Thats the question.

Robert Guillaume -- I believe it's pronounced "gee - YOHM" -- hard G, accent on yohm.

I think it's French.

dE_u9B5PR2k
https://youtu.be/dE_u9B5PR2k

I didn't know this until around the time that he died, but Robert Guillaume (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Guillaume)'s real name was Robert Peter Williams. "Guillaume" is said to roughly translate to "William" in French.

I don't know exactly why he decided to use "Robert Guillaume" as his stage name, since many people would likely have initial trouble figuring out how to properly pronounce "Guillaume". It would sort of be like trying to learn how to pronounce Saoirse Ronan's name except that "Saoirse Ronan" (https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Creator/SaoirseRonan) is her given name (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saoirse_Ronan).

I wonder if it was a Screen Actors Guild issue. For example, Michael Keaton's given name is Michael John Douglas. But he couldn't use his real name for his acting career because SAG doesn't allow people more than one person with a similar sounding name. And of course, there's already another Michael Douglas (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Douglas) running around in Hollywood.

GEE(a "G" sound, not a "J" sound)- YOME (rhymes with Rome).

Robert Guillaume -- I believe it's pronounced "gee - YOHM" -- hard G, accent on yohm.

That's it exactly. It's a French name.

Ed.

don't know exactly why he decided to use "Robert Guillaume" as his stage name, since many people would likely have initial trouble figuring out how to properly pronounce "Guillaume".

I think he might've identified with West Indian culture or just wanted to be exotic, like how Yul Brynner tried everything he could to make people think he came from exotic roots.

I actually thought RG was West Indian, because he actually sounded and acted like someone with Caribbean roots. He might've grown up around them or maybe had them as friends. The personality of Benson is very old school West Indian, where, when they get angry, they burn the person, but in this very deadpan, yet dignified way. They will never raise their voice, roll their eyes, curl their lip, whatever. They just zing, like how Newhart would zing people without changing his tone of voice or expression. :lol: