Don Adams - RIP

[brumar]

The actor Don Adams pf Get Smart fame has died aged 82. He was also the original voice for Inspector Gadget. A very funny and talented man.

I am curious - how many of you guys know of him??

Don Adams of 'Get Smart' Dies at 82

Don Adams, the wry-voiced comedian who starred as the fumbling secret agent Maxwell Smart in the 1960s TV spoof of James Bond movies, "Get Smart," has died. He was 82.

Adams died of a lung infection late Sunday at Cedars-Sinai Medical Centre, his friend and former agent Bruce Tufeld said Monday, adding that the actor broke his hip a year ago and had been in ill health since.

As the inept Agent 86 of the super-secret federal agency CONTROL, Adams captured TV viewers with his antics in combatting the evil agents of KAOS. When his explanations failed to convince the villains or his boss, he tried another tack:

"Would you believe … ?"

It became a national catchphrase.

Smart was also prone to spilling things on the desk or person of his boss the Chief (actor Edward Platt). Smart's apologetic "Sorry about that, chief" also entered the American lexicon.

The spy gadgets, which aped those of the Bond movies, were a popular feature, especially the pre-cellphone telephone in a shoe.

Smart's beautiful partner, Agent 99, played by Barbara Feldon, was as brainy as he was dense, and a plot romance led to marriage and the birth of twins later in the series.

"He had this prodigious energy, so as an actor working with him it was like being plugged into an electric current," Feldon said from New York. "He would start and a scene would just take off and you were there for the ride. It was great fun acting with him."

Adams was very intelligent, she said, a quality that suited the satiric show that had comedy geniuses Mel Brooks and Buck Henry behind it.

"He wrote poetry, he had an interest in history … He had that other side to him that does not come through Maxwell Smart," she said. "Don in person was anything but bumbling."

Adams had an "amazing memory" that allowed him to take an unusual approach to filming, Feldon said.

Instead of learning his lines ahead of time he would have a script assistant read his part to him just once or twice. He invariably got it right but that didn't stop people from placing bets on it, she recounted.

[Nellysman]

Originally Posted by brumar

The actor Don Adams pf Get Smart fame has died aged 82. He was also the original voice for Inspector Gadget. A very funny and talented man.

I am curious - how many of you guys know of him??

Don Adams of 'Get Smart' Dies at 82

Don Adams, the wry-voiced comedian who starred as the fumbling secret agent Maxwell Smart in the 1960s TV spoof of James Bond movies, "Get Smart," has died. He was 82.

Adams died of a lung infection late Sunday at Cedars-Sinai Medical Centre, his friend and former agent Bruce Tufeld said Monday, adding that the actor broke his hip a year ago and had been in ill health since.

As the inept Agent 86 of the super-secret federal agency CONTROL, Adams captured TV viewers with his antics in combatting the evil agents of KAOS. When his explanations failed to convince the villains or his boss, he tried another tack:

"Would you believe … ?"

It became a national catchphrase.

Smart was also prone to spilling things on the desk or person of his boss the Chief (actor Edward Platt). Smart's apologetic "Sorry about that, chief" also entered the American lexicon.

The spy gadgets, which aped those of the Bond movies, were a popular feature, especially the pre-mobile phone telephone in a shoe.

Smart's beautiful partner, Agent 99, played by Barbara Feldon, was as brainy as he was dense, and a plot romance led to marriage and the birth of twins later in the series.

"He had this prodigious energy, so as an actor working with him it was like being plugged into an electric current," Feldon said from New York. "He would start and a scene would just take off and you were there for the ride. It was great fun acting with him."

Adams was very intelligent, she said, a quality that suited the satiric show that had comedy geniuses Mel Brooks and Buck Henry behind it.

"He wrote poetry, he had an interest in history … He had that other side to him that does not come through Maxwell Smart," she said. "Don in person was anything but bumbling."

Adams had an "amazing memory" that allowed him to take an unusual approach to filming, Feldon said.

Instead of learning his lines ahead of time he would have a script assistant read his part to him just once or twice. He invariably got it right but that didn't stop people from placing bets on it, she recounted.

I used to watch "Get Smart" back when TV LAND still aired it, was a funny show and I am a bit shocked by his death I might ad, even though he was 82. RIP Don!

[peewee]

Yes I heard about this today. I was a big Get Smart fan when I was young would you believe. Just shows how funny it was when the humour could reach someone of my age when I was probably even 10, cos my dad would always watch it. They had repeats on for so many years. I hope they'll put some on again after this news.

I also never missed Inspector Gadget and this was a show that was actually my time. Although I think my eldest brother 10 years older than me was a big fan so maybe I was just a little bit after it and got repeats or it went a while or it appealed to a broad audience.

Yeah oh well 82 isn't too bad. It's a shame he didn't make it to 86 hehe. I wonder how 99 is doing and if she'll reach 99.

The most memorable parts of the show to me were all the other control agents popping up in the strangest places when he was on the job. I used to love where they appeared lol. Oh and just about any conversations with Chief getting frustrated with him were always gold.

[apples]

He made Maxwell Smart one of the greatest characters.
I hung out for that show bad!!!!!!!

[Blazing Star]

I remember watching "Get Smart" on both Nick at Nite and TV Land. I also used to watch "Inspector Gadget". Don Adams was a great actor and indeed very talented. His voice would sometimes stick in my mind, especially when thinking of or about Inspector Gadget.