Edward Platt

Edward Platt

Born

February 14, 1916

Died

March 19, 1974 (58 years old)

Known For

Acting

Place of Birth

Staten Island, New York, USA

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

The Female Instinct

The Female Instinct

Julius Nero

0.0

1972

Temperatures Rising

Senator Bradley · (1 episode)

5.0

1972

Owen Marshall: Counselor at Law

Owen Marshall: Counselor at Law

Caldwell · (1 episode)

6.3

1971

The Odd Couple

The Odd Couple

Bill Donnelly · (1 episode)

7.8

1970

Love, American Style

Love, American Style

(1 episode)

6.1

1969

Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In

Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In

Self · (1 episode)

6.5

1968

Get Smart: A Man Called Smart

Get Smart: A Man Called Smart

Chief

0.0

1967

Johnny Shiloh

Johnny Shiloh

Gen. Thomas

7.5

1965

The Further Adventures of Gallegher

The Further Adventures of Gallegher

The Judge

0.0

1965

Get Smart

Get Smart

Thaddeus · (138 episodes)

7.9

1965

Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea

Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea

Morgan · (1 episode)

7.8

1964

Bullet for a Badman

Bullet for a Badman

Tucker

6.2

1964

Petticoat Junction

Petticoat Junction

General Patterson · (1 episode)

5.8

1963

Burke's Law

Burke's Law

Capt. Frank Metcalfe · (1 episode)

6.0

1963

Temple Houston

Temple Houston

(1 episode)

5.7

1963

The Outer Limits

The Outer Limits

Dean Radcliffe · (1 episode)

7.8

1963

The Outer Limits

The Outer Limits

Mr. Terrence · (1 episode)

7.8

1963

The Outer Limits

The Outer Limits

David Hunt (as Edward C. Platt) · (1 episode)

7.8

1963

Arrest and Trial

Arrest and Trial

Judge Kenneth W. Browne · (1 episode)

7.7

1963

Arrest and Trial

Arrest and Trial

Judge Phillips · (1 episode)

7.7

1963

Arrest and Trial

Arrest and Trial

Judge · (3 episodes)

7.7

1963

Arrest and Trial

Arrest and Trial

Superior Court Judge · (1 episode)

7.7

1963

A Ticklish Affair

A Ticklish Affair

Captain Haven Hitchcock

5.7

1963

Black Zoo

Black Zoo

Chief Rivers

5.6

1963

General Electric True

(1 episode)

0.0

1962

The Virginian

The Virginian

Stuart Brynmar · (1 episode)

6.5

1962

Saints and Sinners

Saints and Sinners

Dr. Gates · (1 episode)

6.0

1962

Cape Fear

Cape Fear

Judge

7.4

1962

The Explosive Generation

The Explosive Generation

Mr. Morton

5.3

1961

The Dick Van Dyke Show

The Dick Van Dyke Show

Lou Gregory · (1 episode)

7.5

1961

Dr. Kildare

Dr. Kildare

Dr. Tom Paulson · (1 episode)

5.5

1961

Who Killed Julie Greer?

Who Killed Julie Greer?

Joe Nolan

0.0

1961

Atlantis: The Lost Continent

Atlantis: The Lost Continent

Azor the High Priest

5.2

1961

The Fiercest Heart

Madrigo

5.0

1961

Surfside 6

Surfside 6

(1 episode)

5.0

1960

Thriller

Thriller

James Weeks · (1 episode)

6.4

1960

Pollyanna

Pollyanna

Ben Tarbell

7.0

1960

Cash McCall

Cash McCall

Harrison Glenn

6.0

1960

Mr. Lucky

Mr. Lucky

(1 episode)

6.4

1959

Hawaiian Eye

Hawaiian Eye

Dr. Wallace Oliver · (1 episode)

5.2

1959

The Twilight Zone

The Twilight Zone

Doctor · (1 episode)

8.4

1959

Bonanza

Bonanza

Harvey Buford · (1 episode)

7.5

1959

Bonanza

Bonanza

Wade Colly · (1 episode)

7.5

1959

The Deputy

The Deputy

Noah Harper · (1 episode)

6.2

1959

Bonanza

Bonanza

Will Flanders · (1 episode)

7.5

1959

Inside the Mafia

Inside the Mafia

Dan Regent

5.0

1959

North by Northwest

North by Northwest

Victor Larrabee

8.0

1959

The Rebel Set

The Rebel Set

Mr. Tucker / Mr. T

2.8

1959

They Came to Cordura

They Came to Cordura

Col. DeRose

6.6

1959

The Lawless Years

The Lawless Years

(1 episode)

7.0

1959

One Step Beyond

One Step Beyond

Will Denning · (1 episode)

5.6

1959

Rawhide

Rawhide

(0 episode)

7.2

1959

Rawhide

Rawhide

Jason Clark · (1 episode)

7.2

1959

Destination Space

Destination Space

Dr. Easton (as Edward C. Platt)

4.2

1959

77 Sunset Strip

77 Sunset Strip

(1 episode)

6.7

1958

77 Sunset Strip

77 Sunset Strip

Mr. Jacobin · (1 episode)

6.7

1958

Bat Masterson

Bat Masterson

Roy Evens · (1 episode)

6.1

1958

Westinghouse Desilu Playhouse

Westinghouse Desilu Playhouse

(1 episode)

5.8

1958

The Rifleman

The Rifleman

(1 episode)

7.1

1958

Bronco

Bronco

(1 episode)

5.2

1958

Peter Gunn

Peter Gunn

(1 episode)

6.5

1958

Gunman's Walk

Gunman's Walk

Purcell Avery

6.7

1958

The Last of the Fast Guns

The Last of the Fast Guns

Sam Grypton

5.2

1958

The High Cost of Loving

The High Cost of Loving

Eli Cave

5.7

1958

Summer Love

Summer Love

Dr. Thomas Daley

5.0

1958

Damn Citizen

Damn Citizen

Joseph Kosta (as Edward C. Platt)

0.0

1958

The Gift of Love

The Gift of Love

Dr. Jim Miller

7.2

1958

Oregon Passage

Oregon Passage

Roland Dane

4.6

1957

Trackdown

Trackdown

(1 episode)

6.4

1957

Trackdown

Trackdown

Adam Madson · (1 episode)

6.4

1957

Trackdown

Trackdown

George Mason · (1 episode)

6.4

1957

The Helen Morgan Story

The Helen Morgan Story

Johnny Haggerty

5.3

1957

Alcoa Theatre

Alcoa Theatre

Lieutenant · (1 episode)

6.5

1957

Perry Mason

Perry Mason

Cmdr. Driscoll · (1 episode)

7.7

1957

Perry Mason

Perry Mason

Tom Stratton · (1 episode)

7.7

1957

Wagon Train

Wagon Train

Spinoza de Costa · (1 episode)

6.3

1957

Wagon Train

Wagon Train

Cyrus Bolton · (1 episode)

6.3

1957

Have Gun, Will Travel

Have Gun, Will Travel

(1 episode)

7.4

1957

House of Numbers

House of Numbers

The Warden

5.3

1957

Omar Khayyam

Omar Khayyam

Jayhan

5.0

1957

Designing Woman

Designing Woman

Martin J. Daylor

6.6

1957

The Tattered Dress

The Tattered Dress

Ralph Adams, Reporter (as Edward C. Platt)

5.6

1957

The Unguarded Moment

The Unguarded Moment

Attorney Briggs (as Edward C. Platt)

6.2

1956

Rock, Pretty Baby

Rock, Pretty Baby

Thomas Daley Sr.

3.0

1956

The Great Man

The Great Man

Dr. O'Conner (as Edward C. Platt)

5.2

1956

Reprisal!

Reprisal!

Neil Shipley

7.2

1956

West Point

West Point

(1 episode)

5.0

1956

Dick Powell's Zane Grey Theatre

Dick Powell's Zane Grey Theatre

Sheriff Galt · (1 episode)

5.5

1956

Dick Powell's Zane Grey Theatre

Dick Powell's Zane Grey Theatre

Marshall Mays · (1 episode)

5.5

1956

Written on the Wind

Written on the Wind

Dr. Paul Cochrane

7.0

1956

Wire Service

Wire Service

Palmer · (1 episode)

0.0

1956

State Trooper

State Trooper

Stanley Andrews · (1 episode)

5.0

1956

State Trooper

State Trooper

John Wilbur Mason · (1 episode)

5.0

1956

Storm Center

Storm Center

Rev. Wilson

6.4

1956

The Proud Ones

The Proud Ones

Dr. Barlow

6.4

1956

Serenade

Serenade

Everett Carter

5.5

1956

Backlash

Backlash

Sheriff J.C. Marson

6.4

1956

The Steel Jungle

The Steel Jungle

Judge Wahller

5.3

1956

The Lieutenant Wore Skirts

The Lieutenant Wore Skirts

Major Dunning - Psychiatrist

5.5

1956

Sincerely Yours

Sincerely Yours

Dr. Eubank (uncredited)

5.8

1955

Rebel Without a Cause

Rebel Without a Cause

Ray Fremick

7.5

1955

Illegal

Illegal

Ralph Ford

6.4

1955

Alfred Hitchcock Presents

Alfred Hitchcock Presents

Mr. Henshaw · (1 episode)

7.7

1955

Gunsmoke

Gunsmoke

Mr. Burgess · (1 episode)

6.6

1955

The Shrike

The Shrike

Harry Downs (as Edward C. Platt)

6.0

1955

Cult of the Cobra

Cult of the Cobra

Lamian Threatening Death (uncredited)

6.0

1955

The Wonderful World of Disney

The Wonderful World of Disney

Judge (uncredited) · (1 episode)

7.8

1954

The Wonderful World of Disney

The Wonderful World of Disney

Lease Harris · (1 episode)

7.8

1954

The Wonderful World of Disney

The Wonderful World of Disney

General Thomas · (2 episodes)

7.8

1954

Studio 57

Studio 57

(1 episode)

0.0

1954

Letter to Loretta

Letter to Loretta

Henry · (2 episodes)

6.5

1953

Letter to Loretta

Letter to Loretta

Sutter · (1 episode)

6.5

1953

General Electric Theater

General Electric Theater

(1 episode)

6.3

1953

Cavalcade of America

Cavalcade of America

Dr. Banner · (1 episode)

3.5

1952

Cavalcade of America

Cavalcade of America

(1 episode)

3.5

1952

Four Star Playhouse

Freddie · (1 episode)

6.3

1952

Four Star Playhouse

Chief of Police · (1 episode)

6.3

1952

Four Star Playhouse

Dr. Fain · (1 episode)

6.3

1952

Schlitz Playhouse of Stars

Schlitz Playhouse of Stars

Sparks · (1 episode)

7.3

1951

I Was a Male War Bride

I Was a Male War Bride

Lieutenant in Gates' Office (uncredited)

6.9

1949