Dick Gautier, 1931-2017

January 16, 2017 10:32 PM

The actor -- famed for his role in the original production of Bye, Bye Birdie, for portraying Hymie the Robot in Get Smart, and for a short run as Robin Hood in When Things Were Rotten -- died Friday. The article includes a link to a three-part interview with Kliph Nesteroff, in which Gautier discusses, especially, his early career.
posted by bryon (21 comments total)

That's too bad. My family went on a Get Smart binge a couple of years ago, and they were still wonderfully hilarious. I always loved Hymie.

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posted by drnick at 10:44 PM on January 16, 2017 [1 favorite]

Aw, man. My town library had one of his caricature books when I was a kid.
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posted by Mister Moofoo at 11:10 PM on January 16, 2017

A little bit of Bye, Bye Birdie on video. With Dick Gautier, Dick Van Dyke, Dick Ed Sullivaaaaaaan, etc. From this production?
posted by pracowity at 12:07 AM on January 17, 2017

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Maxwell Smart: Would you like to join Control?
Hymie: No thank you.
Maxwell Smart: No?
Hymie: I just don't like violence.
99: What would you like to do?
Hymie: I'd like to work for IBM.
Chief of Control: Oh, because of your scientific curiosity?
Hymie: No, it's a nice way to meet some intelligent machines.
posted by fairmettle at 1:53 AM on January 17, 2017 [7 favorites]

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posted by Joey Michaels at 2:46 AM on January 17, 2017

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posted by tilde at 2:52 AM on January 17, 2017

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posted by Gelatin at 2:56 AM on January 17, 2017

He was a real regular on "Love American Style" too. Loved that show when I was a kid. He was funny. RIP.
posted by ThatCanadianGirl at 4:00 AM on January 17, 2017 [2 favorites]

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posted by Wobbuffet at 4:50 AM on January 17, 2017

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posted by AlonzoMosleyFBI at 4:57 AM on January 17, 2017

Obligatory Mark Evanier remembrance post.

Dick Gautier was all over TV in the 60s and 70s but I don't recall seeing him in much of anything after that. I guess the spoofy-jokey kinds of things he often appeared in faded away in favor of the more realistic Norman Lear/MTM/M*A*S*H* style and then the onslaught on 1980s family sitcoms. He was definitely funny in anything he did, though, and my brother and I thought of him as an important comedic actor in our childhood pantheon of TV stars.
posted by briank at 5:00 AM on January 17, 2017 [3 favorites]

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posted by gudrun at 5:09 AM on January 17, 2017

The obit mentions his voice work, and that he was in Transformers, but doesn't mention his role. He wasn't just anyone: he was Rodimus Prime.

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posted by elsilnora at 8:23 AM on January 17, 2017 [2 favorites]

I had such a crush on him. I used to race home from school to see if he was on Tattletales. He was an icon and will be remembered fondly.

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posted by Room 641-A at 8:47 AM on January 17, 2017

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posted by Silverstone at 10:20 AM on January 17, 2017

The obit mentions his voice work, and that he was in Transformers, but doesn't mention his role. He wasn't just anyone: he was Rodimus Prime.

And that wasn't the only time he supplanted the leader of one of the factions on weekday afternoons. He was also Serpentor, replacement leader of Cobra on GI Joe.
posted by dances with hamsters at 10:48 AM on January 17, 2017 [1 favorite]

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posted by mondo dentro at 11:14 AM on January 17, 2017

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posted by Splunge at 12:35 PM on January 17, 2017

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posted by BlahLaLa at 7:20 PM on January 17, 2017

. for Hymie
posted by daybeforetheday at 11:59 PM on January 17, 2017

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posted by detachd at 6:32 AM on January 21, 2017