Robert Guillaume ✝

Robert Guillaume (born Robert Peter Williams; November 30, 1927 – October 24, 2017) was an American actor, known for his role as Isaac Jaffe on Sports Night and as Benson in the television series Soap and the spin-off Benson, as well as for voicing the mandrill Rafiki in The Lion King. In a career that spanned more than 50 years he worked extensively on stage, television and film. For his efforts he was nominated for a Tony Award for his portrayal of Nathan Detroit in Guys and Dolls, and twice won an Emmy Award for his portrayal of the character Benson DuBois, once in 1979 on Soap and in 1985 on Benson. He also won a Grammy Award in 1995 for his spoken word performance of an audiobook version of The Lion King.\n', ' Guillaume was born in St. Louis, Missouri, as Robert Williams, to an alcoholic mother. After being abandoned by her, he and several siblings were raised by their grandmother Jeannette Williams. He studied at St. Louis University and Washington University and served in the United States Army before pursuing an acting career. He adopted the surname "Guillaume", French for William, as his stage name.\n', ' After leaving university, 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 Tony Award 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.\n', '