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Edward Cuthbert Platt (February 14, 1916 – March 19, 1974) died 50 years ago today, at the age of 58. He was an American actor best known for his portrayal of "The Chief" in the 1965-70 NBC/CBS television series Get Smart. With his deep voice and mature countenance, he played an eclectic mix of characters over the span of his career. Platt also appeared in episodes of the original Perry Mason, State Trooper (in the episode "Who Killed Doc Robbins"), Men into Space (in the episode "From Another World"), Bonanza, "The Rifleman", Rawhide, Whispering Smith, The Outer Limits, The Dick Van Dyke Show (in "A Nice Friendly Game Of Cards"), and The Twilight Zone. His most famous role was the regular role of "Chief" in the espionage parody television series Get Smart (1965–1970). After the series ended he played a recurring role in situation comedy series The Governor & J.J. in 1970. He had guest roles in several other television series of the era, mostly comedies. These included Temperatures Rising, Bewitched, Owen Marshall: Counselor at Law, Love, American Style, The Odd Couple as Oscar Madison's boss in episode Oscar's New Life. Platt appeared as Sotto Voce in the 1969 KCET television reading of Norman Corwin's 1938 radio play The Plot to Overthrow Christmas. On March 19, 1974, Platt's body was found in his apartment; the actor was reported to have died of an apparent heart attack. However, one of his sons confirmed that Platt committed suicide after two previous attempts while suffering from an undiagnosed and untreated depression that was further sparked by financial troubles.