Forever and fondly remembered as Don Adams' foil on the popular Mel Brooks/Buck Henry spy series Get Smart (1965), character actor Ed Platt (also billed as Edward C. Platt) had been around for two decades prior to copping that rare comedy role. Born in Staten Island, New York, on Valentine's Day, 1916, he inherited an appreciation of music on his mother's side. He spent a part of his childhood in Kentucky and in upstate New York where he attended Northwood, a private school in Lake Placid, and was a member of the ski jump team. He majored in romantic languages at Princeton University but left a year later to study at the Conservatory of Music in Cincinnati after his thoughts turned to a possible operatic career. He later was accepted into Juilliard.
Forever and fondly remembered as Don Adams' foil on the popular Mel Brooks/Buck Henry spy series Get Smart (1965), character actor Ed Platt (also billed as Edward C. Platt) had been around for two decades prior to copping that rare comedy role. Born in Staten Island, New York, on Valentine's Day, 1916, he inherited an appreciation of music on his mother's side. He spent a part of his childhood in Kentucky and in upstate New York where he attended Northwood, a private school in Lake Placid, and was a member of the ski jump team. He majored in romantic languages at Princeton University but left a year later to study at the Conservatory of Music in Cincinnati after his thoughts turned to a possible operatic career. He later was accepted into Juilliard.
Instead of opera, however, Ed first became a band vocalist with Paul Whiteman and Orchestra. He then sang bass as part of the Mozart Opera Company in New York. With the Gilbert and Sullivan Opera Company in 1942, he appeared in the operettas "The Mikado," "The Gondoliers" and "The Pirates of Penzance".
WWII interrupted his early career. Ed served as a radio operator with the army and would find himself on radio again in the post-war years where his deep, resonant voice proved ideal. A number of musical comedy roles also came his way again. In 1947, he made it to Broadway with the musical "Allegro." Star José Ferrer took an interest in Ed while they both were appearing in "The Shrike" on Broadway in 1952.
Around 1953, Edward moved to Texas to be near his brother and began anchoring the local news and kiddie birthday party show called "Uncle Eddie's Kiddie Party." Ferrer remembered Platt and invited him to Hollywood where Ferrer was starring in the film version of The Shrike (1955). Ed recreated his stage role. He also earned fine notices as James Dean's understanding juvenile officer in the classic film Rebel Without a Cause (1955).
This led to a plethora of film and TV support offers where the balding actor made fine use of his dark, rich voice, stern intensity and pragmatic air, portraying a slew of professional and shady types in crime yarns, soap dramas and war pictures -- everything from principals and prosecutors to mobsters and murderers.
After years of playing it serious, which included stints on the daytime drama General Hospital (1963), Ed finally was able to focus on comedy as "The Chief" to Don Adams klutzy secret agent on Get Smart (1965), a show that inevitably found a cult audience. Picking up a few occasional guest spots in its aftermath, he later tried producing.
Twice married and the father of four, Platt died on March 19, 1974. Death was attributed to a massive heart attack at the time. Years later his son revealed that his father, suffering from acute depression and undergoing severe financial pressures, committed suicide at his Santa Monica, California apartment.
- IMDb Mini Biography By: Gary Brumburgh / gr-home@pacbell.ne
External links
IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/nm0686857
Wikipedia: https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q1293264
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Filmography (Movies)
The Female Instinct
Character:Julius Nero
Release Date:18/12/1972
Get Smart: A Man Called Smart
Character:Chief
Release Date:08/04/1967
Johnny Shiloh
Character:Gen. Thomas
Release Date:21/12/1965
The Further Adventures of Gallegher
Character:The Judge
Release Date:26/09/1965
Bullet for a Badman
Character:Tucker
Release Date:01/09/1964
A Ticklish Affair
Character:Captain Haven Hitchcock
Release Date:18/08/1963
Black Zoo
Character:Chief Rivers
Release Date:15/05/1963
Cape Fear
Character:Judge
Release Date:12/04/1962
The Explosive Generation
Character:Mr. Morton
Release Date:19/10/1961
Who Killed Julie Greer?
Character:Joe Nolan
Release Date:26/09/1961
Atlantis: The Lost Continent
Character:Azor the High Priest
Release Date:03/05/1961
The Fiercest Heart
Character:Madrigo
Release Date:30/04/1961
Pollyanna
Character:Ben Tarbell
Release Date:19/05/1960
Cash McCall
Character:Harrison Glenn
Release Date:20/01/1960
Inside the Mafia
Character:Dan Regent
Release Date:01/09/1959
North by Northwest
Character:Victor Larrabee
Release Date:06/08/1959
The Rebel Set
Character:Mr. Tucker / Mr. T
Release Date:28/06/1959
They Came to Cordura
Character:Col. DeRose
Release Date:01/06/1959
Destination Space
Character:Dr. Easton (as Edward C. Platt)
Release Date:01/01/1959
Gunman's Walk
Character:Purcell Avery
Release Date:15/07/1958
The Last of the Fast Guns
Character:Sam Grypton
Release Date:01/07/1958
The High Cost of Loving
Character:Eli Cave
Release Date:16/05/1958
Summer Love
Character:Dr. Thomas Daley
Release Date:10/03/1958
Damn Citizen
Character:Joseph Kosta (as Edward C. Platt)
Release Date:01/03/1958
The Gift of Love
Character:Dr. Jim Miller
Release Date:11/02/1958
Oregon Passage
Character:Roland Dane
Release Date:29/12/1957
The Helen Morgan Story
Character:Johnny Haggerty
Release Date:02/10/1957
House of Numbers
Character:The Warden
Release Date:12/09/1957
Omar Khayyam
Character:Jayhan
Release Date:23/08/1957
Designing Woman
Character:Martin J. Daylor
Release Date:16/05/1957
The Tattered Dress
Character:Ralph Adams, Reporter (as Edward C. Platt)
Release Date:14/03/1957
The Unguarded Moment
Character:Attorney Briggs (as Edward C. Platt)
Release Date:27/12/1956
Rock, Pretty Baby
Character:Thomas Daley Sr.
Release Date:01/12/1956
The Great Man
Character:Dr. O'Conner (as Edward C. Platt)
Release Date:01/12/1956
Reprisal!
Character:Neil Shipley
Release Date:02/11/1956
Written on the Wind
Character:Dr. Paul Cochrane
Release Date:04/10/1956
Storm Center
Character:Rev. Wilson
Release Date:31/07/1956
The Proud Ones
Character:Dr. Barlow
Release Date:15/05/1956
Serenade
Character:Everett Carter
Release Date:23/03/1956
Backlash
Character:Sheriff J.C. Marson
Release Date:14/03/1956
The Steel Jungle
Character:Judge Wahller
Release Date:10/03/1956
The Lieutenant Wore Skirts
Character:Major Dunning - Psychiatrist
Release Date:11/01/1956
Sincerely Yours
Character:Dr. Eubank (uncredited)
Release Date:05/11/1955
Rebel Without a Cause
Character:Ray Fremick
Release Date:27/10/1955
Illegal
Character:Ralph Ford
Release Date:09/10/1955
The Shrike
Character:Harry Downs (as Edward C. Platt)
Release Date:16/06/1955
Cult of the Cobra
Character:Lamian Threatening Death (uncredited)
Release Date:30/03/1955
I Was a Male War Bride
Character:Lieutenant in Gates' Office (uncredited)
Release Date:26/08/1949
Television Appearances
Temperatures Rising
Character:Senator Bradley
Owen Marshall: Counselor at Law
Character:Caldwell
The Odd Couple
Character:Bill Donnelly
Love, American Style
Character:
Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In
Character:Self (uncredited)
Get Smart
Character:Thaddeus
Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea
Character:Morgan
Petticoat Junction
Character:General Patterson
Burke's Law
Character:Capt. Frank Metcalfe
Temple Houston
Character:
The Outer Limits
Character:Dean Radcliffe
The Outer Limits
Character:Mr. Terrence
The Outer Limits
Character:David Hunt (as Edward C. Platt)
Arrest and Trial
Character:Judge Kenneth W. Browne
Arrest and Trial
Character:Judge Phillips
Arrest and Trial
Character:Judge
Arrest and Trial
Character:Superior Court Judge
General Electric True
Character:
The Virginian
Character:Stuart Brynmar
Saints and Sinners
Character:Dr. Gates
The Dick Van Dyke Show
Character:Lou Gregory
Dr. Kildare
Character:Dr. Tom Paulson
Surfside 6
Character:
Thriller
Character:James Weeks
Mr. Lucky
Character:Henry Praiswater
Hawaiian Eye
Character:Dr. Wallace Oliver
The Twilight Zone
Character:Doctor
Bonanza
Character:Harvey Buford
Bonanza
Character:Wade Colly
The Deputy
Character:Noah Harper
Bonanza
Character:Will Flanders
The Lawless Years
Character:
One Step Beyond
Character:Will Denning
Rawhide
Character:
Rawhide
Character:Jason Clark
77 Sunset Strip
Character:
77 Sunset Strip
Character:Mr. Jacobin
Bat Masterson
Character:Roy Evens
Westinghouse Desilu Playhouse
Character:
The Rifleman
Character:
Bronco
Character:
Peter Gunn
Character:
Trackdown
Character:
Trackdown
Character:Adam Madson
Trackdown
Character:George Mason
Alcoa Theatre
Character:Lieutenant
Perry Mason
Character:Cmdr. Driscoll
Perry Mason
Character:Tom Stratton
Wagon Train
Character:Spinoza de Costa
Wagon Train
Character:Cyrus Bolton
Have Gun, Will Travel
Character:
West Point
Character:
Dick Powell's Zane Grey Theatre
Character:Sheriff Galt
Dick Powell's Zane Grey Theatre
Character:Marshall Mays
Wire Service
Character:Palmer
State Trooper
Character:Stanley Andrews
State Trooper
Character:John Wilbur Mason
Alfred Hitchcock Presents
Character:Mr. Henshaw
Gunsmoke
Character:Mr. Burgess
The Wonderful World of Disney
Character:Judge (uncredited)
The Wonderful World of Disney
Character:Lease Harris
The Wonderful World of Disney
Character:General Thomas
Studio 57
Character:
Letter to Loretta
Character:Henry
Letter to Loretta
Character:Sutter
General Electric Theater
Character:
Cavalcade of America
Character:Dr. Banner
Cavalcade of America
Character:
Four Star Playhouse
Character:Freddie
Four Star Playhouse
Character:Chief of Police
Four Star Playhouse
Character:Dr. Fain
Schlitz Playhouse of Stars
Character:Sparks
Images
