Dick Gautier

Richard Gautier (October 30, 1931 – January 13, 2017) was an American actor, comedian, singer, and caricaturist. 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,[1] as well as for originating the role of Conrad Birdie in the Broadway musical Bye Bye Birdie.

Dick Gautier
Gautier as Robin Hood in When Things Were Rotten (1975)
Born
Richard Gautier

(1931-10-30)October 30, 1931
DiedJanuary 13, 2017(2017-01-13) (aged 85)
Arcadia, California, U.S.
Occupation(s)Actor, comedian, singer, caricaturist
Years active1959–1993
Spouse(s)Beverly J. Gerber
(m. 1954; div. 19??)
​
​
(m. 1967; div. 1979)​

Tess Hightower
​
(m. 2003)​
Children3
From the TV series Here We Go Again (1973). From top: Dick Gautier, Nita Talbot, Larry Hagman and Diane Baker.
Gautier and Misty Rowe in When Things Were Rotten, 1975

Career

Early career

Gautier started his career as a nightclub comic and a singer; 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.[2] 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, appearing on Match Game; Family Feud;[3] Tattletales; Showoffs; You Don't Say!; Liar's Club; Password Plus; Body Language; Super Password; Win, Lose or Draw; 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.[4]

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.[5]

Celebrity caricatures

Gautier was known for his caricatures of celebrities and wrote several instructional books on caricature, drawing, and cartooning.[6]

Personal life

Gautier was first married to Beverly J. Gerber; the marriage ended in divorce after they had three children together. He was divorced from his second wife, actress Barbara Stuart,[7] and his final marriage was to Tess Hightower, a psychologist.[2] He had three children, Chrissie, Randy, and Denise, and six grandchildren as well as a stepdaughter, Jennifer and her two children.

His son Randy, nicknamed Rand, had both a brief stint in pornography under the name Austin Moore, and would in 1995 steal 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.[8][9]

Gautier died on January 13, 2017, at an assisted living facility in Arcadia, California, following a long illness.[2]

Filmography
Year Title Role Notes
1964Ensign PulverStefanowski
1965–1970 Get Smart Hymie the Robot 6 episodes
1967Divorce American StyleLarry Strickland
1968MaryjaneBearded prisonerUncredited/Writer
1972Wild in the SkyDiverWriter and producer
1974HawkinsEpisode: "Murder in the Slave Trade"; Season 1, Episode 5
1974Kolchak: The Night Stalker, The WerewolfCarl Kolchak's swinging roommate on the cruise
1974The Rockford FilesCarlEpisode: "The Countess"; season 1, episode 3
1975The Manchu Eagle Murder Caper MysteryOscar Cornell
1975When Things Were RottenRobin Hood13 episodes
1976 Charlie's Angels Barry Kingsbrook Episode: "Homes, $weet Homes"; season 4, episode 18
1977Fun with Dick and JaneDr. Will
1977 The Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew Mysteries:

The Mystery of the Flying Courier

 Tail Gunner
1977Billy Jack Goes to WashingtonGovernor Hubert Hopper
1978Wonder Woman (TV series)Count CagliostroEpisode: "Diana's Disappearing Act"
1979$weepstake$VictorSeason 1, episode 7
1980MarathonBudTV movie
1981Happy DaysDr. LudlowEpisode: "Welcome to My Nightmare"; Season 8, episode 11
1985–1989 The SmurfsWooly SmurfVoice
1985–1986InhumanoidsCrygen, Magnakor, PyreVoice
1986FoofurLouisVoice
1986–1987 The TransformersHot Rod/Rodimus PrimeVoice
1986G.I. Joe: A Real American HeroSerpentorVoice
1986GoBots: Battle of the Rock LordsBrimstone / Bugsie / Klaws / NarlihogVoice
1987G.I. Joe: The MovieSerpentorVoice
1987MatlockBobby FreemontEpisode: "The Gambler"; Season 2, Episode 7
1988Glitch!Julius Lazar
1988The New Yogi Bear ShowAdditional Voices
1990-1993Tom & Jerry KidsSpike BulldogVoice
1992The Naked TruthThe Bartender
1992Garfield and FriendsSkip YentaGuest star/Voice

Bibliography
  • Gautier, Dick (1993). Child's Garden of Weirdness. Tuttle Publishing. ISBN 978-0804818254.
  • Gautier, Dick (1994). Drawing and Cartooning 1,001 Figures in Action. Perigee Books. ISBN 978-0399518591.
  • Gautier, Dick (1995). Drawing and Cartooning 1,001 Caricatures. Perigee Books. ISBN 978-0399519116.
  • Gautier, Dick (1997). Creating Comic Characters. Perigee Books. ISBN 978-0399523519.

References
  1. Blake, Meredith (January 14, 2017). "Dick Gautier, best known as 'Get Smart's' Hymie the robot, dies at 85". Los Angeles Times.
  2. Barnes, Mike (January 14, 2017). "Dick Gautier, Hymie the Robot on Get Smart, Dies at 85". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved January 14, 2017.
  3. "Family Feud (1989): Funny Men vs Funny Women" on YouTube
  4. Lamar, Cyriaque (June 19, 2011). "In this bizarre PSA, Batgirl almost kills Batman over unequal pay". io9. Archived from the original on 2021-10-06. Retrieved January 14, 2017.
  5. "Dick Gautier Biography". Retrieved January 14, 2017.
  6. "Dick Gautier Chats with the Café". Classic Film and TV Café. April 2013. Archived from the original on 2013-05-23. Retrieved January 14, 2017.
  7. Grimes, William (May 19, 2011). "Barbara Stuart, TV Actress, Is Dead at 81". The New York Times.
  8. "Where Is Rand Gauthier From 'Pam & Tommy' Today?". Bustle. 27 January 2022. Retrieved 2022-02-07.
  9. Clair, Josh St (2022-02-02). "The True Story of Rand Gauthier, Who Stole the Pamela Anderson Sex Tape". Men's Health. Retrieved 2022-02-07.
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