Don Adams Net Worth

July 2024 · 14 minute read

Don Adamson net worth is
$15 Million

Don Adamson Wiki Biography

Donald James Yarmy was born on 13th April 1923 in New York City USA, and as Don Adams was an award-winning television and voice actor, comedian, and game show host. His acting career started in 1963, with a guest role in television series “The Bill Dana Show”. He passed away in 2005.

Have you ever wondered how rich Don Adams was at the time of his death? According to authoritative sources, it has been estimated that Adams’s net worth was as high as $15 million, an amount earned through his successful career in acting, hosting, and comedy.

Don Adams Net Worth $15 Million

Don Adams was one of three children of William and Consuelo Yarmy (nee Deiter); Don was raised in his mother’s Roman Catholic religion, while his brother Richard was raised according to their father’s Jewish religion. A high school drop-out, Don supported himself by working as an usher in a theatre, before serving in World War II, first in combat as a member of the US Marine Corps.

However, he contracted blackwater fever due to a combat wound, which forced him to spend an entire year recovering at a Navy hospital in New Zealand. Afterward, he served as a Marine drill instructor back home.

Having decided to try himself out in comedic waters, Don took on the stage name Adams, which was also the name under which his first wife Adelaide (Efantis) performed. His career as a comedian started in 1954, with his win on the talent show “Arthur Godfrey’s Talent Scouts”. After that, he appeared in “The Steve Allen Show” (1956-1960) in eleven episodes, and then became a regular on “The Perry Como Show” (1960-1963). Following this, Don branched out into acting waters, as an inept detective in the sitcom “The Bill Dana Show” (1963-1965). This would contribute to his type-casting, resulting eventually in his iconic role, that of the iconic bumbling detective Maxwell Smart, Agent 86 in the comedy spoof series “Get Smart” (1965-1970). The show made fun of the popular spy film and television series of that time, such as the James Bond movies and the TV show “The Man from U.N.C.L.E.” (1964-1968). Don took home three Emmy Awards for this role, and introduced numerous catchphrases into American vernacular.

Unfortunately, his ensuing projects never reached the level of fame and success that the role of Smart brought to him. He appeared in numerous television series and films, both as a guest and as a star, but his most notable subsequent part was achieved in voice acting, when he lent his voice to the eponymous detective in the animated series “Inspector Gadget” (1983-1985). He also hosted his own game show, entitled “Don Adams’ Screen Test” (1975-1976). While he continued to act at that time, most of Don’s income was earned by his work on stage and in nightclubs.

Regarding his personal life, he was thrice married and divorced, with seven children from those marriages. He firstly married Adelaide (1947-60), then Dorothy Bracken (1960-76) and thirdly Judy Luciano from 1977 to 1990. His health declined after his daughter, Cecily Adams, who was also an actress, died of lung cancer in 2004. Following a lung infection, he succumbed to bone lymphoma on 25th September 2005. Don enjoyed painting and writing poetry, though these hobbies took second seat to his greatest passion in life, gambling. He was also a history buff, with particular interest in the lives of Abraham Lincoln and Adolf Hitler.


Full NameDon Adams
Net Worth$15 Million
Date Of BirthApril 13, 1923
DiedSeptember 25, 2005, Los Angeles, California, United States
Place Of BirthManhattan, New York City, New York, United States
Height1.75 m
ProfessionActor
EducationDeWitt Clinton High School
NationalityAmerican
SpouseJudy Luciano (m. 1977–1990), Dorothy Bracken (m. 1960–1976), Adelaide Efantis Adams (m. 1947–1960)
ChildrenCecily Adams, Stacey Adams, Sean Adams, Christine Adams, Catherine Adams, Beige Adams, Caroline Adams
ParentsConsuelo Morgan, William Yarmy
SiblingsDick Yarmy, Gloria Burton
IMDBhttp://www.imdb.com/name/nm0010915/
AwardsPrimetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series, TV Land Greatest Gadgets Award
Music GroupsLes Humphries Singers
NominationsPrimetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series, Golden Globe Award for Best TV Star - Male, Gemini Award for Best Performance by an Actor in a Continuing Leading Comedic Role
MoviesInspector Gadget, Get Smart, Again!, Back to the Beach, Jimmy the Kid, The Nude Bomb, Gadget Boy and Heather: Along Came a Spydra
TV ShowsThe Bill Dana Show, Tennessee Tuxedo and His Tales, Underdog, Get Smart, The Partners, Don Adams' Screen Test, Inspector Gadget, Gadget Boy & Heather, Pepper Ann, Check It Out!, Gadget Boy's Adventures in History
#Trademark
1His clipped, nasally voice.
2His "Maxwell Smart" catchphrases "Would you believe...?", "Sorry About that, Chief.", "And...loving it." and "Missed it by THAT much."
#Quote
1[on Get Smart (1995) and Andy Dick] I knew it wouldn't work but they offered me a lot of money. I knew after the pilot that this kid couldn't carry the show.
2I watched Seinfeld (1989) and didn't know what the show was about. It was about nothing!
3[on Jim Carrey] I'm not turned on by a comedian who bends over, spreads his cheeks and speaks out of his rear end.
4[on his trademark clipped voice] It was Bill (Bill Dana) who was primarily responsible for me using that voice. Right from the beginning, he said, 'You should do all your routines in that voice.' And I said, 'But I can't stand that voice.' And he said, 'But it's funny. It makes people laugh.' And I'm, like, 'But I hate it...' For whatever reason, the delivery or whatever it is, that voice makes any situation funnier.
5I like getting married, but I don't like being married.
6I'm no longer independently wealthy. I guess it's the result of too many wives, too many kids and too much alimony. I've been paying alimony since I was 14 and child support since 15. That's a joke, but not by much.
7[on Get Smart (1965)] The first few episodes I saw angered me so much I felt like throwing the TV through a window. I couldn't stand the laugh track... I didn't think so when I was making them, but some of those episodes are funny, funny shows. Some are classics. I actually laugh out loud at them now.
8I hate performing. I don't care about being thought funny; I never did. Sometimes I wonder how I got into comedy at all. I did movie star impressions as a kid in high school. Somehow they just got out of hand.
9In restaurants, [people] send over shoes. I'm so tired of it. I keep getting shoes.
10[interview with Robert DeRossi, 10/27/65] I don't want to change the thinking of the world. My purpose is to make people laugh . . . It would be hypocritical if I said I don't want recognition, but I've never wanted it terribly. I think I'm being honest when I say I'd rather turn my talents, whatever they are, to writing and directing.
#Fact
1Adams went beyond the pilot show of Get Smart (1965), therefore, he went to the producers, and they asked Adams to look over the script, which he did mind looking at it, at the time. After the producers wrote the first episode, the producers both realized they didn't have anything to do with Adams; but, Henry knew Adams's Smart character was born.
2Remained good friends with Barbara Feldon during and after Get Smart (1965).
3He was known to not be a morning person.
4Dropped out from DeWitt Clinton High School in 1941 (which was his senior year).
5Before he was a comedian/actor, he worked as a theater usher.
6When the pilot of Get Smart (1965) was shooting for CBS, the producers wanted Tom Poston for the role of Maxwell Smart, but when they sold it to NBC, Adams was already under contract with the network, hence, he was immediately cast in the role.
7Daughter Cecily Adams died in 2004, and son Sean Adams died in 2006.
8Was very good friends with: Danny Thomas, Gavin MacLeod, Bernie Kopell, Dick Van Patten, Doris Roberts, Jonathan Harris, Don Rickles, Barbara Feldon, Edward Platt, Mel Brooks, Buck Henry, Bill Dana, Gordon Jump, Richard Gautier, Dinah Shore, Merv Griffin, Johnny Carson, Bob Hope, Dean Martin, Aaron Spelling, William Schallert, James Caan and Hugh M. Hefner.
9According to former Get Smart (1965), co-star, Barbara Feldon, Adams had an amazing memory that allowed him to take an unusual approach to filming.
10Was only 2 inches shorter than ex-Get Smart (1965) co-star, Barbara Feldon. In order for make it appear that Adams was taller than her, he'd either stand on a small platform or Feldon would stoop down.
11Was in a comedy team called The Young Brothers with Jay Lawrence.
12Best remembered by the public for his starring role as "Maxwell Smart/Agent 86" on Get Smart (1965).
13One of his duties while serving in the Marine Corps was a drill instructor.
14His two best known roles -- Maxwell Smart and Inspector Gadget -- were both James Bond parodies. Get Smart (1965) parodied the secret agent stories, while Inspector Gadget featured the unseen villain The Claw, who is shown as an arm stroking his cat, an obvious reference to Bond villain Ernst Stavro Blofeld.
15His Agent 86 catchphrase, "Would you believe...?", became the slogan for commercials for the White Castle hamburger chain in 1992, in which he also acted.
16In 1984, played as himself in Miller Lite Beer commercials, poking fun at his Maxwell Smart fame.
17He died of a lung infection while undergoing treatment at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, CA. Adams had also a bone lymphoma as a result of breaking a hip more than a year before his death. He was buried at Hollywood Forever Cemetery in Hollywood, Los Angeles.
18Did not like the (badly timed) laugh track in Get Smart (1965).
19One of the first (if not the first) stand up comedian to have his own sitcom.
20Won three Emmys for bumbling secret agent Maxwell Smart in Get Smart (1965) and the show itself won two awards for "Best Comedy," but he was severely typecast after this and never did find another proper showcase to display his comic range.
21Uninterested in doing the James Bond spoof Get Smart (1965) series at first, he got on board after learning that Mel Brooks and Buck Henry were involved with the pilot script. Tom Poston was the first name being considered for the role, but Adams, under contract to NBC at the time, was promoted for the job by the network.
22As the inept Agent 86 on Get Smart (1965) Adams used to have a script assistant read his part to him once or twice just before a scene, instead of learning his lines.
23His clipped Maxwell Smart voice came from a much exaggerated takeoff on William Powell's "The Thin Man." He used to get laughs using the exact same voice years earlier on the stand-up circuit in different character set pieces - a baseball umpire, a football coach, a defense attorney.
24Instead of taking a large paycheck per episode ($12,500 per week) of Get Smart (1965), Adams decided to take a smaller salary and 33% share. It paid off in spades--the show has been running in syndication for decades.
25Had stopped performing in the postwar years and became a commercial artist because he had trouble finding stand-up work. In 1954, on a fluke, he auditioned and became a winner on Arthur Godfrey's Talent Scouts (1948). This led to TV appearances with Steve Allen and Ed Sullivan, among others, and stardom.
26His TV writing partner in 1954 was comedian Bill Dana. Dana used Adams on his own TV show, The Bill Dana Show (1963) from 1963 to 1965, by incorporating one of Adams' stand-up characters, inept house detective Byron Glick.
27His father was of Hungarian Jewish descent. His mother had German and Irish ancestry.
28Was a close friend of "Playboy" publisher Hugh M. Hefner, and spent one night each week with Hefner (and other friends) playing cards.
29Served in the U.S. Marine Corps during World War II, and took part in the landings and battle at Guadalcanal, where he contracted malaria.
30Claims he changed his last name from Yarmy to Adams because he was tired of having to go last at auditions, which, he said (inaccurately), usually went in alphabetical order. In reality, he took his stage name from his first wife, singer Adelaide Adams, with whom he shared a bill on the nightclub circuit.
31Father-in-law of Jim Beaver.
32He had a daughter, Cecily Adams, with his first wife, Adelaide. He also had a daughter, Stacey Adams and his only son Sean Adams, with his second wife, Dorothy. His other daughters are Carolyn, Chris, Cathy and Beige.
33Biography in: "Who's Who in Comedy" by Ronald L. Smith; pg. 4-5. New York: Facts on File, 1992. ISBN 0816023387
34In 1999 he started to play Maxwell Smart once again, this time in a successful series of Canadian TV commercials for the "Buck-a-Call" long-distance service.
35He was an older brother of Dick Yarmy, cousin of Robert Karvelas and brother-in-law of Alice Borden.

All pictures

Actor

TitleYearStatusCharacter
Pepper Ann1998-2000TV SeriesPrincipal Hickey
Inspector Gadget: Gadget's Greatest Gadgets1999VideoInspector Gadget (segments "The Capeman Cometh", "Prince of the Gypsies", and "Gadget's Gadgets")
Inspector Gadget1999Brain - Really (voice)
Gadget Boy's Adventures in History1997TV SeriesGadget Boy (voice)
Nick Freno: Licensed Teacher1997TV SeriesPrincipal
Field Trip Starring Inspector Gadget1996TV SeriesInspector Gadget
Gadget Boy and Heather1995TV SeriesGadget Boy (1995) (voice)
Get Smart1995TV SeriesChief Maxwell Smart
Empty Nest1994TV SeriesDon Adams
Inspector Gadget Saves Christmas1992TV MovieInspector Gadget (voice)
Get Smart, Again!1989TV MovieMaxwell Smart
Check It Out1985-1988TV SeriesHoward Bannister
Back to the Beach1987Harbor Master
The Amazing Adventures of Inspector Gadget1986VideoInspector Gadget (voice)
Inspector Gadget1983-1985TV SeriesGadget Robo Gadget
The Fall Guy1984TV SeriesSheriff
The Love Boat1978-1984TV SeriesWalter Love / Sam Corey / Sidney Williams / ...
Jimmy the Kid1982Harry Walker
Murder Can Hurt You!1980TV MovieNarrator (voice)
The Nude Bomb1980Maxwell Smart
Fantasy Island1979TV SeriesCornelius Wieselfarber
The Love Boat1976TV MovieDonald Richardson
Three Times Daley1976TV MovieBob Daley
Wait Till Your Father Gets Home1973TV SeriesDon Gibson Jr.
The New Scooby-Doo Movies1973TV SeriesDon Adams
Saga of Sonora1973TV MovieThe Old Cowhand
The Partners1971-1972TV SeriesDet. Lennie Crooke
Confessions of a Top Crime Buster1971TV MovieDet. Lennie Crooke
Get Smart1965-1970TV SeriesMaxwell Smart / King Charles of Coronia / Floyd Darrow
Pat Paulsen's Half a Comedy Hour1970TV SeriesDolf Clem
The Danny Thomas Hour1967TV SeriesHarry
Bob Hope Presents the Chrysler Theatre1966TV Series
Tennessee Tuxedo and His Tales1963-1966TV SeriesTennessee Tuxedo / Cousin Percy / Monkey
A Secret Agent's Dilemma, or A Clear Case of Mind Over Mata Hari1965TV MovieMaxwell Smart - Host
The Bill Dana Show1963-1964TV SeriesByron Glick
Underdog1964TV SeriesTennessee Tuxedo (voice)

Director

TitleYearStatusCharacter
The Partners1971TV Series 3 episodes
Get Smart1967-1970TV Series 13 episodes

Writer

TitleYearStatusCharacter
Rickles1975TV Movie
Don Adams' Screen Test1975TV Series writer - 1 episode
The PartnersTV Series creator - 2 episodes, 1971 - 1972 written by - 1 episode, 1971
The Don Adams Special: Hooray for Hollywood1970TV Movie
Get Smart1968-1969TV Series written by - 2 episodes

Producer

TitleYearStatusCharacter
Don Adams' Screen Test1975TV Series executive producer - 1 episode
The Partners1971TV Series executive producer - 1 episode
The Don Adams Special: Hooray for Hollywood1970TV Movie producer

Soundtrack

TitleYearStatusCharacter
Get Smart1967TV Series performer - 1 episode
The Jimmy Dean Show1964TV Series performer - 1 episode
Startime1960TV Series performer - 1 episode

Thanks

TitleYearStatusCharacter
Get Smart2008dedicatee

Self

TitleYearStatusCharacter
The Hollywood Palace1968-1969TV SeriesHimself - Host
The Perry Como Show1968TV MovieHimself
The Don Rickles Show1968TV SeriesHimself
It's Happening1968TV SeriesHimself
Where the Girls Are1968TV MovieHimself / Various
Laugh-In1968TV SeriesHimself - Guest Performer
The Dean Martin Show1966-1967TV SeriesHimself
First Annual All-Star Celebrity Baseball Game1967TV SpecialHimself - Celebrity
The Carol Burnett Show1967TV SeriesHimself
The Bob Hope Show1966-1967TV SeriesHimself
Everybody's Talking1967TV SeriesHimself
The Hollywood Squares1966TV SeriesHimself - Cameo
Shipstads & Johnson Ice Follies1966TV SpecialHimself - Host
You Don't Say1966TV SeriesHimself
The Andy Williams Show1965-1966TV SeriesHimself
The Match Game1966TV SeriesHimself - Team Captain
Hullabaloo1965TV SeriesHimself
The Jimmy Dean Show1963-1964TV SeriesHimself - Comedian
Perry Como's Kraft Music Hall1960-1963TV SeriesHimself - Sketch Actor / Himself / Himself - Guest / ...
The Jack Paar Program1963TV SeriesHimself
The Garry Moore Show1961TV SeriesHimself
The Jack Paar Tonight Show1958-1961TV SeriesHimself
The Ed Sullivan Show1960-1961TV SeriesHimself - Comedian / Magician
Startime1960TV SeriesHimself
The Steve Allen Plymouth Show1956-1960TV SeriesHimself - Comedian
The Dinah Shore Chevy Show1959TV SeriesHimself
The Lux Show1958TV SeriesHimself
The Esther Williams Aqua Spectacle1956TV MovieHimself
Salute to Baseball1956TV MovieHimself
Tonight!1955TV SeriesHimself - Comedian
Don Adams' 75th Birthday Roast at the Playboy Mansion2006Video documentaryHimself
Get Smart Reunion Seminar2006Video documentaryHimself
Biography2004TV Series documentaryHimself
TV Land Awards: A Celebration of Classic TV2003TV Special documentaryHimself
NBC 75th Anniversary Special2002TV SpecialHimself
Playboy: Inside the Playboy Mansion2002TV Movie documentaryHimself
TV Land Presents Blast from the Past2001Video Game documentaryHimself
Inside TV Land: Get Smart2001TV Movie documentaryHimself
50 Years of Television: A Celebration of the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences Golden Anniversary1997TV Movie documentaryHimself
Showbiz Today1995TV SeriesHimself
The First Annual Comedy Hall of Fame1993TV MovieHimself
Good Morning America1989TV SeriesHimself
The New Hollywood Squares1987TV SeriesHimself - Center Square
Foul-Ups, Bleeps & Blunders1984TV SeriesHimself - Guest
Two Top Bananas1982TV MovieHimself
The Mike Douglas Show1975-1980TV SeriesHimself - Co-Host / Himself - Comedian / Actor
Dinah!1975-1980TV SeriesHimself
All-Star Family Feud Special1980TV SeriesHimself - Celebrity Contestant
Billy1979TV SeriesHimself
The Merv Griffin Show1963-1976TV SeriesHimself - Comedian
Joys1976TV SpecialHimself
Celebration: The American Spirit1976TV MovieHimself
Don Rickles: Buy This Tape You Hockey Puck1975Video documentaryHimself
Rickles1975TV MovieHimself
The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson1963-1975TV SeriesHimself - Guest
Celebrity Bowling1974-1975TV SeriesHimself
Don Adams' Screen Test1975TV SeriesHimself - Host
Match Game 731974TV SeriesHimself - Panelist
Celebrity Sweepstakes1974TV SeriesHimself / guest panelist
Flip1972-1974TV SeriesHimself
Milton Berle's Mad Mad Mad World of Comedy1974TV MovieHimself
A Couple of Dons1973TV SpecialHimself / Various Characters
The Sonny and Cher Comedy Hour1973TV SeriesHimself
Don Rickles: Alive and Kicking1972TV SpecialHimself
This Is Your Life1972TV SeriesHimself
The David Frost Show1970-1971TV SeriesHimself - Guest
The Andy Williams Show1971TV SeriesHimself
Changing Scene III1971TV SpecialHimself
The Kraft Music Hall1969-1970TV SeriesHimself
The Many Sides of Don Rickles1970TV SpecialHimself
Playboy After Dark1969-1970TV SeriesHimself
The Don Adams Special: Hooray for Hollywood1970TV MovieHimself
The 21st Annual Primetime Emmy Awards1969TV SpecialHimself - Winner: Outstanding Continued Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Comedy Series

Archive Footage

Won Awards

YearAwardCeremonyNominationMovie
2006TV Land AwardTV Land AwardsGreatest Gear or Admirable ApparatusGet Smart (1965)
1969Primetime EmmyPrimetime Emmy AwardsOutstanding Continued Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Comedy SeriesGet Smart (1965)
1968Primetime EmmyPrimetime Emmy AwardsOutstanding Continued Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Comedy SeriesGet Smart (1965)
1967Primetime EmmyPrimetime Emmy AwardsOutstanding Continued Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Comedy SeriesGet Smart (1965)

Nominated Awards

YearAwardCeremonyNominationMovie
1986GeminiGemini AwardsBest Performance by an Actor in a Continuing Role in a Comedy SeriesCheck It Out (1985)
1966Golden GlobeGolden Globes, USABest TV Star - MaleGet Smart (1965)
1966Primetime EmmyPrimetime Emmy AwardsOutstanding Continued Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Comedy SeriesGet Smart (1965)

Known for movies


ncG1vNJzZmimlanEsL7Toaeoq6RjvLOzjp2mp2WRma6uv4ynnK1lp6S%2FtbSO