Edward Platt Movies and Career Information

Edward Cuthbert Platt (February 14, 1916 – March 19, 1974) was an American actor best known for his portrayal of "The Chief" in the 1965-70 NBC/CBS television series Get Smart. With his deep voice and mature countenance, he played an eclectic mix of characters over the span of his career. Platt was born on St. Valentine's Day, 1916, in Staten Island, New York. He studied at Princeton University, majoring in Romance languages, but switched to study music at the Juilliard School with the intention of having a career as an opera singer. Before the United States entered World War II, he sang in a band with Paul Whiteman's Orchestra, performing in such musicals as The Pirates of Penzance and The Mikado. During his time in the United States Army, he served as a radio operator. After the war, he continued to appear on radio. A powerful bass-baritone, he debuted on Broadway in the Rodgers and Hammerstein musical Allegro. He landed his first film owing to help from José Ferrer, who performed with him in the Broadway play The Shrike. Ferrer and Platt played the same parts in the film version in 1955. Also in 1955, he appeared in Rebel Without a Cause starring James Dean, Natalie Wood and Sal