Jonathan Harris (November 6, 1914 – November 3, 2002), was an American stage and character actor. In the six decades of his established career in television, two of his best-known roles were villainous characters. In the early 1960s, his first role was that of Michael Rennie's bad guy partner, Bradford Webster on The Third Man, and as the villainous agent, Dr. Zachary Smith, in the popular 1960s sci-fi series, Lost in Space. Near the end of his career, he provided the voice of praying mantis, Manny, on A Bug's Life.
The second of three children, Harris was born as Jonathan Charasuchin to a poor family, in The Bronx, New York, to a Russian-Jewish father, Sam Charasuchin, who was eeking out a living in Manhattan's garment district and to Jennie Charasuchin, an estranged stay-at-home mother who became very practical. Jonathan is also of Polish descent. His family resided in a six-tenant apartment complex, making ends meet for the family, he felt the effects early on. His mother took in boarders and Jonathan was outraged about it that the boarders he slept in his bed in his room, hence he slept on the dining room chairs and didn't like it. His parents also took in boarders at that time for his family to eat. Jonathan also took financial contribution very seriously. Employment took the place of childhood fund at age 12, he worked as a stock clerk at a pharmacy. While there were little money for luxury, Jonathan's father took efforts to expand his son's cultural horizons. At times, there were occasional trips to the Yiddish Theatre, where he was encouraged by his father to listen to opera. Both Jonathan and Sam sat where the dining room was located in that theatre, where young Jonathan instantly fell in love.
The performing arts have also been an escape, Broadway plays are particularly an interest, and couldn't afford tickets. So Jonathan was interested in sneaking into theaters he wanted to see. At age 12, he entered James Monroe High School. While attending school, he was also harboring of performing the dreams he really love on stage. In order for him to become an actor, he'd first have to speak like one. He talked in a New York accent and disliked it, the next approach for him was going to the theater and watch English movies. Before graduation from high school in 1931 (at only 16), he abandoned lots of things he'd considered common. In addition to being well-spoken, he also took delighti in reading archeology, latin, romantic poetry and Shakespeare. He didn't fit quite perfectly amongst his peers with the exception of his girlfriend, Gertrude Bregman. Upon graduating, he was about to say goodbye to his classmates, once and for all, yet, one tied to the past needed to be severed.
In 1932, he legally changed his named from Charasuchin to Harris, despite of his classmates who teased him during his high school years. When he wanted to be an actor, Harris refused to tell his parents about the name change.
That same year, Harris' work at the pharmacy led him to attending Fordham University in New York, where he majored in Pharmacology. The decision ultimately pleased his parents. He graduated in 1936, and worked in several drugstores.
Acting was Harris's big bug, at 24, he doctored a fake resume and tried out a repetory company at the Millpond Playhouse in Long Island, New York. He watched several unfamiliar actors read their script before taking his turn. Never had he studied acting, however, he wanted to be a professional one, after years of watching dozens of movies as a teenager.
The following year in 1940, he spent weeks and months landing supporting roles in 16 of the Troupe's plays, prior to landing a spot in The Red Company. The following year in 1940, he spent weeks and months landing supporting roles in 16 of the Troupe's plays, prior to landing a spot in The Red Company. He was also looking for leading man roles. In 1942, Jonathan won the role of a R.F.D. officer in the Broadway play, The Heart of a City. Producers were pleased with his audition. He told producers that his parents were originally from Poland, therefore, Harris had spoke with a polish accent. It was also his debut. In 1946, he also starred in A Flag is Born, opposite Quentin Reynolds and Marlon Brando. His father had yet to see one of his son's performances, attended one and went backstage. Before being hugged and kissed by his father, Harris immersed himself in every role. Harris inspired a stage hand to pursue his only acting dreams. He loved the attention he received from audiences on stage.
He first worked on live television in 1948, and appeared in a non-speaking role as one of the scientists in the last scene of The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951). He debuted in a speaking role with Alan Ladd and James Mason in Botany Bay in 1953, the same year appearing on Broadway in Hazel Flagg. While landing in another movie, Catch Me if You Can in 1958, where it nearly ended it life and career. He co-starred opposite Gilbert Rowland and Dena Merrill, where it was shot in Cuba. At the time, Castro was on the verge of staging the coup. Harris's crew were bombed and horrified at the airport. The threat of upheaval didn't end production. By the time filming was completed, Castro was in power, the newly film dictator was seized and it was never released.
Harris became a popular bloody character actor for the first thirty years on television by making his first guest-appearance on an episode of: The Chevrolet Tele-Theatre in 1949. The part led to other roles in such shows as: The Web, Lights Out, Goodyear Television Playhouse, 2 episodes of Hallmark Hall of Fame, Armstrong Circle Theatre, 3 episodes of Studio One, Telephone Time, Schlitz Playhouse of Stars, Climax!, Outlaws, The Twilight Zone, Bonanza, The Rogues, The Adventures of Ozzie & Harriet, among many others. He also guest-starred on The Ghost & Mrs. Muir, and his last series guest-starring role was on an episode of Fantasy Island.
Harris returned to television, where he landed a co-starring role opposite Michael Rennie in The Third Man, from 1959 to 1965. Half the episodes were shot in London, England and all the rest were shot in Hollywood. He was playing the same role each week who wasn't always the same, each week. He'd delivered little things to it that were different. His teenaged son came to visit the set. Jonathan did whatever he could to bridge the gap between father and son, and made-up for lost time.
Prior to starring in The Third Man, at the same time, Harris quickly went on to co-star in The Bill Dana Show, where he played hotel manager, Mr. Phillips. Also starring was Don Adams, a comedian who showcased Harris's talent. Many of his one-liners from the Bill Dana Show (such as "Oh, the pain!") were reused in Lost in Space.
Harris beat out 2 other actors for the role as conniving, cowardly agent, Dr. Zachary Smith on Lost In Space, after he did not appear in the pilot series. After he joined the cast, he then asked producer Irwin Allen for an "Special Guest Star" role, on every episode of the series, and Allen wasn't very happy about this, but allowed the actor to. By the time of its debut, it was an immediate hit and midway throughout the first season, it was also competing against another newcomer, Batman, which dominated the ratings. It was also the answer to such successful 1960s sci-fi series such as: Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea and Star Trek. Also midway throughout the firs season, due to Harris's popularity on the show, he rewrote the dialogue, in favor of Allen, who gave him carteblanche to become a writer. He in turn, also stole the show. He also came up with a list of alliterative insults which soon worked their way into popular speech. When the show was renewed for its third and final season, other cast members who were behind the backseat, were give a lot to do, however, the show still focused on Harris's, Dr. Smith's character. It was still a big hit and the series' writers ran out of fresh ideas. The show was unexpectedly cancelled in 1968, and Harris was very unhappy about the show's cancellation after 83 episodes.
The show starred several popular actors, including Guy Williams as Professor John Robinson, and June Lockhart as his wife, Maureen Robinson. Bob May provided the voice of Robot, for the entire run of the series. And also starring on Lost in Space, was a familiar child character actor, Bill Mumy, in the role of Dr. Smith's prodigy friend, Will Robinson, who was also the youngest of John's & Maureen's three children. There was also a strong bond between Harris & Mumy, during its three-year-tenure. He said about his co-star's guest role that for 1 show, "It was actually implied that this villainous character that sabotaged the mission and ended up with us, was going to be killed off after a while." said Mumy, "Jonathan played him as written which was this really dark, straight-ahead villain, who was trying to murder women and children." Mumy also said of Harris's work on Space, "And we'd start working on a scene together, and he'd have a line, and then in the script I'd have my reply, and he'd say, 'No, no, no, dear boy. No, no, no. Beofre you say that, the robot will say this, this, this, this, this, this and this, and then, you'll deliver your line.'" Bill also said of Harris' character that he portrayed, "He truly, truly singlehandledly created the character of Dr. Zachary Smith that we know --- this man, we love-to-hate, coward who would cower behind the little boy, 'Oh, the pain! Save me, William!' That's all him!" In addition, he said, "We were all just finding our groove. It turned out that the characters of both Dr. Zachary Smith and Will Robinson had a great chemistry together." During the third and final season, Mumy also said about Harris's character behaving so hip like many other kids who performed a 1960s dance, "There's an episode where Jonathan's like in this bad wig," he said, "We're going to freak out together. We're . . . We're going to . . . it's freaky, baby!" The last thing that Mumy said abot the show's cancellation was, "I don't know what happened. All I know is that we were all told we're coming back. Then, you know we got a call that we weren't." Sam's death in 1977, drew Harris & Mumy really closer, as Bill received word about this. The two also kept in touch and bumped into each other for almost 35 years until Harris's death.
Although he is considered something of a cult icon for this role, Harris became typecast as the effete villain. Harris was approached by Irwin Allen, a second time, to star in a children series, Jumbalina and the Teasers. Though Allen wanted him for the role, he quickly turned it down. In 1970, Harris played the role of another not-so-likeable villain, when he guest starred as the Bulmanian Ambassador in the Get Smart episode, "How Green Was My Valet". A more favorable guest role of Harris's was his portrayal of Charles Dickens in a 1963 episode of Bonanza. He also appeared in two 1961 episodes of The Twilight Zone.
Harris spent most of the remainder of his career as a voice actor, appearing in television commercials as well as cartoons such as The Banana Splits, My Favorite Martian, Rainbow Brite, Darkwing Duck, Happily Ever After, Problem Child, Freakazoid! (reprising the Smith character and dialogue under the name "Professor Jones,") A Bug's Life, Buzz Lightyear of Star Command and Toy Story 2. He also had several cameo and guest appearances, including Zorro, Bewitched, and Uncle Croc's Block. Harris also provided the voiceover of the Cylon character "Lucifer" on the original Battlestar Galactica series. He starred in the Saturday morning children's series Space Academy in the mid-seventies.
In 1990, Harris was very happy in reuniting with the cast of Lost In Space, to celebrate the show's 25th Anniversary that made its debut. This event was attended by more than 30,000 devoted fans who watched the show. Harris also gave a speech in honor of the show's debut along with its popularity. This reunion also helped the greatest renewed series since, Star Trek, whose show debuted one year after Space.
Harris was also happy to appear in a television tribute (alongside June Lockhart, Mark Goddard, Marta Kristen, Bill Mumy and Angela Cartwright) to Irwin Allen in 1995, who died four years ago in 1991.
Harris reprised his role as Dr. Smith in the one-hour TV special Lost in Space Forever in 1998 and again in The Fantasy Worlds of Irwin Allen. However, unlike his costars in the original show (June Lockhart, Mark Goddard, Marta Kristen and Angela Cartwright) he refused to make a cameo appearance in the motion picture version of Lost in Space later that year. He announced, "I've never played a bit part in my life and I'm not going to start now!". Gary Oldman played the part of Dr. Smith in the film, but as a more genuinely menacing and less likeable character than Harris' on TV.
During the months leading up to the film's release, the Sci-Fi Channel aired Lost In Space marathons in many markets, in which each of the actors would be interviewed, snippets of which would play before commercials. (A few of these segments were filmed in 1992, when the then fledgling Sci-Fi Channel was broadcasting an episode of the show seven days a week.) In 1998, Harris appeared as a guest on the talk show Late Night with Conan O'Brien, where Harris fondly reminisced about his Lost In Space days, admitting he would stay up nights thinking of new insults for the Robot because he enjoyed the interaction so much. Then, Conan had one of his characters, Pimp-Bot 5000 (a robot pimp), come onto the set, and Harris delightfully went into character as Dr. Smith and proceeded to insult Pimp-Bot, much to the enjoyment of Conan and the audience. Shying away from his usual dry and sarcastic (often self-deprecating) style, Conan confessed to Harris that he brought him on the show just to have him insult Pimp-Bot, and that the moment made his day. He admitted his fondness for Harris's character.
Jonathan: "I wish you well and I hope it will be a huge hit, because that would be very good for me. And if, God forbid, it's a terrible flop, well that would be very good for me." (Source: thinkexist.com)
Jonathan: "We used to like camping out." (Source: thinkexist.com)
Jonathan on receiving a guest-starring role for every episode of Lost In Space: "That was the first time ever in history that anybody got Special Guest Star. I started that whole nonsense." (Source: brainyquote.com)
Jonathan: "This is something like we have never seen before in the history of the industry." (Source: brainyquote.com)
Jonathan married his longtime high school sweetheart, Gertrude Bregman, from 1938 to 2002. They have a son, Richard (b. 1942), and two grandchildren.
In late 2002, Harris and the rest of the surviving cast of the TV series were preparing for a two-hour movie entitled Lost In Space: The Journey Back Home.[citation needed] However, just before the movie was about to film, he was taken to the hospital where he had a back problem, which led to his suffering heart failure.
Harris died on November 3, 2002, in Encino, California of a blood clot to the heart, just three days before his 88th birthday. He was survived by his widow, Gertrude, and their son, Richard. He was interred in the Westwood Village Memorial Park Cemetery in Los Angeles.
