Actor-Singer Died in Los Angeles Oct. 30, Funeral Services in Las Vegas
Funeral services for singer and actor Robert Goulet, who died on October 30 in Los Angeles, will be held at 1:00 p.m. today at the Shrine of the Most Holy Redeemer, 55 E. Reno Ave., in Las Vegas, Nevada. The public is invited to attend.
Goulet, whose career spanned more than forty years, first came to public prominence in 1960, with the celebrated Broadway production of Camelot, in which he starred as Sir Lancelot. He died at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center from complications of interstitial pulmonary fibrosis at age 73.
The star had fallen ill while flying to his home in Las Vegas after a September 20 concert in Syracuse, New York. He had been hospitalized since October 13, and was breathing with the assistance of a ventilator while awaiting a lung transplant.
The son of French Canadian parents, Goulet was born November 26, 1933, in Lawrence, Massachusetts, but grew up in Edmonton, Alberta.
He began his entertainment career in his teens on Canadian television, and later moved to New York to pursue acting work His breakthrough in Camelot, in which he starred opposite Richard Burton and Julie Andrews, who played King Arthur and Guinevere, respectively, was marked by a show-stopping song, “If Ever I Would Leave You,” which became his signature.
During the show’s run Goulet made appearances on The Ed Sullivan Show and won a Grammy Award for best new artist on the strength of his debut album—besting Peter, Paul and Mary and the Four Seasons. Seventeen subsequent albums made the charts between 1962 and 1970.
In 1968 Goulet won a Tony Award for the musical The Happy Time. He also made numerous television adaptations of stage productions, including Carousel, Kiss Me, Kate and Brigadoon, which earned a Primetime Emmy Award for outstanding musical production.
In 1970 Goulet set aside his recording career and turned his attention to television and live performance. He became a fixture in Las Vegas, and 1982, was named Las Vegas entertainer of the year.
In the 1990s Goulet revived several stage musicals. In 1993 he returned to Broadway in Camelot, this time in the role of Arthur. He later headlined a national tour of Man of La Mancha. In 2000 he led a tour of South Pacific, and in 2005 was on Broadway again, this time in La Cage aux Folles.
Early in his career, Goulet appeared in such films as I’d Rather Be Rich and Honeymoon Hotel. Years later he had a roles in the comedy Beetle Juice, directed by Tim Burton. He also lent his vocal talents to the role of Jaune-Tom in the 1962 animated feature Gay Purr-ee and Wheezy the Penguin in Toy Story 2, in 1999.
Television was a major part of Goulet’s career from the outset, and after establishing himself as an American star he appeared in numerous series, both comedies and dramas, including The Patty Duke Show, The Big Valley, The Name of the Game, Mission: Impossible, Police Woman, The Love Boat, Fantasy Island, Alice, Boy Meets World, Just Shoot Me and The Simpsons, as well as numerous talk shows.
Goulet married three times. From 1963 to 1981, his wife was the actress Carol Lawrence. He is survived by his wife, Vera, two sons, a daughter and two grandchildren.