Robert Guillaume (born Robert Peter Williams; November 30, 1927 – October 24, 2017) was an American actor and singer. He played Fishbone on television series " Good Times", Benson DuBois in the ABC television series ''

Soap Soap is a salt (chemistry), salt of a fatty acid (sometimes other carboxylic acids) used for cleaning and lubricating products as well as other applications. In a domestic setting, soaps, specifically "toilet soaps", are surfactants usually u ...

'' and its spin-off, '' Benson''. He also voiced the

mandrill The mandrill (''Mandrillus sphinx'') is a large Old World monkey native to west central Africa. It is one of the most colorful mammals in the world, with red and blue skin on its face and posterior. The species is Sexual dimorphism, sexually ...

Rafiki in '' The Lion King'', and played Isaac Jaffe in Aaron Sorkin's dramedy '' Sports Night''. In a career that spanned more than 50 years, Guillaume worked extensively on stage, television and film. He was nominated for a

Tony Award The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Broadway Theatre, more commonly known as a Tony Award, recognizes excellence in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual ce ...

for his portrayal of Nathan Detroit in '' Guys and Dolls'', and twice won an

Emmy Award The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the year, each with their own set of rules and award categor ...

for his portrayal of the character Benson DuBois, once in 1979 on ''Soap'' and again in 1985 on ''Benson''. He also won a

Grammy Award The Grammy Awards, stylized as GRAMMY, and often referred to as The Grammys, are awards presented by The Recording Academy of the United States to recognize outstanding achievements in music. They are regarded by many as the most prestigious ...

in 1995 for his spoken-word performance of an

audiobook An audiobook (or a talking book) is a recording of a book or other work being read out loud. A reading of the complete text is described as "unabridged", while readings of shorter versions are abridgements. Spoken audio has been available in sch ...

version of '' The Lion King''. Guillaume was the first African-American actor to portray the title role in Andrew Lloyd Webber’s ''The Phantom of the Opera''.

Early life

Guillaume was born Robert Peter Williams in St. Louis to an alcoholic mother. After she abandoned him and several siblings, they were raised by their grandmother, Jeannette Williams. He studied at

Saint Louis University Saint Louis University (SLU) is a private university, private Society of Jesus, Jesuit research university in St. Louis, Missouri, United States. Founded in 1818 by Louis William Valentine DuBourg, it is the oldest university west of the Missi ...

and Washington University in St. Louis and served in the U.S. Army before pursuing an acting career. He adopted the surname Guillaume (French for William) as his

stage name A stage name or professional name is a pseudonym used by performers, authors, and entertainers—such as actors, comedians, singers, and musicians. The equivalent concept among writers is called a ''nom de plume'' (pen name). Some performers ...

Career

Stage

After college, Guillaume joined the Karamu Players in Cleveland and performed in musical comedies and opera. He toured the world in 1959 as a cast member of the Broadway musical ''Free and Easy''. He made his Broadway debut in '' Kwamina'' in 1961. His other stage appearances included '' Golden Boy'' (with Sammy Davis Jr.), '' Tambourines to Glory'', '' Guys and Dolls'', for which he received a

nomination, '' Jacques Brel is Alive and Well and Living in Paris'', and '' Purlie.'' His additional roles included Katherine Dunham's ''Bambouche'' and in ''Fly The Blackbird''. In 1964, Guillaume portrayed Sportin' Life in a revival of ''

Porgy and Bess ''Porgy and Bess'' ( ) is an English-language opera by American composer George Gershwin, with a libretto written by author DuBose Heyward and lyricist Ira Gershwin. It was adapted from Dorothy Heyward and DuBose Heyward's play ''Porgy (play), ...

'' at

New York City Center New York City Center (previously known as the Mecca Temple, City Center of Music and Drama, and the New York City Center 55th Street Theater) is a performing arts center at 131 West 55th Street (Manhattan), 55th Street between Sixth Avenue, Six ...

. Guillaume was a member of the Robert De Cormier Singers, performing in concerts and on television. He recorded an LP album, Columbia CS9033, titled ''Just Arrived'', as a member of The Pilgrims, a folk trio, with Angeline Butler and Millard Williams. Columbia records producer Tom Wilson had set out to create the Pilgrims as an answer to the popular folk trio Peter, Paul and Mary. By early 1964, the Pilgrims had recorded a handful of songs and Wilson was looking for the right song for the group's debut single when a then-unknown singer/songwriter named

Paul Simon Paul Frederic Simon (born October 13, 1941) is an American singer-songwriter known for his solo work and his collaborations with Art Garfunkel. He and Garfunkel, whom he met in elementary school in 1953, came to prominence in the 1960s as Sim ...

arrived for a meeting with Wilson and eventually pitched his new composition, " The Sound of Silence". Wilson liked the song and had Simon record a demo for the group, but when Simon and his friend,

Art Garfunkel Arthur Ira Garfunkel (born November 5, 1941) is an American singer, actor and poet who is best known for his partnership with Paul Simon in the folk rock duo Simon & Garfunkel. Born in Forest Hills, Queens, New York, Garfunkel became acquainte ...

, sang the song for Wilson in person, he signed them to a record contract instead of using it for The Pilgrims. In 1976, Guillaume played Nathan Detroit in the Broadway revival of '' Guys and Dolls'' and was nominated for a

. In 1990, Guillaume was cast in the Los Angeles production of '' The Phantom of the Opera'', replacing Michael Crawford in the title role. Guillaume was the first Black actor to portray the character.

Television

Robert Mandan Robert Guillaume SOAP 1977

Guillaume made several guest appearances on sitcoms, including '' Good Times'', '' The Jeffersons'', '' Sanford and Son'', '' Saved by the Bell: The College Years'' and in the 1990s sitcoms '' The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air'' and '' A Different World''. Guillaume also played Dr. Franklin in season 6, episode 6 ("Chain Letter") of the series ''

All in the Family ''All in the Family'' is an American sitcoms in the United States, sitcom television series that aired on CBS for nine seasons from January 12, 1971, to April 8, 1979, with a total of 205 episodes. It was later produced as ''Archie Bunker's Pla ...

'', in which he coyly referenced '' Marcus Welby, M.D.'', a TV series in which he had guest-starred in 1970. His series-regular debut was on the ABC series ''

'', playing Benson, a butler, from 1977 to 1979. Guillaume continued the role in a spin-off series, '' Benson'', which ran for 158 episodes from 1979 until 1986. In 1985, Guillaume appeared in the television mini-series '' North and South'' as

abolitionist Abolitionism, or the abolitionist movement, is the political movement to end slavery and liberate enslaved individuals around the world. The first country to fully outlaw slavery was Kingdom of France, France in 1315, but it was later used ...

leader Frederick Douglass, who escaped from slavery and became a leader of the anti-slavery movement prior to the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...

. He also appeared as marriage counselor Edward Sawyer on '' The Robert Guillaume Show'' (1989), Detective Bob Ballard on '' Pacific Station'' (1991–1992), and television executive Isaac Jaffe on Aaron Sorkin's short-lived but critically acclaimed '' Sports Night'' (1998–2000). Guillaume suffered a mild

stroke Stroke is a medical condition in which poor cerebral circulation, blood flow to a part of the brain causes cell death. There are two main types of stroke: brain ischemia, ischemic, due to lack of blood flow, and intracranial hemorrhage, hemor ...

on January 14, 1999, while filming an episode of the latter series. He recovered and his character was later also depicted as having had a stroke. He also made a guest appearance on '' 8 Simple Rules for Dating My Teenage Daughter''. He made one of his final TV appearances during season 5 on '' Oprah: Where Are They Now?'' His voice was employed for characters in television series '' Captain Planet and the Planeteers'', '' Fish Police'', and '' Happily Ever After: Fairy Tales for Every Child''. He was known for the voice of Rafiki in the movie '' The Lion King'' and its sequels and spin-offs. He lent his deep tenor voice as Mr. Thicknose in '' The Land Before Time VIII: The Big Freeze''. He also supplied the voice for Eli Vance in the 2004

video game A video game or computer game is an electronic game that involves interaction with a user interface or input device (such as a joystick, game controller, controller, computer keyboard, keyboard, or motion sensing device) to generate visual fe ...

'' Half-Life 2'' and its immediate episodic sequels.

Personal life

Guillaume was married twice; first to Marlene Williams in 1955, with whom he had two sons. Guillaume's daughter was born in 1980. They divorced in 1984. He married Donna Brown in 1986. The couple had a daughter, Rachel. He also fathered a daughter by a different mother, who was born in 1950. In 1999, Guillaume suffered a

while working on ''Sports Night'' at Walt Disney Studios in Burbank,

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

. The stroke was minor, causing relatively slight damage and little effect on his speech. After six weeks in the hospital, he underwent therapy consisting of walks and gym sessions.

Death

Guillaume died of

prostate cancer Prostate cancer is the neoplasm, uncontrolled growth of cells in the prostate, a gland in the male reproductive system below the bladder. Abnormal growth of the prostate tissue is usually detected through Screening (medicine), screening tests, ...

on October 24, 2017, at his home in

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

, California, aged 89.

Honors

Guillaume has a star on the St. Louis Walk of Fame. On November 28, 1984, he received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for his work in the television industry.

Filmography

Film

Television

Theater

Music videos

Video games

:Sources:

Awards and nominations

References

External links

* * * * *
St. Louis Walk of Fame

Robert Guillaume's oral history video excerpts
at The National Visionary Leadership Project * {{DEFAULTSORT:Guillaume, Robert 1927 births 2017 deaths 20th-century African-American male actors 20th-century American male actors 21st-century African-American male actors 21st-century American male actors African Americans in the Korean War African-American male singers African-American United States Army personnel American male film actors American male musical theatre actors American male television actors American male video game actors American male voice actors Audiobook narrators Deaths from prostate cancer in California Grammy Award winners Male actors from St. Louis Military personnel from St. Louis Outstanding Performance by a Lead Actor in a Comedy Series Primetime Emmy Award winners Outstanding Performance by a Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series Primetime Emmy Award winners United States Army personnel of the Korean War Washington University in St. Louis alumni