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Stanley Adams (actor)

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For other people with the same name, see Stanley Adams.

Stanley Adams
Adams in High School Big Shot (1959)
Born
Stanley Abramowitz

(1915-04-07)April 7, 1915
New York City, U.S.
DiedApril 27, 1977(1977-04-27) (aged 62)
Santa Monica, California, U.S.
Occupations
Years active1951–1977
Spouse
Florence Harriette Fellner
​
​
(m. 1941; div. 1973)​
Children2

Stanley Adams (born Stanley Abramowitz; April 7, 1915 – April 27, 1977) was an American actor and screenwriter. He appeared in several films, including Breakfast at Tiffany's (1961) and Lilies of the Field (1963). On television, he is probably best known for his guest appearance in the 1967 Star Trek episode "The Trouble with Tribbles" in which he portrayed outer space peddler Cyrano Jones, purveyor of tribbles. Concurrent with his acting career, Adams also maintained a career as a freelance television scriptwriter from the mid-1950s through the early 70s, writing for shows such as It's Always Jan, Mister Ed, Dr. Kildare, Bonanza, Gunsmoke, Star Trek, The Outsider, The Flying Nun, Mannix, The Name of the Game, and others. Although he did appear in guest roles in many of these series, Adams generally did not appear as an actor in episodes he wrote.

Early life

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Adams was born in New York City. He had his first film role playing the bartender in the movie version of Death of a Salesman (1951). He played another barkeep in The Gene Krupa Story and a safecracker in Roger Corman's High School Big Shot (1959).

Career

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Adams had a lengthy career as a character actor, often playing comic, pompous characters.

Adams (left) with Claude Rains in the 1957 television musical The Pied Piper of Hamelin

Adams played Otis Campbell's brother Ralph on an episode of The Andy Griffith Show. Otis was afraid Ralph would find out he was the town drunk, then learned Ralph was the town drunk of his home town. His 1959 portrayal of Chicago gangster/gambler Nick Popolous in Mr. Lucky ("That Stands For Pool") is especially good as he deftly shifts from bumpkin to killer multiple times.

He appeared in an episode of The Tab Hunter Show in 1961. His other roles on TV shows include roles in six episodes of Wagon Train (including S8 E26 as Samuel in "The Jarbo Pierce Story" 1965) and three episodes of Gunsmoke. He played political boss Frank Templeton in the final episode of McHale's Navy (1962–1966) "Wally for Congress." He played a realtor on The Dick Van Dyke Show episode "Your Home Sweet Home Is My Home Sweet Home". He had two roles in the syndicated western series Death Valley Days in the episodes "The Holy Terror" (1963) and "The Lady and the Sourdough" (1966).[1][unreliable source?] In 1967, he appeared in an episode of The Lucy Show titled "Lucy the Fight Manager" as a trainer named Louie. He appeared as King Kaliwani in the final episode of Gilligan's Island, and as Captain Courageous in two episodes of the 1960s Batman TV series ("Catwoman Goes to College"/"Batman Displays his Knowledge"). He also played notorious pool shark "Sure Shot" Wilson on the ABC sitcom The Odd Couple .

In genre television he appeared on The Twilight Zone as a time-traveling scientist—opposite Buster Keaton—in "Once Upon a Time" and as a bartender ("Mr Garrity and the Graves") and as Ilya Klarpe on The Addams Family (1964). In science fiction television circles he is known primarily for two roles, as Tybo the anthropomorphic carrot in the penultimate episode of Lost in Space, "The Great Vegetable Rebellion" (1968),[2][3] and for playing Cyrano Jones in "The Trouble with Tribbles" (1967) episode of Star Trek. He reprised (as a voice actor) Cyrano Jones in the Star Trek: The Animated Series episode "More Tribbles, More Troubles" and archival footage of Adams as Jones was later featured in the Star Trek: Deep Space Nine episode "Trials and Tribble-ations" (1996). He also co-wrote an episode for Star Trek's final season, "The Mark of Gideon".

Adams also had a lengthy theatrical motion picture career. In the 1962 theatrical film adaptation of Rod Serling's teleplay Requiem for a Heavyweight he played the supporting role of Perelli, a sleazy promoter who offers a washed-up boxer a degrading job as a professional wrestler. He played the Chicano café owner in Lilies of the Field and portrayed Rutherford "Rusty" Trawler, "the 9th richest man in America under 50" in the Audrey Hepburn film Breakfast at Tiffany's. He played Bernie the foulmouthed caller in the 1974 action/adventure movie Act of Vengeance.

Death

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Adams committed suicide on April 27, 1977, at the age of 62.[4] He was reportedly depressed due to chronic pain from a back injury. He was cremated at Angelus-Rosedale Cemetery. His ashes were scattered in the Pacific Ocean. He left behind an ex-wife, a son and a daughter.[5]

Selected filmography

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Television

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Year Title Role Notes
1959 Mr. Lucky Nick Popolous Season 1, Episode 5; "That Stands for Pool"
1960 Rawhide Creston Season 2, Episode 12; "Incident of the Druid Curse"
1961 The Tab Hunter Show
1961–1964 The Twilight Zone Various 2 episodes
1962 The Andy Griffith Show Ralph Campbell Season 2, Episode 31; "Deputy Otis"
1964 The Addams Family Ila Klarpe Season 1, Episode 11; "The Addams Family Meets the VIPs"
1965 The Dick Van Dyke Show Real Estate Agent Season 4, Episode 25; "Your Home Sweet Home Is My Home Sweet Home"
1966 McHale's Navy Frank Templeton Season 4, Episode 30; "Wally for Congress"
1967 The Lucy Show Louie Season 5, Episode 20; "Lucy the Fight Manager"
1967 Batman Captain Courageous Season 2, Episode 49; "Catwoman Goes to College and Season 2, Episode 50; "Batman Displays His Knowledge" (two-part story arc)
1967 Gilligan's Island King Killiwani Season 3, Episode 30; "Gilligan, the Goddess"
1967 Star Trek Cyrano Jones Season 2, Episode 15; "The Trouble with Tribbles"
1968 Lost in Space Tybo Season 3, Episode 23; "The Great Vegetable Rebellion"
1973 Star Trek: The Animated Series Cyrano Jones Season 1, Episode 5; "More Tribbles, More Troubles"
1973 The Odd Couple Sure-Shot Wilson Season 3, Episode 18; "The Hustler"
1996 Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Cyrano Jones Season 5, Episode 6; "Trials and Tribble-ations" (appeared only in archival footage from 1967 Star Trek appearance)


References

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  1. ^ ""The Lady and the Sourdough" on Death Valley Days". Internet Movie Database. October 8, 1966. Retrieved May 30, 2015.
  2. ^ Vincent, Brittany (February 10, 2017). "The weirdest Lost in Space episodes of all time". SYFY WIRE. Retrieved March 20, 2019.
  3. ^ "In defense of Lost in Space's The Great Vegetable Rebellion, giant carrot man and all". Me-TV Network. Retrieved March 20, 2019.
  4. ^ "Stanley Adams, an Actor, 62; Coast Police Report Is Suicide". The New York Times. April 29, 1977. p. 36. Retrieved January 25, 2012. ...according to the authorities, who said there was a .22-caliber pistol in his hand and a note nearby and that he had been despondent recently.
  5. ^ Resting Places: The Burial Sites of 14000 Famous Persons, by Scott Wilson
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