Robert Goulet
Robert Gérard Goulet (November 26, 1933 – October 30, 2007) was an American and Canadian singer and actor of French-Canadian ancestry. Goulet was born and raised in Lawrence, Massachusetts, until age 13, and then spent his formative years in Canada. Cast as Sir Lancelot and originating the role in the 1960 Broadway musical Camelot starring opposite established Broadway stars Richard Burton and Julie Andrews, he achieved instant recognition with his performance and interpretation of the song "If Ever I Would Leave You", which became his signature song. His debut in Camelot marked the beginning of a stage, screen, and recording career. A Grammy Award winner, his career spanned almost six decades. He starred in a 1966 television version of Brigadoon, a production which won five primetime Emmy Awards. In 1968, he won the Tony Award for Best Actor in a Musical for The Happy Time, a musical about a French-Canadian family set in Ottawa.
For the marketing sports agent, see Robert L. Goulet.
Robert Goulet
October 30, 2007 (aged 73)
The Royal Conservatory of Music of Toronto
Singer, actor, entertainer
1951–2007
3, including Nicolette and Craig Lyall
Early life[edit]
Goulet was born in Lawrence, Massachusetts, on Haverhill Street, where he also lived. He was the only son of Jeanette (née Gauthier) and Joseph Georges André Goulet. Both of his parents worked in the mills, but his father was also an amateur singer and wrestler.[1] His parents were French Canadian, and he was a descendant of French-Canadian pioneers Zacharie Cloutier[2] and Jacques Goulet.[3] Shortly after his father's death, 13-year-old Goulet moved with his mother and sister Claire to Girouxville, Alberta, and he spent his formative years in Canada.[4]
After living in Girouxville for several years, they moved to the provincial capital of Edmonton to take advantage of the performance opportunities offered in the city. There, he attended the voice schools founded by Herbert G. Turner and Jean Létourneau, and later became a radio announcer for radio station CKUA.[5] Upon graduating from Victoria Composite high school (now Victoria School of the Arts), Goulet received a scholarship to The Royal Conservatory of Music in Toronto, where he studied voice with oratorio baritones George Lambert and Ernesto Vinci. Goulet performed in opera productions with other Conservatory vocal students, including Jon Vickers and James Milligan.
In 1952, he competed in CBC Television's Pick The Stars, ultimately making the semifinals. This led to other network appearances on shows like Singing Stars of Tomorrow, Opportunity Knocks, Juliette, and the Canadian version of Howdy Doody in which he starred as Trapper Pierre opposite William Shatner.[6] From 1957 to 1959 he co-hosted the CBC Television program Showcase with Joyce Sullivan.[7]
Death[edit]
On September 30, 2007, Goulet was hospitalized in Las Vegas, where he was diagnosed with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, a rare but rapidly progressive and potentially fatal condition.[27]
On October 13, 2007, he was transferred to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles after it was determined he would not survive without an emergency lung transplant.[28]
While awaiting a lung transplant, Goulet died from pulmonary fibrosis on the morning of October 30, 2007, at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center at the age of 73.[29] Theater marquees in New York and in cities across North America were dimmed in his memory on October 31, 2007.[30] On November 9, 2007, the day of his funeral, Las Vegas honored Goulet by closing the Las Vegas Strip for his funeral procession.[31] Several venues also posted his name on their marquees as a final tribute.[32]
Columbia Records (except as noted):