ROBERT GOULET

'Robert Gerard Goulet' (born November 26 1933 in Lawrence, Massachusetts) is an American entertainer.
Goulet rose to international stardom in 1960 as Lancelot in Lerner and Loewe's hit Broadway musical, ''Camelot''. His long career as a singer and actor encompasses theatre, radio, television and film. Goulet resides and performs in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Contents

Early years

Rise to stardom

Entertainment career

Personal life

Notes

References

Album discography

Filmography

External links

Early years

Robert Goulet is the only son of French Canadian parents, Joseph Georges Andre Goulet and the former Jeanette Gauthier. He began singing when he was five years old. At a family gathering, Goulet's aunts and uncles blackened his face with burnt cork and prompted him to do Al Jolson impressions. Though his performance was well-received by his relatives, the experience was deeply traumatic for the young Goulet, and left him with performance anxiety, which would plague him for many years.
In spite of his stage fright, Goulet was encouraged by his parents to continue performing. When he was in his early teens, his recently widowed mother moved herself and her son from Girouxville, Alberta, to the provincial capital of Edmonton so that he could take advantage of the performance opportunities offered in the city. There, he attended the famous voice schools founded by Herbert G. Turner and Jean Letourneau, and later became a radio announcer for radio station CKUA. Upon graduating from high school, Goulet received a scholarship to Toronto's Royal Conservatory of Music. There, he studied voice with famed oratorio baritones, George Lambert and Ernesto Vinci.
In 1952, he competed in CBC Television's "Pick The Stars," ultimately ascending to the semifinals. This led to other network appearances on shows like "Singing Stars of Tomorrow," "Opportunity Knocks," and the Canadian version of "Howdy Doody," (in which he starred opposite another future star, William Shatner).

Rise to stardom

In 1959, Goulet was introduced to librettist Alan Jay Lerner and composer Frederick Loewe, who were having difficulty casting the role of Lancelot in their stage production ''Camelot''. Lerner and Loewe, impressed by Goulet's talent, signed the virtual newcomer to play the part, opposite Richard Burton's King Arthur and Julie Andrews' Queen Guenevere.
In October 1960, ''Camelot'' opened in Toronto, ran for a four-week engagement in Boston, and finally opened on Broadway in December of that year. Goulet received favorable reviews, most notably for his show-stopping romantic ballad, "If Ever I Would Leave You."
After ''Camelot's run, Goulet was booked on "The Danny Thomas Show" and "The Ed Sullivan Show," which made him a household name among American audiences.
In 1966, Goulet starred as a double agent in the World War II television drama "Blue Light."

Entertainment career

In 1968, Goulet was on Broadway in the Kander and Ebb musical, ''The Happy Time''. He appeared in a 1982 production of ''Rose Marie'' with Inga Swenson, and in 2005, appeared in the Broadway revival of Jerry Herman's ''La Cage aux Folles''. Goulet began a recording career with Columbia Records in 1962, which resulted in more than 15 albums.
Goulet began working in films in 1962, providing the voice of one of the characters in the animated feature ''Gay Purr-ee'', opposite Judy Garland. His first acting role was in ''His and Hers'' (1964), but it was not until a cameo appearance as a singer in Louis Malle's "Atlantic City" (1980) that Goulet was given critical acclaim. He recorded the song "Atlantic City (My Old Friend)" for Applause Records in 1981.
He was absent from the screen for seven years, until he was cast by Tim Burton as a houseguest blown through the roof by ''Beetlejuice'' and also played himself in Bill Murray's ''Scrooged'' (both 1988) In 1990, he sang the Canadian national anthem at the beginning of "WrestleMania VI", which was held at the Toronto Skydome.
In 1991, Goulet starred, along with John Putch and Hillary Bailey Smith, in the unsold television series pilot, "Acting Sheriff". That same year, he appeared as Quentin Hapsburg, opposite Leslie Nielsen, in the comedy ''. (He also had a cameo in the 1982 TV series, "Police Squad", in the episode "The Butler Did It". The television series spawned "The Naked Gun" movie series).
In 1993, he played himself in the "Simpsons" episode, "$pringfield". In that episode, Bart Simpson booked him into his own casino (actually Bart's treehouse), and he sang the well-known ''Jingle Bells (Batman Smells)'', although he has yet to record the song commercially. In 1996, he appeared in Ellen DeGeneres' first starring vehicle, ''Mr. Wrong'', as an insecure TV host. Goulet has also appeared in the Disney cartoon, ''Recess'', as the singing voice for Mikey Blumberg, in numerous episodes.
Goulet remains popular in Las Vegas and performs in hotels and in concerts around the world.
In March 2006, it was announced that Goulet would receive a star on Canada's Walk of Fame. Although he was not born in Canada, but was born of Canadian parents who moved back three months later, he spent his formative years there and is currently seeking Canadian citizenship, with the help of fellow Albertan, bandleader and senator Tommy Banks.

Personal life

Goulet and his first wife, Louise Longmore, had one daughter, Nikki. He had two sons, Christopher and Michael, with his second wife, Carol Lawrence. In 1982, he was married a third time in Las Vegas, Nevada to Vera Novak. When not at their home in Las Vegas, they reside on their yacht in Los Angeles, California.

Notes

References

Goulet was regularly parodied by Saturday Night Live cast member Will Ferrell, selling ridiculous merchandise, such as the Robert Goulet cell phone - a phone encased in an exact replica of Goulet's head - to pay off debts to criminal organizations. He appeared in a commercial for Emerald Nuts, messing with people's stuff at 3PM, when their energy is low. To keep him away, a man eats Emerald Nuts to keep his energy up.

Album discography

Columbia Records (except as noted):

★ ''Always You'', 1962

★ ''Two of Us'', 1962

★ ''Sincerely Yours'', 1962

★ ''The Wonderful World of Love'', 1963

★ ''Annie Get Your Gun'', studio cast, with Doris Day, 1963

★ ''In Person'', 1963

★ ''This Christmas I Spend with You'', 1963

★ ''Without You'', 1964

★ ''Manhattan Tower'', 1964

★ ''My Love, Forgive Me'', 1965

★ ''Summer Sounds'', 1965

★ ''On Broadway'', 1965

★ ''I Remember You'', 1966

★ ''On Broadway Volume 2'', 1967

★ ''Hollywood Mon Amour'', 1967

★ ''Woman, Woman'', 1968

★ ''Today's Greatest Hits'', 1970

★ ''Robert Goulet's Wonderful World of Christmas'', 1972

★ ''I Never Did as I Was Told'', MGM Records, 1976

★ ''Close to You'', Applause Records, 1982

Filmography

★ ''Gay Purr-ee'' (1962) (voice)

★ ''Honeymoon Hotel'' (1964)

★ ''I'd Rather Be Rich'' (1964)

★ ''The Daydreamer'' (1966) (voice)

★ ''I Deal in Danger'' (1966)

★ ''Underground'' (1970)

★ ''Atlantic City'' (1980)

★ ''Beetlejuice'' (1988)

★ ''Scrooged'' (1988) (Cameo)

★ '' (1991)

★ ''Mr. Wrong'' (1996)

★ ''Boy Meets World''

★ ''Toy Story 2'' (1999) (voice)

★ ''The Last Producer'' (2000)

★ ''G-Men from Hell'' (2000)

★ '' (2001) (voice)

★ '' (2003) (documentary)

External links

★ Official Website

★

★ Robert Goulet at the All Music Guide

★