Bill Text: IL SR1068 | 2017-2018 | 100th General Assembly | Introduced

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Bill Title: Mourns the death of Robert Guillaume.

Sponsorship: Partisan Bill (Republican 1)

Status: (Passed) 2017-11-09 - Resolution Adopted [SR1068 Detail]

Download: Illinois-2017-SR1068-Introduced.html

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SENATE RESOLUTION
WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois Senate are saddened to
learn of the death of Robert Guillaume of Los Angeles,
California, who passed away on October 24, 2017; and
WHEREAS, Robert Guillaume was born Robert Peter Williams in
St. Louis to Zoe Bertha Edwards on November 30, 1927; he was
raised by his grandmother, Jeanette Williams; he attended a
Roman Catholic high school, where he sang in the choir; he
joined the United States Army in 1945 and was honorably
discharged in 1947; he then enrolled at St. Louis University to
study business on the G.I. Bill; he later studied singing and
theater at Washington University in St. Louis; he married
Marlene Scott in 1955 and they later divorced; he married Donna
Brown in 1985; and
WHEREAS, Robert Guillaume moved to Cleveland to play Billy
Bigelow in the musical "Carousel" at Karamu House, a
historically black theater, in the 1950s; it was there that he
adopted the surname Guillaume, which was inspired by his
grandfather's tales of his family's French heritage; he left
Cleveland to tour with the musical "Free and Easy"; soon
afterward, he moved to New York, and his stage career
flourished; and

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WHEREAS, Robert Guillaume acted in several plays,
including a revival of "Porgy and Bess," a Broadway revival of
"Purlie," and the musical revue "Jacques Brel is Alive and Well
and Living in Paris"; he also starred in the Los Angeles
production of "The Phantom of the Opera" and an all-black
Broadway revival of "Guys and Dolls"; and
WHEREAS, Robert Guillaume landed the part of Benson in
"Soap" in 1977; his portrayal of a black domestic worker with a
sharp tongue and dignified mien earned him an Emmy Award for
best supporting actor in a comedy series in 1979; after his
Emmy win, Guillaume's character, Benson, got his own series,
and he won an Emmy Award for outstanding lead actor in a comedy
series; that same year, he also portrayed the Reverend Dr.
Martin Luther King Jr. in "Prince Jack" and the abolitionist
Frederick Douglass in the television miniseries "North and
South"; two short-lived television shows followed, "The Robert
Guillaume Show" and "Pacific Station"; he later went on to a
role in Aaron Sorkin's "Sports Night"; and
WHEREAS, Robert Guillaume, along with his wife Donna,
founded the Confetti Entertainment Company, which created
read-along books for children with his voice as the narrator;
this marked the beginning of a voice career, and he was cast as
Rafiki in "The Lion King"; he went on to play Rafiki in the
sequels and won a Grammy Award for his narration of a

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read-along book in "The Lion King" series; the Confetti
Entertainment books were transformed into the HBO series
"Happily Ever After: Fairy Tales for Every Child," with
Guillaume retelling classical fairy tales with a multicultural
focus; and
WHEREAS, After suffering a stroke in 1999, Robert Guillaume
became an advocate for health awareness, encouraging people to
know the symptoms of a stroke and to get their blood pressure
and cholesterol tested regularly; he traveled as a spokesman
for the American Stroke Association and made appearances for
the American Heart Association; and
WHEREAS, Robert Guillaume's television career was diverse
and spanned many decades; his penchant for playing
distinguished characters resolutely defied racial stereotypes;
and
WHEREAS, Robert Guillaume was preceded in death by his son,
Jacques; and
WHEREAS, Robert Guillaume is survived by his wife, Donna;
his daughters, Patricia Carpenter and Melissa and Rachel
Guillaume; his son, Kevin; his four grandchildren; his five
great-grandchildren; and his one great-great-granddaughter;
therefore, be it

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RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE ONE HUNDREDTH GENERAL
ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we mourn the passing of
Robert Guillaume and extend our sincere condolences to his
friends, family, and all who knew and loved him; and be it
further
RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
presented to the family of Robert Guillaume as an expression of
our deepest sympathy.