Facts About Don Adams

He was more than Agent 86.

Creative Commons: Sal Ami

For most of us, Don Adams is synonymous with “Get Smart.” In looking back, I think I was too young to appreciate just how good that series was. It’s a series I would like to take another look at. The series did give us a lot of catch phrases. “Missed it by that much” and “would you believe?” come to mind.

But like many actors/comedians who are known primarily for one role Don has a whole bunch of stuff on his resume. So, here are some things you might not have known about Don Adams.

1: Don was born Donald James Yarmy.

In 1941 Yarmy joined the Marines. It would have been so much easier to write a joke if Yarmy had joined the army.

2: Don saw action in the Battle of Guadalcanal. Later he saw action Pacific Theater of Operations, and while not being wounded, he did contract blackwater fever. That resulted in him being hospitalized for a year.

I wonder, when talking about his experienced in combat if he ever said, “missed me by that much.”

3: After his days in the service, Don worked as a comic in a strip club in Florida. He…