Don Adams
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For American former professional basketball player, see Don Adams (basketball).
Image:Don Adams.jpg Don Adams, born Donald James Yarmy, (April 13, 1923 – September 25, 2005) was an American actor best known for his role as Maxwell Smart (Agent 86) in the TV situation comedy Get Smart (1965–1970, 1995), for which he also directed and wrote. Adams won three Emmy Awards for his portrayal of Smart.
Early life
Adams was born in New York City to a Hungarian Jewish father and an Irish American Catholic mother; he was not raised in any religion but became a practicing Catholic later on in his life. Adams served with the United States Marine Corps during World War II as a drill instructor and later in the Pacific Theater. He was the only member of his platoon to survive the Battle of Guadalcanal, but he contracted malaria during the invasion and nearly died of blackwater fever.
He later worked as a comic and mimic, taking the stage name of Adams after marrying singer Adelaide (Dell) Efantis, who performed under the name Adelaide Adams. He changed his name to Adams as a consequence, though following their divorce he generally explained the name change as being because he got tired of being last during alphabetical auditions. However, auditions are virtually never conducted alphabetically.
Rise to fame
His work on television began in 1954, when he won "Arthur Godfrey's Talent Scouts" with a stand-up comedy act written by boyhood friend Bill Dana. He appeared on numerous comedy, variety, and dramatic series before landing the role of Maxwell Smart.
Adams's projects after Get Smart were less successful, including the comedy series The Partners and three attempts to revive the Get Smart series in the 1980s. He continued to make the majority of his income from his work on stage and in clubs. However, he astutely chose the option of co-ownership of the Get Smart property over an increased salary during the series, thus guaranteeing a regular income stream.
He also worked as a voice actor in Tennessee Tuxedo and His Tales (1963–1966), but he was more famous as the voice of Inspector Gadget in the initial run of that television series (1983–1985) and the Christmas Special, as well as in later reprises. He also attempted a situation-comedy comeback in Canada with Check it Out! in 1985; the show ran for three years in Canada, but it was not successful in the United States.
He stated in interviews that his famous "clippy" voice characterization was based on, and an exaggeration of, the speaking style of actor William Powell. Occasionally, he also enjoyed doing a more explicit impersonation of Ronald Colman.
He was married (and divorced) three times and is survived by six of his seven children. He died in Los Angeles, California at the age of 82 from a sudden lung infection following a long battle with bone lymphoma. He is interred in Westwood Village Memorial Park Cemetery in Los Angeles, California.
He was the father of the late actress Cecily Adams.
External links
- Template:Voice actor
- {{{2|{{{name|Don Adams}}}}}} at The Internet Movie Database
- The Get Smart Page
- Don Adams, Television's Maxwell Smart, Dies at 82
- When Being Funny Means Having to Say You're Sorry About That, Chief
- Guardian obituary and obituary letterde:Don Adams
es:Don Adams fr:Don Adams ja:ドン・アダムズ pt:Don Adams fi:Don Adams sv:Don Adams
Categories: 1923 births | 2005 deaths | People from New York City | American film actors | American television actors | American World War II veterans | Cancer deaths | United States Marines | Emmy Award winners | Entertainers who died in their 80s | Irish-American actors | Jewish American actors | Roman Catholic entertainers | Voice actors | Get Smart