Robert Guillaume

Robert Guillaume (born Robert Peter Williams; November 30, 1927 – October 24, 2017) was an American actor and singer. He played Benson DuBois in the ABC television series ''Soap'' and its spin-off, ''Benson''. He also voiced the mandrill Rafiki in ''The Lion King'', and played Isaac Jaffe in Aaron Sorkin's dramedy ''Sports Night''.

In a career that spanned more than 50 years, Guillaume worked extensively on stage, television and film. For his efforts, he was nominated for a Tony Award for his portrayal of Nathan Detroit in ''Guys and Dolls'', and twice won an Emmy Award for his portrayal of the character Benson DuBois, once in 1979 on ''Soap'' and again in 1985 on ''Benson''. He also won a Grammy Award in 1995 for his spoken-word performance of an audiobook version of ''The Lion King''. Guillaume was the first African-American actor to portray the title role in Andrew Lloyd Webber’s ''The Phantom of the Opera''. Provided by Wikipedia