Robert Guillaume was an American actor.
Biography[]
Born Robert Williams in St. Louis, Missouri, he joined the Karamu Players following a spell in the Army and made his Broadway debut in 1961. He was initially best known for stage work, before debuting in the film Super Fly T.N.T. and making appearances in such films as Big Fish and television series including Soap and Sports Night.
Guillaume also lent his deep tenor voice to a number of animated productions, most notably as Rafiki the Mandrill in The Lion King series and in Captain Planet and the Planeteers.
Guillaume passed away in 2017.
Singing[]
A prolific singer on stage and screen; Guillaume began in the ensemble of Finian's Rainbow and Porgy and Bess (later playing the larger role of Sportin' Life) before his first major role as Ako in the original cast of Kwamina. He also originated the role of Carl in Fly Blackbird and played Purlie both stage and screen versions of Purlie.
Guillaume would also appear as Nathan Detroit in the all-black version of Guys and Dolls (for which he received a Tony nomination), and took over as the lead in Cyrano: The Musical. Onscreen, he notably sang "Upendi" in The Lion King II: Simba's Pride.
Film[]
Purlie (1981)[]
- New Fangled Preacher Man (solo)
- The Harder They Fall (duet)
- Down Home (duet)
- Walk Him Up the Stairs/Epilogue (contains solo lines)
The Lion King II: Simba's Pride (1998)[]
- Upendi (contains solo lines)
The Land Before Time VIII: The Big Freeze (2001)[]
- The Lesson (contains solo lines)
Television[]
The Donna Summer Special (1980)[]
- The Man I Love (solo)
Stage[]
Free and Easy (1959)[]
Finian's Rainbow (1960)[]
- This Time of the Year
- Look to the Rainbow
- If This Isn't Love
- Great Come-and-Get-It-Day
- When the Idle Poor Become the Idle Rich
- Look to the Rainbow (Reprise)
- If This Isn't Love (Reprise)
- Finale
Porgy and Bess (1961)[]
- A Woman is a Sometime Thing
- Gone, Gone, Gone!
- Overflow
- Leavin' fo' de Promis' Lan'
- Woman to Lady
- It Ain't Necessarily So
- Time and Time Again
- Oh, de Lawd Shake de Heaven
- A Red Headed Woman
- Oh, Doctor Jesus
- Clara, Don't You Be Downhearted
Kwamina (1961)(originated the role)[]
- The Cocoa Bean Song (contains solo lines)
- Nothing More to Look Forward To (duet)
Fly Blackbird (1962)(originated the role)[]
- Couldn't We (duet)
- Rivers to the South (contains solo lines)
- Lilac Tree (contains solo lines)
- Old White Tom (contains solo lines)
- Wake Up (contains solo lines)
Porgy and Bess (1964)[]
- It Ain't Necessarily So (contains solo lines)
- There's a Boat That's Leavin' Soon for New York (duet)
Purlie (1970)[]
- Walk Him Up the Stairs
- New Fangled Preacher Man (solo)
- The Harder They Fall (duet)
- Down Home (duet)
- Walk Him Up the Stairs
Jacques Brel is Alive and Well and Living in Paris (1973)[]
Music! Music! (1974)[]
Apple Pie (1976)(originated the role)[]
- Marshall's Blues (solo)
- The Stockboy Blues (duet)
- Love Scene (duet)
- The Wedding (contains solo lines)
- Gun Scene (duet)
- Freedom Anthem (contains solo lines)
- Reiffied Expression (duet)
- Breakup Rag (contains solo lines)
- Marshall's Reply (solo)
Guys and Dolls (1976)[]
- The Oldest Established (contains solo lines)
- Sue Me (duet)
- Sit Down, You're Rocking the Boat
- Finale
The Phantom of the Opera (1989)[]
- Angel of Music (contains solo lines)
- The Mirror/Angel of Music (reprise)(duet)
- The Phantom of the Opera (duet)
- The Music of the Night (solo)
- Stranger Than You Dreamt It (solo)
- All I Ask of You (reprise)(contains solo lines)
- Why So Silent (solo)
- Wandering Child/Bravo Monsieur (contains solo lines)
- Twisted Every Way (contains solo lines)
- The Point of No Return (duet)
- Down Once More/Track Down This Murderer (contains solo lines)
- Grand Finale
Cyrano: The Musical (1994)[]
- Aria (contains solo lines)
- The Duel (contains solo lines)
- Where's All This Anger Coming From? (duet)
- Loving Her (duet)
- A Message from Roxane (duet)
- Roxane's Confession (duet)
- Hate Me (solo)
- Cyrano's Story (duet)
- A Letter for Roxane (duet)
- Two Musketeers (duet)
- Balcony Scene (contains solo lines)
- Poetry (duet)
- Moonsong (solo)
- Every Day, Every Night (contains solo lines)
- A White Sash (contains solo lines)
- When I Write (solo)
- Two Musketeers (Reprise)(duet)
- Tell Her Now (duet)
- The Evening (contains solo lines)
- Even Then (Reprise)(duet)
- An Old Wound/The Letter/Moonsong (Reprise)(duet)
Albums[]
The Phantom of the Opera (1996)[]
- The Phantom of the Opera (duet)
- The Color of the Wind (duet)
Gallery[]
