Robert Guillaume, the actor who voiced Half-Life 2's Dr. Eli Vance, dies aged 89

midian182

Posts: 9,778   +121
Staff member

Robert Guillaume, the Emmy Award-winning actor famous in the gaming world for voicing Half-Life 2’s Dr. Eli Vance, has died at the age of 89 at his home in Los Angeles. His widow, Donna Brown, told the Associated Press he had been battling prostate cancer.

While Guillaume is best known for his role as butler Benson DuBois in the sitcoms Soap and its spin-off series Benson, providing the voice of the resistance leader/Alyx Vance’s father in the much-loved Half-Life 2 titles forever secured him a place in the hearts of gamers.

Guillaume appeared in Soap, for which he won an Emmy for outstanding supporting actor, from 1977 to 1981. He found more success with Benson, which ran from 1979 to 1986 and saw him receive an Emmy for outstanding lead actor—a first for a black actor.

In 1990, Guillaume's distinctive voice helped him become the first black actor to play Phantom in Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Phantom of the Opera. A few years later he voiced Rafiki, the baboon in Disney’s 1994 classic Lion King.

Valve writer Marc Laidlaw, who in August revealed what would have been the plot to the mythical Half-Life 3 game, paid tribute to the actor on twitter. “I am very sorry to hear about the demise of Robert Guillaume. I learned a lot from him about writing to the specific strengths of an actor,” he wrote.

Guillaume is survived by his second wife, a son and three daughters.

Permalink to story.

 
He was a very talented actor, probably best remembered for his roll as Benson but no less popular as the voice of the father in Half Life 2 ..... RIP for a fine gentleman.
 
Watched Benson all through my highschool years.Funny sarcastic.RIP Benson.
Played half life 2 .never knew it was Benson voicing the father ,despite the resemblance.
 
Great performances in Half Life.

Shame I would rather forget the episodes. Any time I think about how it has been left without closure I start to lose it. Took years of therapy to work that through my system
 
I remember watching Benson and recognized his voice and it was bugging me because I knew him for something else and upon reading this I had my lightbulb moment. I have been playing games for a long time since Pong came out and played half life and half life 2 in 2014 as I was home caring for my sick wife who passed away in June of this year and playing games has been a big help. Unfortunately we are all on that path but while I can hold a controller or use a keyboard and mouse I will as I find gaming fun and I am very fascinated at the game worlds comparing them from the early games. Vale Robert Guillaume you gave us many laughs in Benson you sounded like a very fun gentleman and in Half life I thoroughly enjoyed you in the series.
 
Back