Robert Karvelas

Biography

Filmography

Biography

Unexpected actor, Robert Karvelas was born in New York City but raised in Charleroi, Pennsylvania, along with his twin brother. He served in the US Marines during World War II, where he was a Golden Gloves boxing champion; afterwards he worked as a stockbroker. Karvelas was close with his cousin, TV star Don Adams, who gave him bit parts on the series "Get Smart," and thereby began Karvelas' acting career. One of these parts was the Chief's assistant, a role which was expanded as the series went on and evolved into the dense but likable Larrabee. When "Get Smart" ended in 1970, Karvelas followed Adams to his next show, a cop show parody called "The Partners," which was cancelled after just one season. He appeared in television comedies throughout the 1970s, including "Mary Tyler Moore" and "How to Break Up a Happy Divorce," but these roles were few and far between. Karvelas quit acting in 1978, although he reprised his role as Larabee in 1980's "The Nude Bomb" and in the TV movie "Get Smart, Again!" in 1989. He died in 1991 in Los Angeles at the age of 70.