- Born
- Died
- Birth nameRobert Gerard Goulet
- Height5′ 10½″ (1.79 m)
- Robert Gerard Goulet was born in Lawrence, Massachusetts, to a family of French-Canadian origin. He was the son of Jeanette (Gauthier) and Joseph Georges André Goulet. After hearing his son sing "Lead Kindly Light", in their church hall, his father told him, "I'm proud of you, son". A few weeks later, his father, lying on his death bed, called Robert to his side and told him the Lord had given him a beautiful voice and he must go and sing. His father died when Robert was 13 and he moved to Edmonton, Canada, a year later. Goulet won a singing scholarship to the Royal Conservatory of music in Toronto and, in 1951, made his concert debut at Edmonton in George Frideric Handel's "Messiah". Goulet was also a DJ on Canada's CKUA in Edmonton for two years. In 1960, he landed one of his biggest roles as "Lancelot" in Broadway's "Camelot", opposite Richard Burton and Julie Andrews. He received a Tony award in 1968 for his role in "Happy Time". He and his first wife, Louise Longmore, had one daughter, Nicolette Goulet (aka Nikki). His second wife, actress and singer Carol Lawrence, produced two sons, Christopher and Michael. In 1982, with Glenn Ford giving the bride away, he was married in Las Vegas to Vera Goulet (aka Vera Novak), a Yugoslavian-born writer, photographer and artist. When not living at their home in Las Vegas, they reside on their yacht, "Rogo", in Los Angeles. Goulet has performed at the White House for three presidents, as well as a command performance for Queen Elizabeth II.
On September 30, 2007, he was hospitalized in Las Vegas, where he was diagnosed with Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis, "a rare but rapidly progressive and potentially fatal condition". On October 13, he was transferred to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles after it was determined that he "would not survive without an emergency lung transplant".
Goulet died on October 30, 2007 at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, while awaiting a transplant.
He is survived by his wife, Vera Goulet, and three children, sons Christopher and Michael, and daughter Nicolette Goulet, who is the mother of his grandchildren, Jordan Gerard and Solange.- IMDb mini biography by: Mike Mckinley
- SpousesVera Goulet(October 17, 1982 - October 30, 2007) (his death)Carol Lawrence(August 12, 1963 - December 23, 1980) (divorced, 2 children)Louise Blanchette Longmore(1956 - March 8, 1963) (divorced, 1 child)
- Children
- ParentsGeorges André GouletJeanette Gauthier Goulet
- RelativesJordan Fowlar(Grandchild)Solange Fowlar(Grandchild)
- Rich baritone singing voice
- When he had surgery on a split femur in the mid-1990s, he asked the surgeon if he would be able to dance afterward. The doctor said yes. Goulet replied: "That's good, because I couldn't dance before.".
- He had fallen ill while flying home to Las Vegas after performing a concert in Syracuse, NY, on September 20, 2007. Goulet was rushed to St. Rose Hospital in Las Vegas on September 30, 2007, where he was diagnosed with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis. 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. He died at 10:17am, on October 30, 2007, at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, while awaiting a transplant. He was cremated in the night of November 9, 2007 and his ashes will remain in Las Vegas with his wife, Vera.
- He lived in Las Vegas, NV in his later years, until his death.
- Inducted into the International Mustache Hall of Fame in 2015 (inaugural class) in the category Music & Arts.
- Has been awarded a 'Fellowship' at the Royal Conservatory of Music, University of Toronto, Canada, his alma mater.
- It would be difficult to decide in my roller coaster existence, just when I had my 'Best Day.' Perhaps it was when I married my present wife, Vera. Or the day when my three children were born. Certainly the day I came away cancer-free from a prostate operation stands near the top. For now, everyday seems as if it should be the best day of them all. I like to think of them as such.
- One of the lines in "Man Of La Mancha" spoken of the Duke in the play by Cervantes/Don Quixote is, "He carries his self-importance as if afraid of breaking it", amuses me immensely. No one should take himself that seriously.
- [on why he became a famed singer] I sang in the church choir, but I didn't think much of it. Then one night when I was 13, my father called me to his bedside and said, 'Robert, God gave you a voice. You must sing.' He died later that same night.
Contribute to this page
Suggest an edit or add missing content