Actor, he is best remembered for his role of the long suffering Chief in the hit 1960s television sitcom "Get Smart." (1965 to 1970). Born in Staten Island, New York, he learned to appreciate music from his mother. Majoring in romantic languages at Princeton University, he switched to music at the famous Julliard School, after deciding on a career in opera. However, he soon was working as a vocalist for the Paul Whiteman Orchestra to pay the bills. He performed in a few musicals, such as "The Mikado" and "The Pirates of Penzance" for a couple of years. When World War II began, he enlisted into the US Army, working as a radio operator. Leaving the Army at the end of the war, he soon found work in a number of musical comedies, and in 1947, he made it to Broadway in the musical "Allegro." Movie star Jose Ferrer saw him on Broadway in the 1952 play "The Shrike" and convinced him to come to Hollywood to reprise the same role in the movie version. This led to a number of acting roles, taking advantage of his strong voice, maturity, and stern intensity, playing usually professional managers or even criminals. For the next twenty years, he never lacked for acting work. He played supporting roles in such movies as "Rebel Without a Cause" (1955), "The Lieutenant Wore Skirts" (1956), "The Steel Jungle" (1956), "Storm Center" (1956), "Oregon Passage" (1957), "Summer Love" (1958), "They Came to Cordura" (1959), "Cape Fear" (1962), and a host of other small supporting roles in both movies and television. In 1963, he took on the role of Dr. Miller in the television soap opera "General Hospital." In 1965, he took on his most popular role, in the role of The Chief in the spy spoof television sitcom "Get Smart." His character had no real name; he was known only as The Chief. He was married twice, and had four children. He died in Santa Monica, California, a suicide from undiagnosed depression.