Robert Peterson, 72; Got Break as Goulet’s ‘Camelot’ Understudy

Robert Peterson, 72, an actor who rose to fame after filling in for an ailing Robert Goulet in the 1961 production of “Camelot,” died of a heart attack Monday while playing handball in St. George, Utah, where he and his wife had lived the last two years.

After substituting for Goulet more than 70 times, Peterson took over the role of Lancelot for eight months of “Camelot’s” New York run and for its national tour.

Peterson was born in Omaha and raised in Salt Lake City. He attended the University of Utah and studied opera at the Juilliard School in New York.

He was singing with the Metropolitan Opera Studio when he auditioned for “Camelot,” his first Broadway show. Two weeks after winning a place in the chorus, he was made understudy to Goulet.

After his run in “Camelot,” Peterson performed in regional theater companies and national touring shows. He lived in Utah and performed in more than 90 productions of the University of Utah’s Pioneer Theater Company.