Guillaume, Emmy winner for “Soap,” dies at 89

NEW YORK» Robert Guillaume, who rose from squalid beginnings in St. Louis slums to become a star in stage musicals and win Emmy Awards for his portrayal of the sharptongued butler in the TV sitcoms “Soap” and “Benson,” has died at age 89.

Guillaume died at home Tuesday in Los Angeles, according to his widow, Donna. He had been battling prostate cancer, she told The Associated Press.

Among Guillaume’s achievements was playing Nathan Detroit in the first all-black version of “Guys and Dolls,” earning a Tony nomination in 1977. He became the first AfricanAmerican to sing the title role of “Phantom of the Opera,” appearing with an allwhite cast in Los Angeles.

While playing in “Guys and Dolls, he was asked to test for the role of an acerbic butler in “Soap,” a primetime TV sitcom that satirized soap operas.

“The minute I saw the script, I knew I had a live one,” he recalled in 2001. “Every role was written against type, especially Benson, who wasn’t subservient to anyone. To me, Benson was the revenge for all those stereotyped guys who looked like Benson in the ’40s and ’50s (movies) and had to keep their mouths shut.”

The character was so popular that ABC was persuaded to launch a spinoff, simply called “Benson,” which lasted from 1979 to 1986.

His career almost ended in January 1999 at Walt Disney Studio. He was appearing in the TV series “Sports Night” when he collapsed.

Guillaume’s stroke was minor, causing relatively slight damage and little effect on his speech. He returned to the show, and it was written in that his character suffered a stroke.

Guillaume resumed his career and traveled as a new spokesman for the American Stroke Association. He also made appearance for the American Heart Association.