Richard Gautier

**Richard "Dick" Gautier** (October 31, 1931-January 13, 2017) was an American Actor, Singer, Comedian, and Caricaturist. He was perhaps best known to TV audiences as Hymie the Robot on the classic NBC/CBS series *Get Smart* and as Robin Hood on the short-lived television series *When Things Were Rotten*. He was also well known to game show audiences for his frequent appearances as a celebrity panelist on various game shows including *Match Game* throughout the 1970s and early 80s.

Born in Los Angeles, California. Gautier began his career as a night-club comic and a singer for dance orchestras. In 1959, he joined ASCAP after serving in the United States Navy. One year later, he portrayed fictional rock 'n roll star Conrad Birdie in the original Broadway theatre production of *Bye Bye Birdie* which earned him Tony Award nomination for his performance.

After a stint on Broadway, Dick made the move to the small screen. One of his first television appearances was an episode of *The Patty Duke Show* titled "Anywhere I Hang My Horn Is Home". His first TV role was the clumsy robot "Hymie" on the television series *Get Smart* (1965-1969 on NBC, 1969-1970 on CBS). He landed a guest starring role as a dance instructor on an episode of the classic TV series *Gidget* and a guest starring roles as a French dress designer in the season two episode of the ABC series *Bewitched* titled "Samantha, the Dressmaker".

In 1972, 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) was absent as Gautier stepped in as the role of Batman.

In 1978, he appeared as Harriman in the episode "The Intimate Friends of Janet Wilde" in the NBC crime drama series *The Eddie Capra Mysteries*.

Dick is also very well known in the game show world for his frequent appearances as a panelist on game shows including *Match Game*, *The Hollywood Squares*, *Tattletales*, *You Don't Say!*, *Password Plus* & it's revival *Super Password*, *Body Language*, and *Win, Lose or Draw*.

He is also known for performing several voice-over roles in animation, including Rodimus Prime in the third season of the *Transformers* animated series from 1986–1987 (taking over for Judd Nelson, who previously performed the role in the 1986 *Transformers* movie), as well as Serpentor in the G.I. Joe series, played Spike the Dog in the children's cartoon *Tom and Jerry Kids*, and he was also narrator for Discovery Channel's *Search for Adventure*.

Gautier is also known for his caricatures of celebrities, and has written several instructional books on caricature, drawing, and cartooning, including
*Drawing and Cartooning 1001 Caricatures*, *Drawing and Cartooning 1001 Figures in Action and Creating Comic Characters*.

Dick has married three times. He has three children (a son & two daughters) from his first marriage. He married his second wife, actress Barbara Stuart in 1967 but it's unknown when they divorced. He is formerly married to Tess Hightower, a psychologist.

On January 13, 2017, Gautier passed away at an assisted living facility in Arcadia, California, following a long illness. He was 85 years old.