Biography
Robert Guillaume (born Robert Peter Williams) was an American actor and singer. He voiced the mandrill Rafiki in the 1994 Disney film The Lion King and reprised the role in its sequels and related projects.
Guillaume was best known for playing Benson DuBois on the television series Soap (1977–1981) and its spin-off Benson (1979–1986). He also portrayed Isaac Jaffe on Sports Night (1998–2000). On stage, he received a Tony Award nomination for his performance as Nathan Detroit in a 1977 revival of Guys and Dolls and was the first African-American actor to play the title role in The Phantom of the Opera.
He won two Primetime Emmy Awards for his work as Benson and a Grammy Award in 1995 for a spoken-word recording related to The Lion King. Guillaume appeared in films including Big Fish (2003) and Spy Hard (1996).
