Robert Goulet

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Robert Gerard Goulet (born November 26, 1933) in Lawrence, Massachusetts, is a Canadian/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.

1 Early years
2 Rise to stardom
3 Entertainment career
4 Album Discography
5 Filmography
6 External links

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Early years

Goulet was 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 had him do an Al Jolson impersonation. The applause gave him stage fright, and left him with a fear of performing for many years.

He later moved to Edmonton, Alberta, with his mother. There he studied at Herbert G. Turner's famous voice school in Edmonton and later at Jean Letourneau's music school. Soon after, Goulet became a radio announcer for CKUA. Goulet won a scholarship to Toronto's Royal Conservatory of Music, where he studied acting and singing.

Goulet continued voice training through 1952-1954 with famed oratorio baritones George Lambert and Ernesto Vinci on a Royal Conservatory Of Music scholarship.

He became a semi-finalist in 1952 on CBC-TV's Pick The Stars which led to other network appearances on shows like the Canadian version of Howdy Doody (in which he starred opposite another future star, William Shatner), Singing Stars Of Tomorrow and Opportunity Knocks.

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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 Guinevere. In October of 1960, Camelot opened in Toronto, briefly 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.

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Entertainment career

He appeared in a production of Rose-Marie with Inga Swenson, and in 2005 appeared in the Broadway revival of 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 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 the bad guy known as Quentin Hapsburg opposite Leslie Nielsen in the comedy The Naked Gun 2 1/2: The Smell of Fear. In 1993, he played himself in the Simpsons episode "$pringfield." In that episode, 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 remains popular in Las Vegas and performs in hotels and in concerts around the world. He has gained popularity with younger generations thanks to comedian Will Ferrell's recurring over-the-top impersonation of him on Saturday Night Live.

The longstanding report, repeated in many reference books, that Goulet's real name is Stanley Applebaum is false. The error resulted from an offhand remark Goulet made to a group of reporters when he first became famous. It is not, however, urban legend that Elvis Presley once shot a television while Goulet appeared on screen.

Goulet and his first wife, Louise Longmore, had one daughter, Nikki. He and his second wife, Carol Lawrence, produced two sons, Christopher and Michael. 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. They also have a grandson who is 17 named Graham Goulet who attends school at Lakefield College in Canada.

In March of 2006, it was announced that Goulet would receive a star on Canada's Walk of Fame. Although he was not born in Canada, he spent his formative years there.

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