by the late Robin Williams.

How far would an ordinary father go to spend more time with his children? Daniel Hillard is no ordinary father, so when he learns his ex-wife needs a housekeeper, he applies for the job. With the perfect wig, a little makeup and a dress for all occasions, he becomes Mrs. Doubtfire, a devoted British nanny who is hired on the spot. Free to be the "woman" he never knew he could be, the disguised Daniel creates a whole new life with his entire family.

History
Daniel Hillard is a freelance voice artist living in San Francisco, California who quits his job due to a disagreement over a questionable script. Though a devoted and loving father to his three children Lydia, Chris, and Natalie, Daniel is an unreliable and childish husband. Despite his wife Miranda's objections, Daniel throws a wild birthday party for his son Chris. Arriving home from work, Miranda becomes furious with him and, after an argument, seeks a divorce. At their first custody hearing, a judge grants Miranda custody of the children since Daniel has neither a residence nor a steady job.

Soon, Daniel learns that Miranda intends to hire a housekeeper and secretly alters her classifieds form when she declines his offer to take care of the kids. He then calls Miranda several times, using his voice acting skills as several female job applicants. Finally, he calls as a Scottish-accented nanny, whom he calls Mrs. Euphegenia Doubtfire. Impressed with her alleged qualifications, Miranda invites "Mrs. Doubtfire" for an interview. Daniel enlists his older brother Frank, a makeup artist, and his boyfriend Jack to transform him into the character.

After being further impressed by the interview, Miranda hires Mrs. Doubtfire. The children initially struggle to adjust to Mrs. Doubtfire's methods, but they soon begin to thrive, becoming happier and doing better in school while Miranda is able to heal her distant relationship with her children as she and Mrs. Doubtfire become good friends. Daniel has to learn several skills to play his role, such as cooking and cleaning, and also improves himself.

However, despite impressing Miranda greatly with his new-found maturity, Daniel realizes that he has indirectly created another barrier, as when he asks to look after the children, Miranda insists she could never dismiss Mrs. Doubtfire as the family's lives have been made so much better by "her." One night, Lydia and Chris learn that Mrs. Doubtfire is their father in disguise, but after the initial panic and learning why he did it, they agree to keep it a secret from everyone.

Daniel also takes a job at a television station. One day, CEO Jonathan Lundy sees Daniel clowning around with toy dinosaurs on the set of an unsuccessful children's program. Impressed with Daniel's creativity, Mr. Lundy invites him to dinner at Bridge's Restaurant on the coming Friday night for Daniel to pitch ideas as a new host. Meanwhile, Miranda expects Mrs. Doubtfire to attend a birthday dinner arranged by her boyfriend Stu Dunmire scheduled at the same time and place.

Unable to reschedule either appointment, Daniel goes to the restaurant and tries to rotate between both dinners, changing in and out of the Mrs. Doubtfire costume in the restroom. He consumes several alcoholic beverages between the two tables and becomes tipsy. He forgets to change out of the Mrs. Doubtfire costume before returning to Mr. Lundy's table and seasons cayenne pepper (which Stu is allergic to) on Stu's food. When Lundy questions the costume, Daniel covers for his mistake by explaining that his alter-ego is his idea for a television persona, impressing Lundy. At Miranda's table, Stu starts choking. Regretful of his actions, Daniel administers the Heimlich manoeuvre which causes the mask to rip off, revealing his identity to Miranda's dismay, devastation, and anger.

At their next custody hearing, Daniel demonstrates he has a job and a suitable home and gives a heart felt speech on why he masqueraded as Mrs. Doubtfire. However, the judge while sympathetic, is disturbed by his actions and grants Miranda full custody, with Daniel limited to supervised visitation once a week. Without Mrs. Doubtfire, the children again become miserable and even Miranda admits their lives were so much better with "her". Soon, they are delighted when they see Daniel dressed as Mrs. Doubtfire hosting his own television program, "Euphegenia's House", which becomes a hit across several American cities.

Miranda pays a visit to Daniel after he wraps up one episode. Congratulating him on his success, she admits that things were better when he was involved, so she decides to appeal the custody ruling. Later the children are greeted by Daniel, revealed as their new babysitter, undisguised and without supervision.

They head out as Miranda watches a "Euphegenia's House" episode where Mrs. Doubtfire answers a letter from a young girl whose parents have separated, saying no matter what arrangements families have, love will prevail.