Summary: | Actor Robert Guillaume was born Robert P. Williams on November 30, 1927, in St. Louis, Missouri. He attended St. Louis University and Washington University. In 1958, he joined Karamu House Theatre in Cleveland, Ohio. Some of Guillaume's numerous musical credits include performances in Free and Easy, Kwamina, Fly Blackbird, Tambourines to Glory, Golden Boy, Porgy and Bess, Purlie, and Guys and Dolls. Guillaume won an Emmy Award playing the role of Benson on ABC's hit sitcom, Soap, in 1979. Guillaume's own show, Benson, won him another Emmy Award in 1985. In 1990, Guillaume sang the lead vocals in Phantom of the Opera. In 1994, Guillaume voiced Rafiki in Walt Disney's The Lion King. In 1999, he suffered a mild stroke while working on the TV series, Sports Night. After recovering, he returned to the show, and his character was later depicted having a stroke.
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