Don Adams

Donald James Yarmy (April 13, 1923 – September 25, 2005), known professionally as Don Adams, was an American actor. In his five decades on television, he was best known as bumbling Maxwell Smart (Secret Agent 86) in the television situation comedy Get Smart (1965–1970, 1995), which he also sometimes directed and wrote. Adams won three consecutive Emmy Awards for his performance in the series (1967–1969). Adams also provided voices for the animated series Tennessee Tuxedo and His Tales (1963–1966) and Inspector Gadget (1983–1986) as well as several revivals and spinoffs of the latter in the 1990s.

Early life Adams was born Donald James Yarmy on April 13, 1923, in Manhattan, New York, a son of William Yarmy and his wife, Consuelo (née Deiter) Yarmy. His father was of Hungarian Jewish descent and worked as a restaurant manager; his mother was Irish American. Donald and his brother Dick Yarmy were each raised in the religion of one parent: Don in the Catholic faith of their mother and Dick in the Jewish faith of their father. The brothers had an elder sister, Gloria Ella Yarmy (later Gloria Burton), a writer who wrote an episode of Get Smart. Dropping out of New York City's DeWitt Clinton High School, he worked as a theater usher. He later remarked that he had "little use for school". but did contract blackwater fever, a serious complication of malaria, known for a 90% rate of fatality. Yarmy was evacuated and then hospitalized for more than a year at Silverstream Hospital, a US Navy hospital near Wellington, New Zealand. holding the rank of corporal. He was an expert marksman and was noted for his competence. He had a role on the NBC sitcom The Bill Dana Show (1963–65) as a bumbling hotel detective named Byron Glick.

Get Smart

Creators Mel Brooks and Buck Henry, prompted by producers Daniel Melnick and David Susskind,

Later work

Adams resurrected the Maxwell Smart character for a series of television commercials for Savemart, a retail chain that sold audio and video equipment. He also did a series of audio/radio commercials in the 1980s for Chief Auto Parts, a retail automobile parts establishment later sold to AutoZone.

He also appeared in the film Jimmy the Kid (1982) and played a cameo role as a harbormaster in Back to the Beach (1987).

Adams attempted a situation-comedy comeback in Canada with Check it Out! in 1985. Set in a supermarket, the show ran for three years but was not successful in the United States. The show also starred Gordon Clapp, an unknown actor at the time, who developed a rapport with Adams.

In 1995, Adams reprised his Maxwell Smart role one last time on Get Smart for Fox; it co-starred Barbara Feldon and rising star Andy Dick as Max and 99's son. Unlike the original version, this show did not appeal to younger viewers and it was canceled after just seven episodes. One of Adams's last public appearances was at the Get Smart Gathering on November 7, 2003, at a North Hollywood restaurant, in which fans of the show joined the cast and some of the creative talent of the series.

Adams was the voice of the title character in Tennessee Tuxedo and His Tales (1963–66), with his bombastic catchphrase "Tennessee Tuxedo will not fail!" Later, he voiced himself in animated form for a guest shot in an episode of Hanna-Barbera's The New Scooby-Doo Movies, titled "The Exterminator". His most notable voiceover work was that of the title character in Inspector Gadget. He voiced the character in the original television series (1983–85) and a 1992 Christmas special, as well as in subsequent 1990s spinoffs Gadget Boy and Inspector Gadget's Field Trip. He retired from voicing Inspector Gadget in 1999.

His last roles were the voices of Brain the Dog in the end credits for the 1999 film version of Inspector Gadget and Principal Hickey in the Disney animated series Pepper Ann (1997–2001).

Personal life At the time of his enlistment in the U.S. Marines, he listed "none" on the section of the form asking about religion. During his difficult recovery from blackwater fever, he returned to his Catholic faith as he prayed to survive.

Death Adams died on September 25, 2005, at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, California. He suffered from lymphoma and a lung infection. His health had declined after the death of his daughter Cecily. Before his death, Adams had joked about not wanting a mournful funeral, preferring, he said, to have his friends get together "and bring me back to life".

Among his eulogists were his decades-long friends Barbara Feldon, Don Rickles, James Caan, Bill Dana and his son-in-law, actor Jim Beaver (widower of Adams's daughter Cecily). His funeral Mass was held at the Church of the Good Shepherd in Beverly Hills. He is interred in Hollywood Forever Cemetery.

Filmography Film Year Title Role Notes 1962 The Longest Day Ltjg Mackenzie (uncredited) 1980 The Nude Bomb Maxwell Smart 1982Jimmy the KidHarry Walker 1987 Back to the Beach Harbour Master 1999 Inspector Gadget Brain the Dog (voice) Final film role

Television Year Title Role Notes 1963–1964 The Bill Dana Show Byron Glick Main cast (15 episodes) 1963–1966 Tennessee Tuxedo and His Tales Tennessee Tuxedo (voice) Lead role (70 episodes) 1965–1970 Get Smart Maxwell Smart Lead role (138 episodes) 1966 Bob Hope Presents the Chrysler Theatre Himself (guest) Episode: "Murder at NBC" 1967 The Carol Burnett Show Himself (guest) Episode: 1.11 1967 The Danny Thomas Hour Harry Episode: "Instant Money" 1968 Laugh-In Himself (guest) Episode: 1.4 1970 Pat Paulsen's Half a Comedy Hour Dolf Clem Episode: "Episode #1.9" 1971 Confessions of a Top Crime Buster Det. Lennie Crooke TV movie 1971–1972 The Partners Det. Lennie Crooke Lead role (20 episodes) 1973 Saga of Sonora Himself (host) Television special 1973 The New Scooby-Doo Movies Himself (voice) Episode: "The Exterminator" 1973 Wait Till Your Father Gets Home Don Gibson Jr. (voice) Episode: "Don for the Defense" 1975 Don Adams' Screen Test Himself (host) 13 episodes 1976 Three Times Daley Bob Daley Television pilot 1976 The Love Boat Donald Richardson TV movie 1978 The Love Boat Lenny Camen Episode: "One More Time" 1979 Fantasy Island Cornelius Wieselfarber Episode: "The Red Baron" 1980 The Love Boat William Robinson Episode: "We Three" 1980 Murder Can Hurt You! Narrator (voice) TV movie 1982 The Love Boat Sidney Williams Episode: "Safety Last" 1983 The Love Boat Sam Corey Episode: "The Very Temporary Secretary" 1983–1985 Inspector Gadget Inspector Gadget (voice) Lead role (86 episodes) 1984 The Love Boat Walter Love Episode: "Novelties" 1984 The Fall Guy Sheriff Episode: "Losers Wheepers: Part 1" 1985–1988 Check It Out! Howard Bannister Lead role (66 episodes) 1989 Get Smart, Again! Maxwell Smart TV movie 1992 Inspector Gadget Saves Christmas Inspector Gadget (voice) Television special 1994 Empty Nest Don Adams Episode: "Charley's Millions" 1995 Get Smart Maxwell Smart Lead role (7 episodes) 1995–1996 Gadget Boy & Heather Gadget Boy (voice) Lead role (26 episodes) 1996–1998 Inspector Gadget's Field Trip Inspector Gadget (voice) Lead role (27 episodes) 1997 Nick Freno: Licensed Teacher Principal Episode: "Gargoyle Guys" 1997–1998 Gadget Boy's Adventures in History Gadget Boy (voice) Lead role (26 episodes) 1997–2001 Pepper Ann Principal Hickey (voice) Additional voices (24 episodes)