He was expelled from school and then the Army, though he was granted an honorable discharge. Seeking but denied his mother's love and scorned by nuns and students because of his dark skin, the boy became a rebel, and that carried into his adult life. His alcoholic mother hated him because of his dark skin, and his grandmother rescued him, taught him to read and enrolled him in a Catholic school. His early years were spent in a back-alley apartment without plumbing or electricity an outhouse was shared with two dozen people. His mother named him Robert Peter Williams when he became a performer he adopted Guillaume, a French version of Williams, believing the change would give him distinction. This was the opening of "Guillaume: A Life," his 2002 autobiography in which he laid bare his troubled life. "I'm a bastard, a Catholic, the son of a prostitute, and a product of the poorest slums of St. He also made appearance for the American Heart Association. Guillaume resumed his career and traveled as a new spokesman for the American Stroke Association.
Because of slim ratings, the second season proved to be the last for the much-praised show. He returned to the second season of "Sports Talk," and it was written into the script that Isaac Jaffee was recovering from a stroke. After six weeks in the hospital, he underwent a therapy of walks and sessions in the gym. Guillaume's stroke was minor, causing relatively slight damage and little effect on his speech. They are fatal in 15 percent of the cases. The 71-year-old actor was taken there and treated for a stroke- the result of a blood clot that blocked circulation of blood to the brain. Joseph Hospital was directly across from the studio. I didn't know it was it was caused by my left side being weaker than the other."įortunately, St. "I kept floundering about on the floor and I didn't know why I couldn't do it. "I fell on the floor, and I couldn't get up," he told an interviewer in 2001.
While playing in "Guys and Dolls, he was asked to test for the role of an acerbic butler of a governor's mansion in "Soap," a primetime TV sitcom that satirized soap operas.
He became the first African-American to sing the title role of "Phantom of the Opera," appearing with an all-white cast in Los Angeles. Louis native was an accomplished stage performer, from his apprenticeship at Cleveland's Karamu Theatre to New York with roles in shows including "Porgy and Bess," "Othello" and "Apple Pie."Īmong Guillaume's achievements was playing Nathan Detroit in the first all-black version of "Guys and Dolls," earning a Tony nomination in 1977. He had been battling prostate cancer, she told The Associated Press.īest known for his TV performances, the St. Guillaume died at home Tuesday in Los Angeles, according to his widow, Donna Brown Guillaume. Louis slums to become a star in stage musicals and win Emmy Awards for his portrayal of the sharp-tongued butler in the TV sitcoms "Soap" and "Benson," has died at age 89. NEW YORK (CBSLA/AP) - Robert Guillaume, who rose from squalid beginnings in St.