Actor. Born Robert Peter Williams, he will best be remembered for his role as the acerbic, dry-witted butler, Benson DuBois, on the 1977 series 'Soap', then as the title character on 1979 spin-off TV series 'Benson', which ran for seven seasons and earned him an Emmy Award. He joined the U.S. Army in 1945 and was discharged 15 months later. While studying nights at St. Louis University, he originally intended to study business but became interested in singing and transferred to Washington University to study voice and theater, before changing his name. He moved to New York City and made his Broadway debut in a 1960 revival of 'Finian's Rainbow' and found regular employment in the chorus of several Broadway productions. In 1972, he took on the title roles in a couple of musicals and appeared in several revues. In 1977, he was cast in the all-black revival of 'Guys and Dolls' which earned him a Tony Award nomination. During this period, he appeared on sitcoms such as 'All in the Family', 'Good Times', 'Sanford and Son' and 'The Jeffersons' which led to the supporting role of Benson in 'Soap', follwed by his starring role in 'Benson'. After 'Benson' ended, he starred in TV movie 'John Grin's Christmas', a black retelling of 'A Christmas Carol' that was also his directorial debut. In 1989, he starred in another sitcom, 'The Robert Guillaume Show', playing a marriage counselor, but the series lasted four months before the network cancelled the series. In 1990, he returned to the stage in the Los Angeles production of 'Phantom of the Opera' and on Broadway in the lead role of 'Cyrano — The Musical' in 1993. He also performed regularly in concert. Among the films he appeared in were: 'Lean on Me', 'Death Warrant', 'Meteor Man', 'First Kid' and 'Spy Hard'. His other TV appearances include: 'Happily Ever After', 'Children of the Dust', 'Run for the Dream', 'Pandora's Clock' and 'Sports Night'. In 1999, while starring in 'Sports Night, he suffered a stroke and was inactive for several months. When he returned to the show, his illness was worked into the story line until the series ended its run the following year. During the 2000s, he made a few guest appearances on a few more TV shows, including '8 Simple Rules' and 'CSI: Crime Scene Investigation', but opted to work more heavily on voice-overs, including Dr. Eli Vance in the video game, 'Half-Life 2'. Known as the the voice of Rafiki in 'The Lion King', he won a Grammy Award for his role in the audiobook version of the film. For his contributions to television, he has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, located at 6675 Hollywood Blvd. Guillaume, who would go on to appear in several more films and TV roles, died after a lengthy battle with prostate cancer.