Ed Platt, also billed as Edward C. Platt, was a talented character actor, fondly remembered for his role as "The Chief" on the popular Mel Brooks/Buck Henry spy series Get Smart (1965). Born on Valentine's Day, 1916, in Staten Island, New York, Platt inherited an appreciation for music from his mother's side. He spent his childhood in Kentucky and upstate New York, where he attended Northwood, a private school in Lake Placid, and was a member of the ski jump team.
Platt majored in romantic languages at Princeton University but left a year later to study at the Conservatory of Music in Cincinnati, after his thoughts turned to a possible operatic career. He later was accepted into Juilliard.
Instead of opera, Platt first became a band vocalist with Paul Whiteman and Orchestra. He then sang bass as part of the Mozart Opera Company in New York. With the Gilbert and Sullivan Opera Company in 1942, he appeared in the operettas "The Mikado," "The Gondoliers," and "The Pirates of Penzance."
World War II interrupted his early career. Platt served as a radio operator with the army and would find himself on radio again in the post-war years, where his deep, resonant voice proved ideal. A number of musical comedy roles also came his way again.
In 1947, Platt made it to Broadway with the musical "Allegro." Star José Ferrer took an interest in Platt while they both were appearing in "The Shrike" on Broadway in 1952. Around 1953, Edward moved to Texas to be near his brother and began anchoring the local news and kiddie birthday party show called "Uncle Eddie's Kiddie Party."
Ferrer remembered Platt and invited him to Hollywood, where Ferrer was starring in the film version of The Shrike (1955). Platt recreated his stage role. He also earned fine notices as James Dean's understanding juvenile officer in the classic film Rebel Without a Cause (1955).
This led to a plethora of film and TV support offers, where the balding actor made fine use of his dark, rich voice, stern intensity, and pragmatic air, portraying a slew of professional and shady types in crime yarns, soap dramas, and war pictures.
