Singer and actor Robert Goulet died 30 October 2007 while awaiting a lung transplant; he was suffering from interstitial pulmonary fibrosis. Born Robert Gerard Goulet in Lawrence, Massachusetts, on 26 November 1933, he grew up in Edmonton, Alberta.
He found fame originating the role of Lancelot in Camelot on Broadway in 1960. The show wasn’t well received by the critics, but the fans loved it, and it ran 873 performances, closing in January 1963. Goulet went on to win a Tony, a Grammy, and an Emmy, and record 60 albums.
His genre appearances include: Recess: School’s Out (2001), Toy Story 2 (1999), Beelte Juice (1988), four episodes of Fantasy Island (1980-83), and The Daydreamer (1966).
In addition to his stage and film roles, he was a long-time performer in Las Vegas (he was named Las Vegas entertainer of the year in 1982). He parlayed that success into roles parodying himself as a lounge singer. He played an animated version of himself in a Simpsons episode, and he portrayed Robert Goulet in ESPN commercial spots that won a sports Emmy for best promotional shorts in 1996.
In 1962, he won a Grammy Award as best new artist for his first two albums, Always You and Two of Us, and his hit single What Kind of Fool Am I. He won a Tony for his performance in the 1968 Broadway musical The Happy Time.
Goulet was married three times: to Louise Longmore from 1956 to 1963 (they had one child); to Carol Lawrence from 1963 to 1981 (they had two children); and he is survived by his third wife, Vera Goulet (whom he married in 1982).