The character did not appear in the original 1965 pilot episode (nor did the Robot). Harris beat out two other actors for the role of conniving, milksop, cowardly agent Dr. His last series guest-starring role was on an episode of Fantasy Island.Īs Doctor Zachary Smith in Lost in Space He also guest-starred on The Ghost and Mrs. In an apparent homage to his earlier role, Harris played a similarly pompous diplomat on Get Smart in 1970. Zachary Smith character on Lost in Space. Several of Harris' one-liners from the show (such as "Oh, the pain!"), along with many character mannerisms, became part of the Dr. This formula presaged the popular John Cleese hotel comedy, Fawlty Towers. Phillips, the pompous manager of a posh hotel who is constantly at odds with his bumbling Bolivian bellhop, José Jiménez (Bill Dana). Harris' teenaged son would visit the set at this time, and Harris did whatever he could to bridge the gap between father and son and tried to make up for lost time.įrom 1963-65, Harris co-starred in the sitcom The Bill Dana Show. Half the episodes were shot in London, England the rest were filmed in Hollywood. He played Bradford Webster, an eccentric, cowardly assistant. Harris returned to television, where he landed a co-starring role opposite Michael Rennie in The Third Man from 1959-65. The part led to other roles in such shows as The Web, Lights Out, Goodyear Television Playhouse, Sanford and Son, 2 episodes of Hallmark Hall of Fame, Armstrong Circle Theatre, 3 episodes of Studio One, Telephone Time, Schlitz Playhouse of Stars, Climax!, The Outlaws, The Twilight Zone, Bonanza, The Rogues, The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet, and 2 episodes of Bewitched, among many others. Harris became a popular character actor for 30 years on television, making his first guest appearance on an episode of The Chevrolet Tele-Theatre in 1949. In 1946 he starred in "A Flag Is Born" opposite Quentin Reynolds and Marlon Brando. Adopting a Polish accent, he advised the producers that his parents were originally from Poland. In 1942 Jonathan won the leading role of a Polish officer in the Broadway play "The Heart of a Cit"y. At 24, he prepared a fake resumé and tried out for a repertory company at the Millpond Playhouse in Long Island, New York and appeared in several of this troupe's plays prior to landing a spot in The Red Company. He graduated in 1936 and worked in several drugstores.Īcting was Harris's first love. That same year, Harris' work at the pharmacy led him to attend nearby Fordham University where he majored in pharmacology. In 1932, he legally changed his name from "Charasuchin" to "Harris," apparently without informing his parents. He did not fit in amongst his peers (who included classmate Estelle Reiner, mother of future actor/director Rob Reiner) with the exception of his girlfriend, Gertrude Bregman, whom he subsequently married. Before graduation from James Monroe High School in 1931 (at age 16), he had also become interested in archeology, Latin, romantic poetry and, inevitably, Shakespeare. Although he could seldom afford tickets, Broadway plays were also an interest. He discarded his Bronx accent and began to cultivate more sophisticated English tones. This included trips to the Yiddish Theatre, where he was encouraged by his father to listen to opera. While there was little money for luxuries, Jonathan's father took efforts to expand his son's cultural horizons. From the age of 12, he worked as a pharmacy clerk. To raise money, his mother took in boarders, some of whom were given Jonathan's bed, forcing Harris to sleep on dining room chairs. His family resided in a six unit apartment building. His parents were Sam and Jennie Charasuchin, Russian Jewish immigrants who eked out a living in Manhattan's garment district. The second of three children, Harris was born to a poor family in The Bronx, New York City. 6 Voice-over Actor and Guest Starring Roles.4 As Doctor Zachary Smith in Lost in Space.
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