Actor, singer Robert Goulet dies at 73
Arthur Spiegelman

LOS ANGELES—Singer-actor Robert Goulet, whose rich baritone voice made him an instant success when he played Lancelot in the original 1960 Broadway hit “Camelot,” died on Tuesday at age 73.
The performer, who suffered from the lung disease pulmonary fibrosis, died at Cedars-Sinai Medical Centre, where he was awaiting a decision on whether he could receive a lung transplant, his wife, Vera Goulet, told reporters.
His physician, Dr. David Kipper, said Goulet failed to meet the criteria for the operation and died surrounded by his family.
Born in Lawrence, Massachusetts of French-Canadian parents, Goulet moved to Canada when he was an infant and began singing as a young child, though he had to overcome a severe case of stage fright to make it in show business.
Known for his powerful baritone, handsome chiseled features and self-deprecating sense of humour, Goulet gained attention in later years for a series of TV commercials and guest spots lampooning his own earlier image as a stage idol.
Goulet started out in Canadian television and stage roles during the 1950s. His big break came when the musical team of Alan Jay Lerner and Frederick Loewe chose him to play Lancelot in “Camelot,” which also starred Richard Burton and Julie Andrews.
In addition to the show-stopping song “If Ever I Would Leave You” from “Camelot,” Goulet scored a hit with his version of “The Impossible Dream” from his turn as Don Quixote on Broadway in “Man of La Mancha.”
Two years after his Broadway debut in “Camelot,” Goulet won a Grammy in 1962 as best new recording artist, having released three albums that year. He earned a Tony Award as best actor in 1968 for his role in Broadway’s “The Happy Time.”
Recording more than 60 albums in all, Goulet became a popular Las Vegas attraction and fixture on television variety shows, including 17 appearances on the “The Ed Sullivan Show,” where he was introduced as “The American singer from Canada.”