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Robert Guillaume
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Robert Guillaume is an actor who continually helps to defy stereotypes. Early in his career, his commanding theatrical presence brought the actor a 1977 Tony nomination for his portrayal of Nathan Detroit in "Guys and Dolls," with an all black cast. On "Benson," Guillaume insisted his character be equal. He turned out to be the character with the most savoir-faire and brilliance.
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Robert Guillaume is a stage, movie and television actor. Born in St. Louis, Missouri, he studied at St. Louis University and then Washington University and served in the United States Army before venturing out to acting. He made his Broadway debut in 1961 in numerous stage appearances, and he won a Tony Award for his performance in the play "Purlie Victorious."
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Before Robert Guillaume became a popular television actor and Broadway musical star, he was Robert Williams from St. Louis, Missouri: a young man with a golden voice and a future in the accounting field. Fortunately for all his fans, the young man threw caution to the wind and opted for show business. He chose a new name, Guillaume, the French translation of Williams, for its sophisticated image, but it was a decision he soon came to regret because so many people tripped on the pronunciation. That concern has long since dissolved. Guillaume, an Emmy Award winner for his roles in the television sitcoms, Soap and Benson, and a star in theater's smash hit musical Phantom of the Opera, is now one of the most respected and recognized talents in the business. And his name--tricky pronunciation and all--has become a household word.
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From All Movie Guide: The product of a tough, impoverished upbringing, African American actor Robert Guillaume fought his way out of the St. Louis slums by virtue of talent, persistence and an unwillingness to bow down to anyone. After military service and college, Guillaume held down short-term jobs ranging from cook to streetcar conductor, all the while training his voice for potential musical comedy work--training that paid off with his first Broadway show, 1961's Kwamina. Among his many stage credits were the musical versions of Golden Boy (with Sammy Davis Jr.) and Purlie Victorious, and the long-running review Jacques Brel is Alive and Well and Living in Paris. When New York stage work was scarce, Guillaume created his own opportunities by giving one-man concerts. After guesting in several of the black-oriented TV sitcoms of the 1970s, Guillaume was cast in 1977 as the imperious, outspoken family retainer Benson in the daytime-drama parody Soap (the actor would be first to admit that many of Benson's more contentious traits sprang from Guillaume's own prickly personality). The role won Guillaume a 1978 Emmy as "Outstanding Supporting Actor."
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It wasn't long after Robert Guillaume moved from Cleveland to New York City that he became one of the stage's best-reviewed young actors. His critical triumphs included "Kwamina," "Bambouche," "Tambourines to Glory," "Othello," "Porgy and Bess," "Apple Pie," and "Jacques Brel." He went on to even greater acclaim playing leads in "Purlie" and "Golden Boy;" and, of course in "Guys and Dolls," for his Tony-nominated performance as Nathan Detroit.
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It was during one of his 750 performances in the play Jacques Brel Is Alive and Well and Living in Paris that Guillaume received his biggest break yet. Once again he was recruited, this time for the role of Nathan Detroit in the 1976 all-black revival of the hit Guys and Dolls. Guillaume's impressive performance as the street-smart owner of "the oldest established permanent floating crap game in New York" won him a Tony nomination. He had finally arrived. And then he left--for television. Guillaume explained the circumstances in the Christian Science Monitor: "I was doing Guys and Dolls in New York and we'd been notified we were going to close shortly.
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Robert Guillaume