Robert Guillaume is an actor who was born in St. Louis, Missouri, on November 30, 1927. He launched his acting career in 1959 when he predominantly worked on stage. He began working in television during the 1970s and his first recurring role was as Benson DuBois in ‘Soap’. He also began his career in movies in this decade with his first film role as Jordan Gaines in the 1973 movie ‘Super Fly T.N.T’. He went on to establish a successful career in both film and television. Sadly, Robert Guillaume died of prostate cancer on October 24, 2017. IN his memory, here are five of the best movie roles of his career.
1. Philmore Walker in ‘Wanted: Dead or Alive’
In this 1987 action film, Robert Guillaume played the role of Philmore Walker. The movie was directed by Gary Sherman who also co-wrote the film with Brian Taggert and Michael Patrick Goodman. The movie also starred Rutger Hauer and Gene Simmons. The movie is about a bounty hunter and ex-CIA agent who is tracking down a terrorist.
2. Dr. Frank Napier in ‘Lean on Me’
‘Lean on Me’ is a dramatized biographical movie about Joe Louis Clark who was an inner-city school principal. The lead role is played by Morgan Freeman with Robert Guillaume in the supporting role of Dr. Frank Napier. Beverley Todd also stars in this movie. It was written by Michael Schiffer and directed by John G. Avildsen. Released in 1989, this movie grossed $31 million at the box office from a budget of $10 million.
3. Hawkins in ‘Death Warrant’
‘Death Warrant’ is a 1990 action crime mystery-thriller starring Jean-Claude Van Damme who plays Detective Burke. When Burke’s partner is killed, he tries to hunt down the killer. This involves him going undercover in prison and he befriends some of the inmates. Robert Guillaume plays Hawkins, one of the inmates Burke befriends. Despite having a budget of only $6 million, this movie grossed $46 million at the box office. It was written by David S. Goyer and directed by Deran Sarafian.
4. Wilkes in ‘First Kid’
This 1996 Disney comedy film stars Brock Pierce as Luke Davenport, the son of the president, and Sinbad as Sam Simms, the agent who is hired to protect the president’s son. Robert Guillaume plays Wilkes who is Simms’ superior. The move was written by Tim Kelleher and directed by David M. Evans. It did reasonably well at the box office grossing almost $26.5 million from a budget of $15 million.
5. Fred in ‘Seems Like Old Times’
This 1980 comedy is one of Robert Guillaume’s earlier films and he plays the role of Fred. The movie also stars Goldie Hawn, Chevy Chase, and Charles Grodin. It is about a man robbing a bank and then asking for help from his ex-wife and her new husband. ‘Seems Like Old Times’ was written by Neil Simon and directed by Jay Sandrich. The movie grossed $43,995,918 at the box office.
