It's the curse of all great artists that they are not really appreciated until they are dead. That is less the case these days in Hollywood, where brilliant actors and creative directors are recognized and rewarded fairly quickly.

Sadly, however, I find myself in the first category with Robert Altman. The groundbreaking director famous for ensemble casts, overlapping audio, and letting actors ad-lib to their hearts delight, died last week from cancer. Reading the many tributes to his life and work, I am struck by how many Altman movies I haven't seen.

Of course I saw MASH, arguably his masterpiece and certainly his best known movie. I enjoyed The Player, but thought Cookie's Fortune was less than memorable. Gosford Park was a charming mystery with tremendous acting. And A Prairie Home Companion was on my list of "Movies To Rent Next Time I'm At The Video Store."

But some of the films that movie scholars seem to admire most are the ones I haven't had the honor of seeing. Brewster McCloud (1970), McCabe & Mrs. Miller (1971), The Long Goodbye (1973), Nashville (1975) and Three Women (1977).

So, unable to pay my own tribute to Robert Altman for any of these films, I will instead tell you the three things I will remember Altman for besides but not more than his films.

First, Robin Williams. Williams, of course, starred in 1980's Popeye. Now, you could argue that after Mork & Mindy, Williams' talents were sure to be recognized and his meteoric career would have happened nevertheless; but it was Altman who gave him his big-screen break as the spinach-eating sailor.

Second, Gary Burghoff. Cast as Radar O'Reilly in the movie MASH, Burghoff earned the role for the series, too, and gave us seven years of one of the most memorable characters on TV. Can you imagine anyone else in the role? MASH was Gary's first film.

Third, Lyle Lovett & Julia Roberts. These two unlikely lovers met on the set of The Player and tied the knot soon thereafter, sending shock waves through the movie and country music industries. They split soon enough, but their marriage is immortal in the Celebriverse. Altman went on to cast Lovett in a number of his later films, including Pret-a-Porter and Cookie's Fortune.

Robert Altman was 81.

Ethan Morris: "Not always right, but never in doubt." Go ahead and write me.

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