The Complete Get Smart Guide - Cast Biographies: Don Adams

Don Adams was born Donald Yarmy on April 13, 1926 in New York City. An engineer early in his career, Adams turned to stand up comedy in the Fifties and won on Arthur Godfrey's Talent Scouts in 1954. Co-written with his friend Bill Dana, Adams' stand-up routine gained popularity and led to a role on The Perry Como Show. He moved from that to playing Detective Byron Glick on The Bill Dana Show. In 1965, Mel Brooks and Buck Henry selected him over Tom Poston to play Maxwell Smart in Get Smart and the rest is history.

After Get Smart, Adams did the comedy series The Partners, where he played a cop. The show, which went through extensive cast and crew changes before finally airing in 1971, only lasted thirteen episodes. He launched Don Adams' Talent Hunt in syndication in 1973, and it lasted a full season before being canceled. He finally achieved another sitcom success with the Canadian Broadcasting Show, Check it Out. Adams played a manager of a grocery store filled with inept employees. The show ran briefly in syndication in the United States.

His success directing Get Smart led to a post-Smart career as a director of commercials. He won the Clio Award for outstanding commercial direction in advertising in the 1970's.

Don Adams' unique voice has led him to several successful voiceover roles. He was Tennessee Tuxedo during the entire run of Underdog and had a smash hit as Inspector Gadget in the 1980's.

MOVIE ROLES
Zipperface, 1992
Get Smart Again, 1989 (TV Movie)
Two Top Bananas, 1987
Back to the Beach, 1987
Curtains, 1983
Jimmy the Kid, 1982
The Nude Bomb, 1980
Confessions of a Top Crime Buster, 1971

TV SHOW ROLES
Get Smart (Fox), 1994
Check it Out!, 1983-88
Inspector Gadget, 1983-90
Don Adams' Screen Test, 1974-5
The Partners, 1971
Get Smart, 1965-70
The Hollywood Palace (Guest Host), 1964-70
The Bill Dana Show, 1963-65
Underdog, 1963-65
The Perry Como Show, 1961-63
Arthur Godfrey's Talent Scouts

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