Richard Gilbert Gautier (Go-tee-AY; October 30, 1931 – January 13, 2017) was an American actor. He was known for his television roles as Hymie the Robot in the television series Get Smart, and Robin Hood in the TV comedy series When Things Were Rotten, as well as for originating the role of Conrad Birdie in the Broadway musical Bye Bye Birdie.
Career Gautier started his career as a singer and a nightclub comic at the hungry i in San Francisco. He joined ASCAP in 1959 after serving in the United States Navy. In 1960, he portrayed fictional rock 'n roll star Conrad Birdie in the original Broadway theatre production of Bye Bye Birdie, receiving a Tony Award nomination for his performance. He would later appear with two of his Birdie stars in two films: with Kay Medford in Ensign Pulver in 1964, and with Dick Van Dyke in Divorce American Style in 1967.
Game show panelist During the 1970s and 1980s, Gautier was a frequent game show panelist. He appeared on Match Game; Family Feud; Tattletales; Showoffs; You Don't Say!; Liar's Club; Password Plus; Body Language; Super Password; Win, Lose or Draw; Whew!; and the TV version of Can You Top This?
Batman In 1973, when Burt Ward and Yvonne Craig reprised their Batman roles (as Robin and Batgirl, respectively) for a TV public service announcement about equal pay for women, Adam West, who was trying to distance himself from the Batman role at the time, declined to participate. Gautier filled in for West as Batman on this occasion.
Voice-over roles Gautier performed several voice-over roles in animation, including Rodimus Prime in the third season of The Transformers animated series from 1986 to 1987, as well as Serpentor in the G.I. Joe series, Louis from the 1986 cartoon Foofur, Spike the Dog in Tom & Jerry Kids, some additional voices in Hanna-Barbera's The New Yogi Bear Show, Wooly Smurf in The Smurfs, and several voices for Inhumanoids, including Crygen and Pyre and their combined form, Magnakor.
Celebrity caricatures Gautier was known for his caricatures of celebrities and wrote several instructional books on caricature, drawing, and cartooning.
Personal life and death
Richard Gilbert Gautier was born in Culver City, California, on October 30, 1931. His father was a grip and his mother was a costume seamstress.
Gautier was first married to Beverly J. Gerber; the marriage ended in divorce after they had three children together. His second wife was actress Barbara Stuart, and his final marriage was to Tess Hightower, a psychologist.
His son Randy, nicknamed Rand, had both a brief stint in pornography under the name Austin Moore, and in 1995 he stole a videotape from the home of Tommy Lee and Pamela Anderson, containing footage they had filmed of themselves having sex while on vacation. Rand, along with a distributor, released it on the Internet, and it became one of the first widespread celebrity sex tapes.
Gautier died from pneumonia on January 13, 2017, at an assisted living facility in Arcadia, California, following a long illness.
Filmography Year Title Role Notes 1964 Ensign Pulver Stefanowski 1965 Gidget Mark Hillman 1965–1970 Get Smart Hymie the Robot 6 episodes 1966 Bewitched Monsieur Aubert Episode: “Samantha the Dressmaker”; Season 2, Episode 241967 Mr. Terrific Hal Walters 1967 Divorce American Style Larry Strickland 1968 Maryjane Bearded prisoner Uncredited/Writer1969 The Flying Nun Bruce 2 episodes (two-part story arc) – "The Great Casino Robbery" Season 2, Episodes 16 & 171972 Wild in the Sky Diver Writer and producer1973 The Mary Tyler Moore Show Ed Cavanaugh Episode: "Hi There, Sports Fans"; Season 4, Episode 51973 Banacek Mario Fratelli Episode: "The Three Million Dollar Piracy"; Season 2, Episode 31974 Hawkins Episode: "Murder in the Slave Trade"; Season 1, Episode 51974 Kolchak: The Night Stalker Mel Tarter Episode: "The Werewolf"; Season 1, Episode 51974 The Rockford Files Carl Episode: "The Countess"; Season 1, Episode 31975 The Manchu Eagle Murder Caper Mystery Oscar Cornell 1975 When Things Were Rotten Robin Hood 13 episodes1976 Charlie's Angels Barry Kingsbrook Episode: "Homes, $weet Homes"; Season 4, Episode 181977 Fun with Dick and Jane Dr. Will 1977 The Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew Mysteries Tail Gunner Episode: "The Mystery of the Flying Courier; Season 1, Episode 91977 Billy Jack Goes to Washington Governor Hubert Hopper 1978 Wonder Woman (TV series) Count Cagliostro Episode: "Diana's Disappearing Act"; Season 2, Episode 151978 The Eddie Capra Mysteries Lee Harriman Episode: "The Intimate Friends of Janet Wilde"; Season 1, Episode 71979 $weepstake$ Victor Season 1, Episode 71980 Marathon Bud TV movie1981 Happy Days Dr. Ludlow Episode: "Welcome to My Nightmare"; Season 8, Episode 111985–1989 The Smurfs Wooly Smurf Voice1985–1986 Inhumanoids Crygen, Magnakor, Pyre Voice1986 Foofur Louis Voice1986–1987 The Transformers Hot Rod/Rodimus Prime Voice1986 G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero Serpentor Voice1986 GoBots: Battle of the Rock Lords Brimstone / Bugsie / Klaws / Narlihog Voice1987 G.I. Joe: The Movie Serpentor Voice1987 DuckTales Shifty's Pal / Mr. Wolf 2 episodes; Voice1987 Matlock Bobby Freemont Episode: "The Gambler"; Season 2, Episode 71988 Glitch! Julius Lazar 1988 The New Yogi Bear Show Additional Voices 1989 Get Smart Again Hymie the Robot (Returning from 1960s series)1990–1993 Tom & Jerry Kids Spike Bulldog Voice1992 Batman: The Animated Series Teddy Guest star/Voice Episodes: "Feet of Clay": Parts 1 and 21992 The Naked Truth The Bartender 1992 Garfield and Friends Skip Yenta Guest star/Voice1993 The Golden Palace Bobby Lee Episode: "The Chicken and the Egg"1995 Dumb and Dumber The Animated Series Gargle, Announcer Guest star/Voice1995 Captain Planet and the Planeteers Okey Pinehead Guest star/Voice1996 Tonka Construction Dirk Voice1997 Cow & Chicken Red, Red's Dad, Butts, Barber Voice1998 Detective Barbie in The Mystery of the Carnival Caper Burt Franklin Voice
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