Don Adams

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For other people see Don Adams (disambiguation)

Don Adams
Adams as Maxwell Smart on Get Smart
Born	April 13, 1923 New York, New York
Died	September 25, 2005 Los Angeles, California

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 and won three consecutive Emmy Awards for his portrayal of Smart (1967-1969), and as well as providing the voice in Inspector Gadget as the title character.

1 Biography
2 External links

[edit] Biography

[edit] Early life

Adams was born in New York City to William Yarmy, a Hungarian Jew, and Consuelo Morgan, a Catholic of Dutch and Irish heritage;[1] 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 in the Pacific Theater and later as a drill instructor. 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. After their divorce, he still went by the stage name, Adams, explaining (perhaps comically) that he kept it because he got tired of being last during alphabetical auditions.

[edit] Career

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' production period, thus guaranteeing a regular income stream.

Don Adams in animated form in an episode of The New Scooby Doo Movies, "The Exterminator."

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 even voiced himself in animated form for a guest shot in an episode of Hanna-Barbera's The New Scooby-Doo Movies, "The Exterminator," which first aired on CBS October 13, 1973. 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.

When the film version of Inspector Gadget starring Matthew Broderick went into theaters in 1999, Adams was the voice of Brain the dog in the end credits.

In October of 2006 comedian Bob Newhart (appearing on Larry King Live) credited Adams with his entry in stand-up comedy. At first, Newhart tried his hand as a comedy writer specifically developing a routine with Adams in mind. He then sought out Adams and ran the routine by him, only to be told the material wasn't worthy. A few days later when he saw Adams perform the exact same routine, verbatim, on "The Tonight Show" he decided he might as well try his hand as a performer with his own material.^{[citation needed]}

[edit] Personal life

He was married (and divorced) three times and was survived by five of his seven children: son Sean (died 2006) and daughters Carolyn, Catherine, Christine, Stacey, and Beige. His daughter Cecily Adams predeceased him. 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 Hollywood Forever Cemetery in Hollywood, California. His funeral mass was held at the Church of the Good Shepherd in Beverly Hills.