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Forever remembered as Don Adams' "Chief" foil on the popular Mel Brooks/Buck Henry spy series of the 60s "Get Smart", character actor Ed Platt (also billed as Edward C. Platt) had been around for decades prior to copping that rare comedy role. Born in Staten Island, New York, he achieved an appreciation for music on his mother's side. He majored in romantic languages at Princeton University but eventually switched to music at Juilliard after deciding on a career in opera. Instead, however, he became a band vocalist with Paul Whiteman's Orchestra, then performed in a few stage musicals including "The Mikado" and "The Pirates of Penzance" before WWII interrupted things. He served as a radio operator with the Army, his deep, resonant voice quite suitable to the medium, then would find himself on radio again in post war years. A number of musical comedy roles also came his way. In 1947, he made it to Broadway in the musical "Allegro." Star Jose Ferrer took an interest in him while they were appearing in "The Shrike" on Broadway in 1952 and took him to Hollywood to reprise his role in the 1955 film version. This led to a plethora of film and TV offers where his rich voice, balding maturity, stern intensity, and pragmatic air served him quite well over the years, booking a slew of professional or shady types in crime drama and war pictures. In the late 60s he focused on his secret agent role on the Maxwell Smart series, then found occasional guest spots in its aftermath. Married twice and the father of four, Platt died suddenly of a heart attack in 1974.
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