Actor-comedian Dick Gautier dies at 85

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Dick Gautier | FILE PHOTO

Dick Gautier, the actor/comedian who began starred as Hymie the robot for six episodes of the 1960’s hit TV series “Get Smart,” has died. He was 85.

According to reports, Mr. Gautier died Friday night at an assisted living facility in southern California after a long illness.

Mr. Gautier’s other acting credits include the original Broadway production of “Bye Bye Birdie,” the TV series “When Things Were Rotten” and “Robin Hood,” and the feature films “Fun With Dick and Jane” and “Billy Jack Goes to Washington.” He was a frequent guest on primetime TV series including “Charlie’s Angels,” “Murder, She Wrote,” “Bewitched” and “The Love Boat,” and daytime game shows including “Tattletales” and “Match Game.” He also did voiceover work for animated series including “G.I. Joe,” “The Transformers and “The Addams Family.”

According to the Hollywoodreporter.com:

Gautier was born on Oct. 30, 1931, in Culver City, and his father, a French-Canadian, worked as a grip at MGM. He spent some time growing up in Montreal and sang and did a comedy act with a band that wound up on a local TV show in L.A. He served in the U.S. Navy, where he booked acts, including a young Johnny Mathis. When he got out of the service in San Francisco, he hung out at the hungry i nightclub and decided to try stand-up. He and the legendary Mort Sahl were among the first comics to be booked at the club, which would go on to become a renowned breeding ground for stand-ups. The charming Gautier played clubs all over the country and for a time toured with the folk act The Kingston Trio. When he was looking for material for an act in Las Vegas, he paid Jay Leno and David Letterman $100 an hour to write jokes for him.

Mr. Gautier was also an accomplished cartoonist and authored several books on the subject.

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