Don Adams

Don Adams (1923-2005) was a comedic actor best known for playing self-confident but bungling secret agent Maxwell Smart on Get Smart. The character developed from Adams' clipped vocal impression of The Thin Man star William Powell, and the trademark "Would you believe?" routines (written by fellow comic Bill Dana of The Steve Allen Show) were first used in Adams' club act and in guest appearances. They all surfaced in his frequent guest spots on The Jimmy Dean Show, usually stand-alone interview bits. Adams did join the entire cast, including Rowlf the Dog, to sing "Home for the Holidays" on the November 28, 1963 broadcast.

Adams' early TV work included a stint as one of the Kraft Music Hall Players on Perry Como's Kraft Music Hall. Prior to Get Smart, Adams appeared on The Bill Dana Show (1963-1965) as overconfident house detective Byron Glick, a dry run for Maxwell Smart (down to "Would you believe?") He lent his distinctive voice pattern to cartoon characters, first as penguin Tennessee Tuxedo in the 1960s and then in the eighties as Inspector Gadget (a bionic blend of Maxwell Smart and Inspector Clouseau). Post-Get Smart TV efforts included the short-lived series The Partners and Don Adams' Screen Test and the Canadian sitcom Check It Out! He reprised Maxwell Smart in the theatrical flop The Nude Bomb, a 1989 TV reunion movie Get Smart Again! (with Harold Gould), and a 1995 FOX series.