Edward Cuthbert Platt (February 14, 1916 – March 19, 1974) was an American actor widely known for his portrayal of the Chief in the 1965–1970 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.
Edward Platt | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Platt in The Rebel Set (1959) | |
| 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 |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1941–1974 |
| Spouse |
Suzanne Belcher
(m. 1954; div. 1973) |
| Children | 4 |
Early life and military service
editPlatt was born in Staten Island, New York. He spent a part of his childhood in Kentucky and upstate New York, where he attended the Northwood School, a private school in Lake Placid, and was a member of the ski jump team. He also studied at the Juilliard School.[1] He attended Princeton University, but left after his freshman year.[2] He served in the United States Army during World War II. Before becoming an actor, he sang for two years with the Paul Whiteman Orchestra.[3]
Acting career
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An operatically trained bass-baritone[4][a] with a powerful voice, he debuted on Broadway in the Rodgers and Hammerstein musical Allegro. José Ferrer, who performed with Platt in the Broadway play The Shrike, helped him land his first film role in the 1955 film version. Also in 1955, Platt appeared in Rebel Without a Cause starring James Dean, Natalie Wood and Sal Mineo.In 1957 he had a supporting role in “Designing Woman” with Gregory Peck and Lauren Bacall. He returned to Broadway in 1958 with the musical Oh, Captain!, in a romantic role. In 1959, he played Cary Grant's attorney in North by Northwest, and he starred in the movie The Rebel Set.
Platt also appeared in episodes of the original Perry Mason ("The Case of the Slandered Submarine" and "The Case of the Larcenous Lady"); 77 Sunset Strip, Trackdown, State Trooper (in the episode "Who Killed Doc Robbins"), Men into Space ("From Another World"), Ripcord ("Million Dollar Drop"), Gunsmoke, Bonanza, One Step Beyond, The Rifleman (S5 E7 "The Assailants" as Sen. Bordon 1962), Rawhide, Whispering Smith, The Outer Limits ("The Man with the Power" and "Keeper of the Purple Twilight"), The Dick Van Dyke Show ("A Nice Friendly Game Of Cards"), Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea, Bat Masterson (in the 1959 episode "Incident in Leadville"), Tales of Wells Fargo, The Twilight Zone, and Wagon Train
Platt was widely known for his role as The Chief in the espionage parody television series Get Smart (1965–1970). After it ended, he had a recurring role in the situation comedy series The Governor & J.J. in 1970. He had guest roles in several other television series of the era, mostly comedies, including 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
editIn 1973, Platt raised the money to produce one of the first independent feature films shot entirely on videotape: Santee, starring Glenn Ford. His crew shot the production with electronic TV cameras and portable video tape recorders, then had the images transferred to film for theatrical release. The movie was not commercially successful. [citation needed]
Death
editOn March 19, 1974, Platt was found dead in his Santa Monica apartment, at the age of 58.[5] Initial reports indicated the cause of death was a heart attack, but Platt's son later said that his father died from suicide, after a long struggle with untreated depression.[6]
Filmography
edit| 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 | |
| Illegal | Ralph Ford | ||
| Rebel Without a Cause | Ray Fremick | ||
| Sincerely Yours | Dr. Eubank | Uncredited | |
| 1956 | The Lieutenant Wore Skirts | Major Dunning | |
| The Steel Jungle | Judge Wahller | ||
| Backlash | Sheriff J.C. Marson | Credited as Edward C. Platt | |
| Serenade | Everett Carter | ||
| The Proud Ones | Dr. Barlow | ||
| Storm Center | Reverend Wilson | ||
| The Unguarded Moment | Attorney Briggs | ||
| Written on the Wind | Dr. Paul Cochrane | ||
| Reprisal! | Neil Shipley | ||
| Rock, Pretty Baby | Thomas Daley Sr. M.D. | ||
| The Great Man | Dr. O'Connor | ||
| 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 | ||
| Oregon Passage | Roland Dane | ||
| 1958 | The Gift of Love | Dr. Jim Miller | |
| Damn Citizen | Joseph Kosta | ||
| The High Cost of Loving | Eli Cave | ||
| Summer Love | Dr. Thomas Daley | ||
| The Last of the Fast Guns | Sam Grypton | Credited as Edward C. Platt | |
| Gunman's Walk | Purcell Avery | ||
| 1959 | The Rebel Set | Mr. Tucker / Mr. T | |
| North by Northwest | Victor Larrabee | ||
| They Came to Cordura | Colonel DeRose | ||
| 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 | Black Zoo | Detective Rivers | |
| Johnny Shiloh | General George Henry Thomas | ||
| A Ticklish Affair | Captain Haven Hitchcock | ||
| 1964 | Shock Treatment | District Attorney | Uncredited |
| Bullet for a Badman | Tucker | ||
| 1965 | The Man from Button Willow | The Man in the Black Cape | Voice, Uncredited |
Television credits
edit| Year | Series | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1955 | Gunsmoke | Mr. Burgess | Season 1 Episode 7: "Smoking Out the Nolans" |
| 1958 | Silent Service | Captain Benítez | Episode: "The Last Dive" |
| Tales of Wells Fargo | Doc Bell | Season 2 Episode 18: "Doc Bell" | |
| Dick Powell's Zane Grey Theatre | Sheriff Galt | Season 2 Episode 14: "Trial by Fear" | |
| 1959 | Wagon Train | Matthew Sinclair | Season 2 Episode 30: "The Duke LeMay Story" (airdate: April 29, 1959) |
| Have Gun – Will Travel | Mayor | Season 2 Episode 17: "The Traffetta Mayor" (airdate: January 10, 1959) | |
| One Step Beyond | Will Denning | Season 1 Episode 16: "The Burning Girl" (airdate: May 5, 1959) | |
| Rawhide | Jason Clark | Season 2 Episode 6: "Incident of the Thirteenth Man" (airdate: October 23, 1959) | |
| Mr Lucky | Henry Praiswater | Season 1 Episode 3: "The Stowaway" | |
| Police Station | Desk Sergeant | ||
| Tales of Wells Fargo | Doc Bell | Season 4 Episode 12: "Return of Doc Bell" | |
| 1960 | Wagon Train | Spinoza de Costa | Season 3 Episode 16: "The Maidie Brant Story" (airdate: Jan. 20, 1960) |
| Men into Space | Dr. Luraski | Season 1 Episode 29: "From Another World" | |
| Dick Powell's Zane Grey Theatre | Marshall Mays | Season 5 Episode 4: "The Ox" | |
| Perry Mason | Commander Driscoll | Season 3 Episode 23: "The Case of the Slandered Submarine" | |
| Perry Mason | Tom Stratton | Season 4 Episode 12: "The Case of the Larcenous Lady" | |
| Bonanza | Harvey Bufford | Season 1 Episode 17: "The Outcast" | |
| 1961 | The Twilight Zone | The Doctor | Season 2 Episode 23: "A Hundred Yards Over the Rim" |
| Boris Karloff's Thriller | Jim Weeks | Season 1 Episode 27: "Late Date" | |
| Alfred Hitchcock Presents | Mr. Henshaw | Season 6 Episode 25: "Museum Piece" | |
| 1962 | Wagon Train | Cyrus Bolton | Season 5 Episode 34: "The Frank Carter Story" (airdate: May 23, 1962) |
| Bronco | Sheriff Ben Lockwood | Season 4 Episode 7: "Ride the Whirlwind" | |
| The Rifleman | Senator Jim Bordon | Season 5 Episode 7: "The Assailants" | |
| Tales of Wells Fargo | Doc Bell | Season 6 Episode 34: "Vignette of a Sinner" | |
| Bonanza | Wade Colly | Season 3 Episode 23: "The Guilty" | |
| 1963 | The Outer Limits | Dean Radcliffe | Season 1 Episode 4: "The Man with the Power" |
| Bonanza | Will Flanders | Season 4 Episode 15: "The Colonel" | |
| Ripcord | Jake Miller | Season 2 Episode 23: "Million Dollar Drop" | |
| 1964 | The Outer Limits | Mr. Terrence | Season 1 Episode 28: "The Special One" |
| Kraft Suspense Theatre | 2nd patient (Sam) | Season 2 Episode 10: "The Gun" | |
| The Outer Limits | David Hunt | Season 2 Episode 12: "Keeper of the Purple Twilight" | |
| The Virginian | Stuart Brynmar | Season 2 Episode 26: "The Secret of Brynmar Hall" | |
| Petticoat Junction | General Patterson | Season 2 Episode 12: "The Lost Patrol" | |
| 1965–1970 | Get Smart | Chief of CONTROL | Main cast (137 episodes) |
| 1970 | The Governor & J.J. | Orrin Hacker | Season 2 Episode 6: "Fawcett is Running" |
| The Governor & J.J. | Orrin Hacker | Season 2 Episode 9: "The Making of the Governor" | |
| The Governor & J.J. | Orrin Hacker | Season 2 Episode 10: "A Day in the Life" | |
| The Governor & J.J. | Orrin Hacker | Season 2 Episode 12 "P.S. I Don't Love You" | |
| Bewitched | Jennings Booker | Season 7 Episode 10 Samantha's Old Man | |
| 1971 | The Odd Couple | Bill Donnelly | Season 1 Episode 21: "Oscar's New Life" |
| 1972 | The Snoop Sisters | Julius 'Jules' Nero | Season 1 Pilot Episode: "The Female Instinct" |
Notes
editReferences
edit- ^ "Actor Edward Platt Is Dead Of Heart Attack". St. Joseph News-Press. Associated Press. March 21, 1974. p. 4A. Retrieved September 12, 2011.
- ^ "About Edward Platt". The Edward Platt Tribute Site. Retrieved 7 July 2014.
- ^ "Ed Platt, Chief in 'Get Smart', 58". The New York Times. March 21, 1974. Retrieved 21 November 2023.
- ^ "Edward Platt". Would You Believe.
- ^ "Edward Platt, Actor, Dies". Lincoln Journal Star. United Press International. March 21, 1974. p. 22. Retrieved July 7, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Edward Platt —Biography". Turner Classic Movies. Retrieved July 7, 2024. "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."
External links
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