Robert Guillaume

Overview

Born
November 30, 1927 · St. Louis, Missouri, USA
Died
October 24, 2017 · Los Angeles, California, USA (complications from prostate cancer)
Birth name
Robert Peter Williams
Nickname
- Bob
Height
5′ 10″ (1.78 m)

Robert Peter Williams Guillaume was an actor from St. Louis, Missouri who was known for playing Rafiki from The Lion King, Benson DuBois from Soap and Benson, and Nathan Detroit from Guys and Dolls. He had five children from two marriages. He passed away in October 24, 2017 due to prostate cancer complications.
- IMDb mini biography by: Christian Frates

Gravelly gregarious voice
Known for playing quick witted and wisecracking characters with a crass sense of humor

Robert Guillaume was born as Robert Peter Williams (Guillaume is the French translation of William).
He was the producers' first choice for the role of Tuvok on Star Trek: Voyager (1995), which eventually went to Tim Russ. His Benson (1979) co-star Ethan Phillips was cast as Neelix on the series.
Is the first Black actor to win the Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series and Best Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series. As of 2016, he is the only Black actor performer to win both of them, and he was the only Black actor to win any of the two awards until 2017 (when Donald Glover won Lead Actor in a Comedy Series). He still remains the only Black actor to win an Emmy for Best Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series as of 2017.
Suffered a mild stroke on the set of his television series Sports Night (1998) on January 14, 1999.
Remained good friends with Missy Gold during and after Benson (1979).

Racism may be as systemic as it always was. It is the great problem of America. It's the one stumbling block that I don't believe was ever smoothed over.
I'm not trying to say that it never hurt or that I never felt its sting, but I can honestly say that I never blamed anybody for racism. I have considered it more of a manifestation of humanity's problem rather than my personal problem.
I'm never a person who likes anything I've done. It's just the way it is. Twenty years later, I can look at something I did, and I'm still thinking, 'You know, that could have been better if you had done it this way or that way.
My acting ability would have sent me back to the post office. It was my singing that got me jobs. Ironically, now, people think of me as an actor and don't know me much as a singer.
I've certainly experienced racism, but it has not made a great impact on me. I have always thought, as I got older and older, I was more in charge of who I was. What someone thought about me or said about me made less of an impression on me at very vulnerable times.