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

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/ CBS

television Television (TV) is a telecommunication medium for transmitting moving images and sound. Additionally, the term can refer to a physical television set rather than the medium of transmission. Television is a mass medium for advertising, ...

series ''

Get Smart ''Get Smart'' is an American comedy television series parodying the Spy fiction, secret agent genre that had become widely popular in the first half of the 1960s with the release of the ''James Bond'' films. It was created by Mel Brooks and Bu ...

''. 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

Platt was born in

Staten Island Staten Island ( ) is the southernmost of the boroughs of New York City, five boroughs of New York City, coextensive with Richmond County and situated at the southernmost point of New York (state), New York. The borough is separated from the ad ...

, 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 The Juilliard School ( ) is a Private university, private performing arts music school, conservatory in New York City. Founded by Frank Damrosch as the Institute of Musical Art in 1905, the school later added dance and drama programs and became ...

. He attended

Princeton University Princeton University is a private university, private Ivy League research university in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth, New Jersey, Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the List of Colonial ...

, but left after his freshman year. He served in the

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during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. Before becoming an actor, he sang for two years with the Paul Whiteman Orchestra.

Acting career

An operatically trained

bass-baritone A bass-baritone is a high-lying bass or low-lying "classical" baritone voice type which shares certain qualities with the true baritone voice. The term arose in the late 19th century to describe the particular type of voice required to sing three ...

with a powerful voice, he debuted on Broadway in the

Rodgers and Hammerstein Rodgers and Hammerstein was a theater-writing team of composer Richard Rodgers (1902–1979) and lyricist-dramatist Oscar Hammerstein II (1895–1960), who together created a series of innovative and influential American musicals. Their musical ...

musical ''

Allegro Allegro may refer to: Common meanings * Allegro (music), a tempo marking that indicates to playing quickly and brightly (from Italian meaning ''cheerful'') * Allegro (ballet), brisk and lively movement Artistic works * L'Allegro (1645), a poem b ...

''.

José Ferrer José Vicente Ferrer de Otero y Cintrón (January 8, 1912 – January 26, 1992) was a Puerto Ricans, Puerto Rican actor and director of stage, film and television. He was one of the most celebrated and esteemed Hispanic and Latino Americans, Hi ...

, 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

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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 Cary Grant (born Archibald Alec Leach; January 18, 1904November 29, 1986) was an English and American actor. Known for his blended British and American accent, debonair demeanor, lighthearted approach to acting, and sense of comic timing, he ...

's attorney in ''

North by Northwest ''North by Northwest'' is a 1959 American spy thriller film produced and directed by Alfred Hitchcock, starring Cary Grant, Eva Marie Saint, and James Mason. The original screenplay written by Ernest Lehman was intended to be the basis for ...

'', 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 ''Gunsmoke'' is an American radio and television Western drama series created by director Norman Macdonnell and writer John Meston. It centered on Dodge City, Kansas, in the 1870s, during the settlement of the American West. The central charact ...

'', ''

Bonanza ''Bonanza'' is an American Western television series that ran on NBC from September 12, 1959, to January 16, 1973. Lasting 14 seasons and 431 episodes, ''Bonanza'' is NBC's longest-running Western, the second-longest-running Western series on ...

'', ''

One Step Beyond One Step Beyond may refer to: Music * ''One Step Beyond'' (Dungeon album) or the title song, 2004 * ''One Step Beyond'' (Jackie McLean album), 1963 * '' One Step Beyond...'', an album by Madness, or the title song (see below), 1979 * ''One Ste ...

'', ''

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'' (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 Bartholemew William Barclay "Bat" Masterson (November 26, 1853 – October 25, 1921) was a U.S. Army scout, lawman, professional gambler, and journalist known for his exploits in the late 19th and early 20th-century American Old West. He was bo ...

'' (in the 1959 episode "Incident in Leadville"), ''

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'', ''

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'', and ''

Wagon Train ''Wagon Train'' is an American Western television series that aired for eight seasons, first on the NBC television network (1957–1962) and then on ABC (1962–1965). ''Wagon Train'' debuted on September 18, 1957, and reached the top of the ...

'' Platt was widely known for his role as The Chief in the

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television series ''

'' (1965–1970). After it ended, he had a recurring role in the

situation comedy A sitcom (short for situation comedy or situational comedy) is a genre of comedy produced for radio and television, that centers on a recurring cast of character (arts), characters as they navigate humorous situations within a consistent settin ...

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 ''Love, American Style'' is an American anthology comedy television series that aired on ABC from September 29, 1969, to January 11, 1974. The series was produced by Paramount Television. During the 1971–72 and 1972–73 seasons, it was a pa ...

'', 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 KCET (channel 28) is a secondary PBS member television station in Los Angeles, California, United States. It is owned by the Public Media Group of Southern California alongside the market's primary PBS member, Huntington Beach–licensed KOC ...

television reading of

Norman Corwin Norman Lewis Corwin (May 3, 1910 – October 18, 2011) was an American writer, screenwriter, producer, essayist and teacher of journalism and writing. His earliest and biggest successes were in the writing and directing of radio drama during th ...

's 1938 radio play '' The Plot to Overthrow Christmas''.

Work as producer

In 1973, Platt raised the money to produce one of the first independent feature films shot entirely on videotape: '' Santee'', starring

Glenn Ford Gwyllyn Samuel Newton Ford (May 1, 1916 – August 30, 2006), known as Glenn Ford, was a Canadian-born American actor. He was most prominent during Classical Hollywood cinema, Hollywood's Golden Age as one of the biggest box-office draws of th ...

. 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.

Death

Platt was found dead in his Santa Monica apartment on March 19, 1974, at the age of 58. 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."Edward Platt —Biography"
''

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''. 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."

Filmography

Television credits

Notes

References

External links

* *
"Chief" places 6th on Great Secondary TV Characters list
{{DEFAULTSORT:Platt, Edward 1916 births 1974 suicides American male film actors American male television actors Military personnel from New York City Male actors from Staten Island United States Army soldiers Princeton University alumni Juilliard School alumni American bass-baritones Singers from New York City 20th-century American male actors 20th-century American singers 20th-century American male singers United States Army personnel of World War II 1974 deaths