Edward Platt
Edward Platt | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | Edward Cuthbert Platt February 14, 1916 Staten Island, New York, U.S. |
| Died | March 19, 1974 (aged 58) Santa Monica, California, U.S. |
| Alma mater | Juilliard School |
| Years active | 1949–1974 |
| Spouse(s) |
Suzanne Belcher
(m. 1954; "his death" is deprecated; use "died" instead. 1974) |
| Children | 4 |
Edward Cuthbert Platt (February 14, 1916 – March 19, 1974) was an American actor best known for his portrayal of "The Chief" in the 1965-70 NBC/CBS television series Get Smart. With his deep voice and mature appearance, he played an eclectic mix of characters over the span of his career.
Early life and military service
Platt was born in Staten Island, New York, and studied at the Juilliard School.[1] He attended Princeton University, but left after his freshman year.[2] Platt served in the United States Army during World War II.
Acting career
A powerful, operatically trained bass-baritone,[3][4] he debuted on Broadway in the Rodgers and Hammerstein musical Allegro. José Ferrer, who performed with Platt in the Broadway play The Shrike, helped Platt land his first film role in the 1955 film version. Also in 1955, he appeared in Rebel Without a Cause starring James Dean, Natalie Wood, and Sal Mineo. Platt returned to Broadway in 1958 with the musical Oh, Captain!, playing a romantic role. In 1959, he played Cary Grant's attorney in North by Northwest. In 1959, Platt starred in the movie The Rebel Set, which was later mocked on the television show Mystery Science Theater 3000.
Platt also appeared in episodes of the original Perry Mason, 77 Sunset Strip, Trackdown, State Trooper (in the episode "Who Killed Doc Robbins"), Men into Space (in the episode "From Another World"), Ripcord (in the episode "Millon Dollar Drop"), Gunsmoke, Bonanza, One Step Beyond, The Rifleman, Rawhide, Whispering Smith, The Outer Limits (in the first-season episode "The Man with the Power"), The Dick Van Dyke Show (in "A Nice Friendly Game Of Cards"), Voyage To The Bottom Of The Sea, Bat Masterson and The Twilight Zone.
His most famous role was the regular role of Chief in the espionage parody television series Get Smart (1965–1970). After the series ended, he played a recurring role in situation comedy series The Governor & J.J. in 1970. He had guest roles in several other television series of the era, mostly comedies. These included Temperatures Rising, Bewitched, Owen Marshall: Counselor at Law, Love, American Style, and The Odd Couple as Oscar Madison's boss in the episode "Oscar's New Life".
Platt appeared as Sotto Voce in the 1969 KCET television reading of Norman Corwin's 1938 radio play The Plot to Overthrow Christmas.
Work as producer
In 1973, Platt raised the money to produce one of the first independent color motion pictures shot entirely on videotape: Santee, starring Glenn Ford. Platt saw the advantages of using videotape over film, and his crew shot the production with electronic TV cameras and portable VTRs, then had the images transferred to film for theatrical release. The movie was not commercially successful. [citation needed]
Death
On March 19, 1974, Platt's body was found in his apartment.[5] He was 58 years old. While early reports blamed a heart attack for the actor's death, his son later admitted Platt had committed suicide after a long struggle with untreated depression.[6]
Filmography
| Year | Film | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1949 | I Was a Male War Bride | Lieutenant in Gates's Office | Uncredited |
| 1955 | Cult of the Cobra | Lamian Threatening Death | Uncredited |
| The Shrike | Harry Downs | ||
| The McConnell Story | Medical Corps Instructor | Uncredited | |
| "Gunsmoke " | Mr. Burgess | ||
| Rebel Without a Cause | Ray Fremick | ||
| Illegal | Ralph Ford | ||
| Sincerely Yours | Dr. Eubank | Uncredited | |
| 1956 | The Lieutenant Wore Skirts | Major Dunning | |
| The Steel Jungle | Judge Wahller | ||
| Serenade | Everett Carter | ||
| Backlash | Sheriff J.C. Marson | Credited as Edward C. Platt | |
| The Proud Ones | Dr. Barlow | ||
| Storm Center | Rev. Wilson | ||
| Reprisal! | Neil Shipley | ||
| The Unguarded Moment | Attorney Briggs | ||
| Rock, Pretty Baby | Thomas Daley Sr. M.D. | ||
| The Great Man | Dr. O'Connor | ||
| Written on the Wind | Dr. Paul Cochrane | ||
| 1957 | The Tattered Dress | Ralph Adams | |
| Designing Woman | Martin J. Daylor | ||
| Omar Khayyam | Jayhan | ||
| House of Numbers | The Warden | ||
| The Helen Morgan Story | Johnny Haggerty | ||
| Summer Love | Dr. Thomas Daley | ||
| Oregon Passage | Roland Dane | ||
| Damn Citizen | Joseph Kosta | ||
| 1958 | The Gift of Love | Dr. Jim Miller | |
| The Last of the Fast Guns | Sam Grypton | Credited as Edward C. Platt | |
| The High Cost of Loving | Eli Cave | ||
| Gunman's Walk | Purcell Avery | ||
| 1959 | They Came to Cordura | Col. DeRose | |
| The Rebel Set | Mr. Tucker / Mr. T | ||
| North by Northwest | Victor Larrabee | ||
| Inside the Mafia | Dan Regent | ||
| 1960 | Cash McCall | Harrison Glenn | |
| Pollyanna | Ben Tarbell | ||
| 1961 | The Fiercest Heart | Madrigo | |
| Atlantis, the Lost Continent | Azar the High Priest | ||
| Snow White and the Three Stooges | Villager | Uncredited | |
| The Explosive Generation | Mr. Morton | ||
| 1962 | Cape Fear | Judge | |
| 1963 | Johnny Shiloh | General Thomas | |
| Black Zoo | Detective Rivers | ||
| A Ticklish Affair | Captain Haven Hitchcock | ||
| 1964 | Bullet for a Badman | Tucker | |
| Shock Treatment | District Attorney | Uncredited | |
| 1965 | The Man from Button Willow | The Man In The Black Cape | Voice, Uncredited |
Television credits
| Year | Series | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1958 | Silent Service | Capt. Benítez | Episode "The Last Dive" |
| 1959 | Wagon Train | Matthew Sinclair | Episode "The Duke LeMay Story" |
| 1959 | Rawhide | Jason Clark | Episode "Incident of the Thirteenth Man", Season 2, Episode 6, airdate: Oct. 23, 1959 |
| 1959 | Mr Lucky | Henry Praiswater | Episode "The Stowaway" |
| 1960 | Men into Space | Dr. Luraski | Episode "From Another World" |
| 1961 | The Twilight Zone | The Doctor | Episode "A Hundred Yards Over the Rim" |
| Boris Karloff's Thriller | Jim Weeks | Episode "Late Date" | |
| 1962 | Bronco | Dr. Miles Gillis | Episode "Ride the Whirlwind" |
| 1963 | Ripcord | Jake Miller | Episode "Million Dollar Drop" |
| 1964 | The Outer Limits | David Hunt | Episode "Keeper of the Purple Twilight" |
| 1965-1970 | Get Smart | Chief of CONTROL | |
| 1969-1970 | The Governor & J.J. | Orrin Hacker | Recurring role |
| 1971 | The Odd Couple | Bill Donnelly | Episode "Oscar's New Life" |
References
- ^ "Actor Edward Platt Is Dead Of Heart Attack". St. Joseph News-Press. St. Joseph, Missouri. AP. March 21, 1974. p. 4A. Retrieved September 12, 2011.
{{cite news}}: Cite has empty unknown parameters:|pmd=,|trans_title=, and|deadurl=(help) - ^ "About Page". 20m.com. Retrieved 23 March 2015.
- ^ http://www.wouldyoubelieve.com/platt.html
- ^ We get to hear him sing in the Get Smart episode "The Hot Line", in which the Chief loses his job and has to work as a singing waiter in a posh restaurant. He sings the French song "Alouette".
- ^ "Edward Platt, Actor, Dies". Lincoln Evening Journal. Nebraska, Lincoln. United Press International. March 21, 1974. p. 22. Retrieved August 30, 2016 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Death certificate states coronary failure. "Overview for Edward Platt". Turner Classic Movies. Retrieved April 28, 2017.
External links
- Edward Platt at IMDb
- Edward Platt at the Internet Broadway Database
- Edward Platt at Find a Grave
- "Chief" places 6th on Great Secondary TV Characters list
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Other | |
- 1916 births
- 1974 deaths
- American male actors who committed suicide
- American male film actors
- American male television actors
- Male actors from New York City
- People from Staten Island
- United States Army soldiers
- Princeton University alumni
- Juilliard School alumni
- American bass-baritones
- Singers from New York City
- 20th-century American male actors
- 20th-century American singers