Jump to content

Edward Platt

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
This article is about the American actor. For the English author, see Edward Platt (author). For the English professional footballer, see Ted Platt.
Edward Platt
Platt in The Rebel Set (1959)
Born
Edward Cuthbert Platt

(1916-02-14)February 14, 1916
Staten Island, New York, U.S.
DiedMarch 19, 1974(1974-03-19) (aged 58)
Santa Monica, California, U.S.
Alma materJuilliard School
OccupationActor
Years active1941–1974
Spouse
Suzanne Belcher
​
​
(m. 1954; div. 1973)​
Children4

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.

Early life and military service

[edit]

Platt 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

[edit]
Platt in the TV series Four Star Playhouse (1954)
Virginia Brissac, Jim Backus, Ann Doran, Edward Platt and James Dean in Rebel Without a Cause (1955)

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

[edit]

In 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

[edit]

On 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

[edit]
  1. ^ In the Get Smart episode "The Hot Line", Platt sings the French song "Alouette".

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Actor Edward Platt Is Dead Of Heart Attack". St. Joseph News-Press. Associated Press. March 21, 1974. p. 4A. Retrieved September 12, 2011.
  2. ^ "About Edward Platt". The Edward Platt Tribute Site. Retrieved 7 July 2014.
  3. ^ "Ed Platt, Chief in 'Get Smart', 58". The New York Times. March 21, 1974. Retrieved 21 November 2023.
  4. ^ "Edward Platt". Would You Believe.
  5. ^ "Edward Platt, Actor, Dies". Lincoln Journal Star. United Press International. March 21, 1974. p. 22. Retrieved July 7, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. ^ "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."
[edit]
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Edward Platt.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Edward_Platt&oldid=1238449268"