 Robert Guillaume is a two-time Emmy award-winner, known to savvy primetime audiences as Sports Night's Isaac Jaffe and Benson's Benson. Kids know the sound of his beloved voice as the soothsaying cadence of Rafiki, the mystical baboon in Disney's animated feature, The Lion King, and Lion King II, Simba's Pride. The talented Broadway actor first informed Hollywood of his arrival when he portrayed a self-assured, intelligent butler named Benson in the hysterical, tongue-and-cheek prime time series of the eighties, Soap. While Benson's scene-stealing carried the show, Robert Guillaume carried home an Emmy for his work as "Best Supporting Actor in a Comedy." Robert Guillaume is an actor who continually helps to defy stereotypes. Early in his career, his commanding theatrical presence brought the actor a 1977 Tony nomination for his portrayal of Nathan Detroit in Guys and Dolls, with an all black cast. On Benson, Guillaume insisted his character be equal. He turned out to be the character with the most savoir-faire and brilliance.With his powerful singing voice, Guillaume replaced Michael Crawford in the Los Angeles production of Phantom of the Opera making him the first black actor in history to star in the role. The actor's long list of television and film credits also include: North and South, Crystal Cave: Lessons From The Teachings of Merlin, Pandora's Clock, Meteor Man, Death Warrant, Lean on Me, Perry Mason and Superfly T.N.T. A few of his many guest starring roles include: LA Law, Diagnosis Murder, The Jefferson's, Sanford & Son, Burke's Law, and Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. In the summer of 1992 Robert Guillaume, while a commencement speaker at Tennessee State University was presented with the "Distinguished Achievement Award." Reportedly he told the new graduates, "Do not use any facet of yourself that you perceive as a handicap as an excuse...be prepared to go over, through and around." The actor has done just that. Now in his seventies, after Guillaume suffered a mild stoke in 1999, he returned to work after just a few weeks, a clear indication of his courage and strength of spirit. When Robert Guillaume stepped onto the Emmy telecast stage that same year as a presenter, he received a standing ovation from the audience. By all accounts, Robert Guillaume's contribution to the field of entertainment is invaluable.
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