Robert Goulet

Robert Gerard Goulet (born November 26, 1933 in Lawrence, Massachusetts; † October 30, 2007 in Los Angeles, California) was an American singer, actor, and entertainer.

Live

Robert Goulet grew up in Edmonton, Canada. His talent was recognized at an early age, and he was awarded a scholarship to a music conservatory in Toronto, where he studied acting and singing. After first appearances on Canadian television in the early 1950s, he went to New York City. There he had his breakthrough in 1960 when he landed the lead role in the Broadway musical Camelot, for which he won the Theatre World Award a year later.

1962 also marked the beginning of his career as a popular music singer, when he signed a recording contract with Columbia and had a hit single with What Kind of Fool Am I? By the late 1970s, he was successful primarily as an album artist and had three top ten albums with Sincerely Yours ..., This Christmas I Spend With You (both 1963) and My Love, Forgive Me (1965). From the latter album, which went gold, the title track was also his biggest single hit, reaching number 19.

In 1968, he won a Tony Award for "Best Featured Actor in a Musical" for his portrayal of Jacques Bonnard in Gower Champion's Broadway musical The Happy Time. Engagements for television shows and some cinema productions followed, as well as over 15 long-playing records. After a long break from films, director Tim Burton hired him for his 1988 film Beetlejuice. In The Naked Gun 2½ (1991), Goulet starred as the villain Quentin Hapsburg. As early as 1982, he was featured in the opening credits of an episode of The Naked Gun, in which he was immediately shot as a running gag. Later he appeared mainly in Las Vegas, where he also lived.

Goulet was parodied as a cartoon character in the television series The Simpsons. In one episode, he is supposed to appear in a luxurious casino, but is directed by underage Bart Simpson to his tree house, where he has set up a casino for children. In 2006, Goulet played himself in the episode Rapunzel's Wig (Sold-Y Locks, season 8, episode 18) of the US sitcom King of Queens alongside Kevin James and Leah Remini. He also made several cameo appearances in the series A Trio to Bite.

Private

Robert Goulet was married three times. In the first marriage from 1956 to 1963 with Louise Longmore; from this marriage comes the actress Nicolette Goulet. Two more children were born from the second marriage (1963-1981) with his fellow actress Carol Lawrence, and from 1982 on Vera Novak was his wife.