罗伯特·顾雷特

Robert Gérard Goulet (November 26, 1933 – October 30, 2007) was an American singer and actor.

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 Tony Award and Grammy Award winner, his career spanned almost six decades.

Goulet starred in a 1966 television version of the musical Brigadoon, a production which won five primetime Emmy Awards. He gained recognition for his performance as Billy Bigelow in an abridged 1967 network television version of the musical Carousel.

In 1968, he won Broadway's Tony Award for Best Actor in a Musical for The Happy Time, a musical about a French-Canadian family set in Ottawa, in the role of photographer Jacques Bonnard, which gave Goulet the opportunity to display an authentic French-Canadian accent. He later returned to Broadway in 1993 as King Arthur in a revival of Camelot.

Early life

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. His parents were French Canadian and Canadian citizens, and he was a descendant of French-Canadian pioneers Zacharie Cloutier and Jacques Goulet. Shortly after his father's death, 13-year-old Goulet moved with his mother and sister Claire to Girouxville, Alberta, Canada, where his uncle and other relatives lived.

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. He graduated 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 and with Mary Rezza. Goulet performed in opera productions with other Conservatory vocal students, including Jon Vickers and James Milligan.

In 1952, at the age of 18, 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. From 1957 to 1959, he co-hosted the CBC Television programme Showcase with Joyce Sullivan.

Career

Musicals

Goulet's first U.S. bookings were in summer stock theatre with the Kenley Players. He appeared in eight productions, including Pajama Game (1959), Bells Are Ringing (1959), Dream Girl (1959), South Pacific (1960), Meet Me in St. Louis (1960) and Carousel (1960). John Kenley came to his dressing room after the opening of Pajama Game and gave him a raise, saying it was "because he knew he could never afford to again", Goulet said in 2006. "He was right." Goulet repeated his role in South Pacific for Kenley in a 1995 production.

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 new stage production destined for Broadway, the musical Camelot. Lerner and Loewe, impressed by Goulet's singing capabilities, signed the virtual newcomer to play the part, opposite Richard Burton (King Arthur) and Julie Andrews (Queen Guenevere). Camelot opened in Toronto in October 1960 though Goulet was at that time still under contract to host musical programs for CBC Television. A four-week engagement in Boston led to the show opening on Broadway two months later. Goulet received favorable reviews, for his introductory aria C'est Moi, and most notably for his show-stopping romantic ballad, If Ever I Would Leave You which would become his signature song. The music of the production was greatly appreciated by President Kennedy, who would play the cast recording at the White House before going to bed at night.