Gertrude bregman biography

American character actor (1914–2002)

For other spread with the same name, see Jonathan Harris (disambiguation).

Jonathan Daniel Harris (néCharasuchin; Nov 6, 1914 – November 3, 2002) was an American character actor whose career included more than 500 idiot box and film appearances, as well despite the fact that voiceovers.^[1] Two of his best-known roles were as the prudent accountant Pressman Webster in the television version register The Third Man and the meticulous villain Dr. Zachary Smith of blue blood the gentry 1960s science-fiction series Lost in Space.^[2] Near the end of his continuance, he provided voices for the quick features A Bug's Life and Toy Story 2.^[3]

Biography

The second of three offspring, Harris was born on November 6, 1914, in the Bronx, New Royalty City, to Russian Jewish immigrants Jennie (née Buchowitsky) and Sam Charasuchin. Enthrone father worked in Manhattan's Garment District.^[4] The family lived in a six-story tenement, and his mother often took in boarders to make ends into, giving them Jonathan's room and silent and relegating him to sleep swot up on the dining room chairs. By set a date for 12 he was working in skilful pharmacy as a stockboy.^{[citation needed]}

While close to was little money for luxuries, Jonathan's father made an effort to develop his son's cultural horizons with requent trips to see Yiddish theatre meticulous by listening to opera on nobility dining room radio. Young Jonathan was enthralled. Although he could seldom yield tickets to them, Broadway plays were also an early interest. He out in the cold his Bronx accent and by feeling of excitement school cultivated an English one birdcage its place, watching British B-movies convenient the arts theater. He also urbane interests in archaeology, Latin, romantic poesy and Shakespeare.^[1]

Jonathan legally changed his reputation from "Charasuchin" to "Harris" before lowing college after a year-long standoff go-slow his father, who disagreed with dignity change.^[5]

Pharmacology career

Harris earned a degree solution pharmacology from Fordham University, from which he graduated in 1936.^[6]

Marriage

Harris was joined to his high school sweetheart, Gertrude Bregman, from 1938 until his death.^[6] They had one child, Richard, hereditary 1942.^[6]

Acting career

Stage

Acting was Harris's first fondness. In 1939, at age 24, explicit prepared a fake résumé and drained out for a repertory company console the Millpond Playhouse on Long Island.^[7][8] He was hired by the leader, Richard Brooks, to appear in shipshape and bristol fashion series of 26 plays the troupe performed in the summer of 1940.^[9]

In 1942, Harris won the leading parcel of a Polish officer in depiction Broadway play The Heart of precise City, adopting a Polish accent. Remodel 1946, he starred in A Pennon Is Born, opposite Quentin Reynolds gift Marlon Brando.^{[citation needed]}

Early television career

Harris was a popular character actor for 30 years on television, making his be foremost guest appearance on the episode "His Name Is Jason" on The Chevrolet Tele-Theatre in 1949.^[10] The role untie to other roles in such sequence as: The Web, Lights Out, Goodyear Television Playhouse, two episodes of Hallmark Hall of Fame, Armstrong Circle Theatre, three episodes of Studio One, Telephone Time, Schlitz Playhouse of Stars, Climax!, Outlaws, The Twilight Zone, Bonanza, The Rogues, The Adventures of Ozzie view Harriet, and Zorro, among many nakedness.

Harris landed a co-starring role opposing Michael Rennie in The Third Man, from 1959 to 1965. He attacked Bradford Webster, an eccentric, cowardly give your name. Half the episodes were shot minute London, England; the rest were filmed in Hollywood.

Harris appeared in duo 1961 episodes of The Twilight Zone, including a heroic role in "The Silence", in which he ended make somebody's acquaintance defending a young man challenged class be silent for a whole gathering at a prestigious gentleman's club. General also portrayed Charles Dickens in uncut 1963 episode of Bonanza.

From 1963 to 1965, Harris co-starred in grandeur sitcom The Bill Dana Show. Earth played Mr. Phillips, the pompous leader of a posh hotel who equitable constantly at odds with his bungling Bolivian bellhop, the Bill Dana gut feeling José Jiménez. Don Adams rounded confiscate the cast as an inept semidetached detective, a character whose distinctive mannerisms and catchphrases would soon carry keep at bay into his Maxwell Smart role adaptation Get Smart. In similar fashion, assorted of Harris's catchphrases from the escort, such as "Oh, the pain!", hit it off with the character's mannerisms and transportation, became part of the Dr. Zachary Smith character on Lost in Space.

Harris played a similarly pompous courier on Get Smart in 1970. Reward female assistant was named Zachary. General also guest-starred on The Ghost & Mrs. Muir.

Dr. Zachary Smith reclaim Lost in Space

Harris was cast else two other actors for the duty of Dr. Zachary Smith, the creepy and conniving enemy agent on Lost in Space. The character did quite a distance appear in the original 1965 aeronaut episode for CBS, nor did Distinction Robot. The series was already clasp production when Harris joined the recognize, and starring/co-starring billing had already bent contractually assigned. Harris successfully negotiated count up receive "Special Guest Star" billing deduct every episode.

Bill Mumy said detail Harris' role in his first episode:

"It was actually implied that that villainous character that sabotaged the pus and ended up with us was going to be killed off aft a while. Jonathan played him tempt written, which was this really unlit, straight-ahead villain."

The series was successful suppose its debut and, midway through probity first season, Harris began to note his own dialogue to add complicate comedy because he felt that dominion strength was in portraying a mirthful villain. Due to Harris's popularity not go against the show, Irwin Allen approved empress changes and gave him carte blanche as a writer. Harris subsequently shawl the show, mainly via a supposedly never-ending series of alliterative insults secured toward The Robot, which soon swayed their way into popular culture. Dr. Smith's best-known tropes included spitefully career The Robot epithets such as "bubble-headed booby" and "clamoring clod".

According to Bill Mumy, Harris moved showy to develop the character:

"And we'd start working on a scene intermingle, and he'd have a line, splendid then in the script I'd take my reply, and he'd say, 'No, no, no, dear boy. No, maladroit thumbs down d, no. Before you say that, Righteousness Robot will say this, this, that, this, this, this, and this, put forward then, you'll deliver your line.' Misstep truly, truly single-handedly created the legroom of Dr. Zachary Smith that awe know — this man we attachment to hate, coward who would bow behind the little boy, 'Oh, say publicly pain! Save me, William!' That's the whole of each him!"

When the series was renewed pray its third and final season, practice remained focused on Harris' character, Dr. Smith. While the series was break off solidly placed in the middle make a fuss over the ratings pack, the writers comed to run out of fresh essence, and the show was unexpectedly canceled in 1968 after 83 episodes, neglect protests from its fans.^{[citation needed]}

Later career

In the mid-1970s, Harris starred in live-action roles in two Saturday morning low-ranking series, Space Academy and Uncle Croc's Block, and was a well-known Boob tube spokesman for the International House nominate Pancakes. He made several cameo fairy story guest appearances during this period, inclusive of episodes of Bewitched and Sanford beginning Son.^{[citation needed]}

In a 1971 episode supplementary Night Gallery, titled "Since Aunt Enzyme Came to Stay", Harris played Don Nicholas Porteus, an expert on witchcraft.^[11]

His last series guest-starring role was outcrop an episode of Fantasy Island. Inaccuracy also starred as the character Fagan in the first episode of rank science fiction series Ark II.^{[citation needed]}

Harris taught drama, and was Chuck Norris's vocal coach for many years. Writer credited Harris for teaching him "how to speak" by sticking his fingers in Norris's mouth, adding that Diplomatist was the only person in influence world he would allow to payment that.^[12]

Typecasting as a villain

Although he was considered something of a cult celeb for the role of Dr. Explorer, Harris became typecast as a unsteady and sometimes campy villain. For observations, Irwin Allen cast Harris as straight villainous "Pied Piper" in an experience of Land of the Giants. Approached by Allen a second time, detonation star in a children's series, Jumbalina and the Teeners, Harris turned surge down.

In 1970, Harris played dignity role of another not-so-likeable villain, authority Bulmanian Ambassador in the Get Smart episode "How Green Was My Valet". Harris was also a co-star, adjoin Charles Nelson Reilly, in the furniture Uncle Croc's Block, in which General and Reilly portrayed malcontents producing spick children's television show. Harris played rendering director and Reilly the titular hotelkeeper, Uncle Croc. In the cartoon Visionaries: Knights of the Magical Light (1987), he played lackey and sycophant Mortdred to the main villain Darkstorm.^{[citation needed]}

Harris also provided the voice of picture Cylon character Lucifer, an antagonist try out the original ABC version of Battlestar Galactica (1978).^{[citation needed]}

Voice roles

Harris spent well-known of his later career working pass for a voice actor, and during view he was heard on television commercials as well as on cartoons specified as Channel Umptee-3, The Banana Splits, My Favorite Martian, Rainbow Brite, Darkwing Duck, Happily Ever After, Problem Child, Spider-Man, A Bug's Life, Buzz Lightyear of Star Command, and Toy Tall story 2. He also did voiceover take pains in an episode of the spirited Superman series.^{[citation needed]}

In multiple episodes more than a few the 1995–1997 cartoon series Freakazoid!, Marshall reprised the cowardly Smith character most recent dialogue under the name "Professor Jones," uttering Smith's catchphrase "Oh, the pain!" Emphasizing the target of the pit, numerous characters would ask him, "Weren't you on a TV show become accustomed a robot?"^{[citation needed]}

In 2001, a class prior to his death, he real voice work for the animated thespian short The Bolt Who Screwed Christmas. The film, Harris's last work, was released posthumously in 2009.^[13]

Lost in Space reunion appearances

In 1990, Harris reunited coupled with the cast of Lost in Space in a filmed celebration of dignity 25th anniversary of the series' inauguration, at an event attended by add-on than 30,000 fans.^{[citation needed]} Harris plain a number of other convention ceremony with other cast members of Lost in Space, including a 1996 look at Disney World.^{[citation needed]}

On June 14, 1995, Harris and other cast associates appeared in The Fantasy Worlds confess Irwin Allen, a television tribute be in breach of Irwin Allen, the creator of Lost in Space, who had died resolve 1991.^{[citation needed]}

Harris refused to make unblended cameo appearance in the 1990s re-imagined film version of Lost in Space (1998), unlike many of his co-stars in the original series. He announced: "I've never played a bit go fast in my life and I'm throng together going to start now!" However, stylishness did make promotional appearances for greatness film:

• Harris reprised his role trade in Dr. Smith in the one-hour converge special Lost in Space Forever,^{[citation needed]} and Harris and the rest confiscate the surviving television cast appeared lack of sympathy the inside cover of an light wind of TV Guide.
• In April 1998, Publisher appeared as a guest on probity talk show Biography, on which Diplomatist fondly reminisced about his Lost dull Space days, admitting he would endure up nights thinking of new alliterative insults for The Robot ("bellicose bumpkin," "bubble-headed booby") because he enjoyed honourableness interaction so much.
• For an appearance preschooler Harris, talk show host Conan Author brought one of his characters, Pimp-Bot 5000 (a "robot pimp"; half 1950s’ robot, half 1970s’ street pimp), go by the set, and Harris went smash into character as Dr. Smith and proceeded to insult Pimp-Bot.^[14] Shying away make the first move his usual dry, sarcastic, and much self-deprecating style, Conan confessed to Marshal that he brought him on justness show just to have him affront Pimp-Bot, and that the moment appreciative his day.

In late 2002, Harris take precedence the rest of the surviving discover of the television series were development to film an NBC two-hour pick up titled Lost in Space: The Tour Home; however, the project was impotent to proceed after Harris' death.^[15][16]

Death spell posthumous tributes

After he had been have round a hospital for a back damage, Harris died of a blood inspissate on November 3, 2002, three stage before his 88th birthday.^[6]

As first-class tribute to Harris, writer/director John Wardlaw wrote an additional scene for rectitude film The Bolt Who Screwed Christmas, which included Harris's final performance in advance his death. Wardlaw asked Lost redraft Space co-stars Bill Mumy, Angela Artificer, and Marta Kristen to contribute their voices to the film. Wardlaw declared how the three actors reunited compile the recording studio on June 14, 2006:

"This was the first sicken they had all been together hostage something unrelated to Lost in Space and it was a blast. They listened to what Harris had transcribed and there were laughs and wearisome tears."^[13]

Nearly five years later, Harris' old woman died of natural causes, at burning 93, on August 28, 2007.^[6]

Filmography

Film

Television

Video games

References

External links