American actor Donald James Yarmy, better known by his stage as Don Adams, was born on April 13, 1923, and passed away on September 25, 2005. Throughout his fifty years on TV, he was most recognized for his role as the awkward Maxwell Smart (Secret Agent 86) in the television situation comedy Get Smart (1965–1970, 1995), which he occasionally wrote and directed. For his work in the series, Adams was honored with three consecutive Emmy Awards (1967–1969). Adams also contributed voices to the animated shows Inspector Gadget (1983–1986) and Tennessee Tuxedo and His Tales (1963–1966), as well as a number of Inspector Gadget spinoffs and revivals in the 1990s.
Early life
In Manhattan, New York, Donald James Yarmy, the son of William Yarmy and Consuelo (née Deiter) Yarmy, was born. His mother was Irish-American, and his father was of Hungarian Jewish origin. Both Donald and his brother Dick Yarmy were brought up according to the religion of one parent; Dick was raised Jewish, whereas Don was reared Catholic. Gloria Ella Yarmy, later known as Gloria Burton, was the oldest sister of the brothers and a writer who contributed to a Get Smart episode. After leaving DeWitt Clinton High School in New York City, he took a job as a theater usher. He claimed afterwards to have “little use for school.
World War II Service
He enlisted in the US Marine Corps in late 1941. Yarmy was assigned to I Company of the Third Battalion, Eighth Marines in San Diego after reporting to the First Training Battalion in New River, North Carolina.
Yarmy’s battalion was sent to Samoa in May 1942 for additional training, and in August 1942 it took part in the Pacific Theater of Operations’ Battle of Guadalcanal. In contrast to popular belief, he did not sustain any injuries during battle; nonetheless, he did develop blackwater fever, a dangerous malarial complication with a 90% death rate. Yarmy was sent to a Navy hospital in Wellington, New Zealand, where he remained for over a year after being evacuated. Yarmy worked as a Marine Drill Instructor in the following after his rehabilitation. United States, with a corporal rank. He was well-known for his proficiency as a marksman.
Career
Yarmy relocated to Florida after being discharged in 1945 and worked as a comic in a strip club, impersonating famous people. However, he was fired for refusing to perform “blue” material. His marriage to Adelaide Constance Efantis (1924–2016), a singer known by her stage name “Dell” and actress Adelaide Adams, took place in 1947. Actors were called in alphabetical order for auditions, so he chose to take her name. In order to provide for his wife and three daughters, Adams also had jobs as a restaurant cashier and commercial artist.
After winning on Arthur Godfrey’s Talent Scouts in 1954 with a stand-up comedy act composed by his childhood friend Bill Dana, Adams started his career in television. Dana was a writer on The Steve Allen Show, where he made eleven appearances in the late 1950s. He performed regularly as a member of The Kraft Music Hall Players on NBC’s The Perry Como Show during the 1961–1963 television seasons. In the 1963–1965 NBC sitcom The Bill Dana Show, he played Byron Glick, an inexperienced hotel investigator.
| Born | Donald James Yarmy April 13, 1923 New York, New York, U.S. |
| Died | September 25, 2005 (aged 82) Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Resting place | Hollywood Forever Cemetery |
| Alma mater | DeWitt Clinton High School |
| Occupation | Actor, comedian |
| Years active | 1954–2000 |
| Notable work | Get Smart, Tennessee Tuxedo and His Tales, Inspector Gadget |
| Spouses | Adelaide Efantis (m. 1947; div. 1960) Dorothy Bracken (m. 1960; div. 1976) Judy Luciano (m. 1977; div. 1990) |
| Children | 7, including Cecily Adams |
| Relatives | Dick Yarmy (brother) Military career |
| Allegiance |  United States |
| Service/branch | United States Marine Corps |
| Years of service | 1941–1945 |
| Battles/wars | World War II -Battle of Guadalcanal |
Get Smart
Makers Producers Daniel Melnick and David Susskind encouraged Mel Brooks and Buck Henry to write Get Smart as a humorous response to the popular 1960s spy television series like The Man from U.N.C.L.E., The Avengers, I Spy, and others. They were instructed to create a parody that included aspects from The Pink Panther (Inspector Clouseau) and James Bond, two of the most well-liked movie series at the time.
Originally intended as a vehicle for Tom Poston, Get Smart was picked up by NBC and cast Adams in the lead role because he was already under contract after ABC rejected the show. Get Smart became popular right away upon its 1965 release. As Agent 99—Max’s youthful and alluring sidekick and eventual wife—Barbara Feldon costarred. Despite being 10 years apart in age, they had a terrific relationship during the entire duration of the play and went on to become close friends both during and after.
Actor William Powell’s clipped speech pattern was used by Adams for the character. According to Feldon, “Part of the pop fervor for Agent 86 was because Don did such an extreme portrayal of the character that it made it easy to imitate.”[Reference required] Adams came up with a number of well-known catchphrases, some of which were used in his act prior to the program, such as “Ahh… the old [noun] in the [noun] trick,” “Sorry about that, Chief,” and “Would you believe…?” This [month/week] is [number] times that it has happened. (Occasionally, the trick might be described as “Ahh… the old [noun] trick.” and “Missed it by ‘that much'”.
Typecasting
Adams then desired to proceed with other endeavors. Less well received were his endeavors following Get Smart, which included the comedy series The Partners (1971–1972), Don Adams’ Screen Test (1975–1976; see below), and three unsuccessful attempts to bring the Get Smart series back in the 1980s.[Reference required] His 1980 film The Nude Bomb did not do well at the box office. Despite his popularity as the voice of Inspector Gadget’s title character, Adams was unable to break free from his image as Benny Smart.
The majority of his earnings came from performing on stage and in nightclubs. Due to the popularity of the show in reruns, Adams was able to maintain a steady income for a long time despite having elected to accept a low salary along with a one-third ownership part in Get Smart during the show’s creation.
Later work
Adams brought the Maxwell Smart persona back to life for a run of TV ads for the audio and video equipment retailer Savemart. In the 1980s, he also recorded a number of audio and radio ads for Chief Auto Parts, a retailer of auto parts that AutoZone eventually acquired.
In addition, he made brief appearances as a harbormaster in Back to the Beach (1987) and Jimmy the Kid (1982).
With Check it Out!, Adams made an effort at a situation-comedy return in Canada in 1985. The three-year run of the show, which was set in a supermarket, was unsuccessful in the US. Gordon Clapp, who was not well-known at the time, also starred in the production and got along well with Adams.
For the final time, Adams played Maxwell Smart on Fox’s Get Smart in 1995. Barbara Feldon and up-and-coming actor Andy Dick played Max and 99’s kid, respectively. This show did not resonate with younger audiences like the original did, and it was terminated after only seven episodes. Among the
He also made a brief cameo as a harbormaster in Back to the Beach (1987) and in the movie Jimmy the Kid (1982).
Adams made an attempt at a situation-comedy return with Check i On November 7, 2003, fans of the program gathered the cast and some of the creative genius of the series at the Get Smart Gathering, which was Adams’s final public appearance. The event was held at a restaurant in North Hollywood.
Personal life
He checked “none” in the religion part of the enlistment form when he joined the U.S. Marines. He reverted to his Catholic religion while enduring a grueling recuperation from blackwater fever and praying for survival
In 1960, Adams separated from Adelaide and wed the actress Dorothy Bracken. In order to wed actress Judy Luciano and have a child together, he quit Bracken in 1977. A divorce also resulted from that marriage. Carolyn, Christine, Cathy, Cecily, Stacey, Sean, and Beige were his seven children. A brain tumor claimed the life of his 35-year-old son Sean in 2006, one year after Don Adams passed away, and Cecily passed away from lung cancer in 2004.
Actor Richard Paul Yarmy, popularly known as Dick Yarmy, was his brother and lived from February 14, 1932, to May 5, 1992. Gloria Yarmy Burton, his sister, was a writer. On his mother’s side of the family, Robert Karvelas was Adams’ cousin and the actor who portrayed Agent Larabee in Get Smart.
Longtime friend Bill Dana said of the ardent gambler, Adams, “could be very devoted to his family if you reminded him about it, Don’s whole life was focused around gambling.
Death
At the Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, California, on September 25, 2005, Adams passed away. Both a lung infection and lymphoma afflicted him. Following the passing of his daughter Cecily, his health had deteriorated. Adams had made jokes before he passed away about not wanting a somber burial and instead wishing for his pals to gather together “and bring me back to life.
Actor Jim Beaver, the widow of Adams’ daughter Cecily, and longtime friends Barbara Feldon, Don Rickles, James Caan, Bill Dana, and his son-in-law were among his eulogists. The Church of the Good Shepherd in Beverly Hills hosted his funeral mass. Hollywood Forever Cemetery is where he is buried.
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