Don Adams is known as the famous Maxwell Smart of the popular TV series, Get Smart. Some might even say the character Inspector Gadget is based a lot on Maxwell Smart, AKA Agent 86. You might have also heard Don Adams voice as Tennessee Tuxedo, the penguin, on the cartoon show, Underdog. Here's the mini-bio of Don Adams at the All Movie Guide web site (www.allmovie.com):
Born in a multicultural New York City neighborhood, comedian Don Adams joined the Marines upon the outbreak of World War II. After Guadalcanal, Adams saw little action due to a life-threatening bout of blackwater fever (malaria) that kept him out of commission until the end of the war. As a civilian, Adams tried at first to carve out a career as a professional artist, taking outside jobs to support himself and his family. Blessed with a gift for mimicry, Adams and a friend teamed up for a comedy act but response was minimal, and soon Adams was involved in the cartographic and engineering business.

Then in 1954, on a whim, he auditioned for Arthur Godfrey's Talent Scouts; his routine went over, and he was on his way. Collaborating with his close friend Bill Dana, Adams developed a topnotch act full of "inside" showbiz references that fortunately never went over the heads of the audience. His best monologue was "The Defense Attorney," wherein Adams adopted the clipped speech cadence of actor William Powell. Though he would be seen in a variety of sketches during his nightclub years and his early-1960s stint as a regular on The Perry Como Show, it was the Powell imitation that scored highest. Adams would use this voice for the cartoon character of Tennessee Tuxedo in 1963, and that same year expanded on the impression in the role of inept house detective Byron Glick on The Bill Dana Show.

The "spy cycle" of 1965 enabled Adams to refine the Byron Glick character into the magnificently self-confident but monumentally inept secret-agent Maxwell Smart on the hit TV sitcom Get Smart, which ran until 1970. In addition to providing Adams a conduit for his beloved movie parodies, the series also gave him an opportunity to direct.

In 1971, Adams moved onto another genre-spoof TV series, The Partners, in which he played police detective Lennie Crook. Hampered by weak scripts and a death-valley timeslot opposite All in the Family, The Partners perished after thirteen weeks.

After this debacle, Adams found the going rough for a while, though he made a comfortable living with nightclub appearances and guest spots on such TV series as The Love Boat. He made no fewer than three attempts to revive Get Smart between 1980 and 1994, one of which actually resulted in a (very short-lived) weekly Fox network sitcom.

Adams is best known to children of the 1980s as the voice of cartoondom's bionic blockhead, Inspector Gadget. Don Adams was the brother of another comic actor, the late Richard Yarmy; Adams' cousin Robert Karvelas played secret agent Larrabee on Get Smart.

And I'd like to add, that his newest title in his movie/tv list is that he is the voice of Brain in the movie Inspector Gadget at the very end, before the credits. I really enjoyed that cameo, and I would probably see that movie again just for that.

NEWS: You can now catch Get Smart on TV Land. See your local listings for times.
Don Adams on the Internet Movie Database

A great Don Adams page that features lots of pictures of his career.

Would You Believe...Carl's Get Smart Home Page: Highly recommended.

Penny

Voice: Cree Summer (season 1)
Date of Birth: July 7, 1970

Cree Summer's first line of work was as Penny in Inspector Gadget. Other famous roles are in popular children TV shows. She plays Susie in the show Rugrats and The Rugrats Movie, and the voice of Princess Kidagakash "Kida" on Disney's Atlantis: The Lost Empire (2001). She is also notable for playing the annoying animal lover, Elmyra Duff in Steven Spielberg's Tiny Toons Adventures. Cree has also dones voices for both of the Carebear movies. Some live actions roles she has done is as Winifred in A Different World years 1988-1993.
Cree Summer on the Internet Movie Database

Holly Berger (seasons 2 +)
Date of Birth: July 1973

Holly Berger was born in July of 1973 in Burbank, California. Before landing the job as Penny on Inspector Gadget at the age of 10/11, Berger worked in various voice-overs and commercials. She describes entering voice-overs as a "fluke."

"My father owned a motion picture sound studio and Disney happened to be doing a live action commercial there. It turned out that the girl in the commercial spoke with a lisp and was difficult to understand. They spoke about bringing in a voice over and dubbing over her voice, but who could they get on such short notice. My father suggested that he had a daughter about that age and they asked to see me. I came in that day, recorded the voice over and the rest is history."

Berger did many more Disney commercials afterwards and moved over to voice-overs on cartoons. She has been in such cartoons as The Littles, The Get Along Gang, Starfairies, and Snorks. When the studio moved the Inspector Gadget crew to the States from Canada after Season One, someone was needed to fill Cree Summer's shoes. Berger auditioned for the job and after a call back she learned she had gotten the job.

"My most memorable moments working on the show was sitting in the recording booth listening to all these talented actors and actresses do impressions of other entertainers during our breaks. They were amazing and as a child I was in awe of them. I had some great times working on that show and it was a pleasure to work with such legends and talents in those recording booths," says Berger.

After Inspector Gadget ("Reaction to the show's cancellation was one of disbelief, but as all entertainers now, good things can only last so long and it was time to move on.") worked some more in voice-overs, even being nominated for a Youth in Film award for Best Actress in an Animated Series. But as parts for minors as voice-overs were becoming few, Berger decided to quit voice-overs and concentrate on her education and being a teenager. She went to college, and became a teacher. Today, Berger works for an International Telecommunications Corporation.

"I had some great times working on that show and it was a pleasure to work with such legends and talents in those recording booths. Overall, working on Inspector Gadget was a great experience. I meet lots of wonderful people, sent myself to college with earnings, and can look back at the reruns and smile!"

Brain and Dr. Claw

Voice: Frank Welker (season 1)

Frank Welker is very famous in the cartoon voicing business. He's been in almost everything, it seems. Recently, he was the voice of Khan in Disney's Mulan. He did those weird Martian voices in Tim Burton's Mars Attacks!. He was Abu in all the Aladdin movies. He did additonal voices for The Lion King. He was the voice of the Devil in Bill and Ted's Bogus Journey. He was the voice of Mohawk in Gremlins 2: The New Batch, and is the voice of Santas Little Helper on The Simpsons. Some of his non animal roles, which are quite famous as well, is as the voice of Ray on the cartoon The Ghostbusters, Freddie in Scooby Doo, and Big Time Beagle in Duck Tales.
Frank Welker on the Internet Movie Database

Chief Quimby

Voice: Maurice LaMarche (season 2)
Date of Birth: March 30, 1958

You might recognize Maurice LaMarche's voice as The Brain on Animaniacs and Pinky and the Brain. He was the voice of Orson Welles on Ed Wood and on certain episodes of The Critic. He was also Egon on The Real Ghostbusters.
Maurice LaMarche on the Internet Movie Database

Capeman

Voice: Townsend Coleman (season 2)

One of Townsend Coleman's famous roles is as The Tick on The Tick. He was the voice as everyone's favorite turtle, Michaelangelo on Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.
Townsed Coleman on the Internet Movie Database

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