Dick Yarmy, (February 14, 1933 - May 5, 1992) was an American actor, who made 3 notable (and very different) appearances on Mork & Mindy during it's 1st, 2nd and 3rd seasons.
Biography[]
Born Richard Paul Yarmy on the 14th of February in New York City, New York, USA. to William Yarmy and his wife Consuelo. His father was of Jewish descent and his mother Catholic. Dick Yarmy was the younger brother of Don Adams, the man who so memorably played Maxwell Smart on Get Smart. And the cousin of Robert Karvelas, who played Agent Larabee throughout the run of the same show.
He graduated from the New York University with a degree in engineering. Beginning his on screen acting career at the relatively late age of 35.
He was married to Alice Borden until his death in 1992 and is the father of Claudia Yarmy, a director and script supervisor who has worked on shows such as CIS. He is also the Uncle of actresses Stacey Adams and Cecily Adams, who may be best known as the second actress to play 'Moogie' on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine.
He died on May 5, 1992 in Studio City, California, USA after a struggle with Lung Cancer, aged just 59.
Career[]
Dick got his first screen credit alongside his brother Don, and Cousin Robert on Get Smart in 1968. Over the next 30 years he would showcase his comic abilities across a wide range of popular sitcoms, TV Movies and shows. Including - That Girl (1970-1971); The Partridge Family (1971) The Don Rickles Show (1972) The New Dick Van Dyke Show (1973); McMillan & Wife (1973); Emergency! (1973-1975); Holmes and Yoyo (1976); Quincy, M.E. (1979) B.J. and the Bear (1979) Foul Play (1981) E/R (1984) Down to Earth (1985) Amazing Stories (1985)
Through the late 70s's and early 80's he did a host of ABC/Paramount Shows including Laverne & Shirley, Happy Days, Bosom Buddies, Taxi, Ten Speed & Brown Shoe, and Mork & Mindy.
He also appeared in TV Movies such as Duffy (1977) Handle With Care (1977) Pray TV (1981) Carpool (1983) alongside Screen Feature appearances in The Bureau (1976) The Kentucky Fried Movie (1977) Brothers (1977) The One Man Jury (1978) Rabbit Test (1978) Racquet (1979) Movers & Shakers (1985)
His last screen credit came in the sitcom They Came From Outer Space (1991)
Mork & Mindy[]
Dick Yarmy appeared three times across the first three seasons of the show,
playing three, very notably, different characters.
His first appearance coming in the Pilot episode where he played Dr. Litney, the psychiatrist who had declared Mork incompetent / mentally unfit, after Fred's friend Deputy Tilwick brought him in (in an effort to get him away from Mindy). Mork ripping apart his testimony in classic Movie Court Room style.
He then appeared in Season 2's Dial N' For Nelson, as Ron, the cigar chewing no nonsense Manager of The Bare Facts strip club, who auditioned Mindy (and ultimately Mork) as the couple attempted to find out who at the club might have been threatening Mindy's cousin, Nelson.
Latterly, in Mork in Never-Never Land, in a 180 from Dr. Litney, he played the grouchy Sid, an inpatient of the Happy Valley Sanitorium, a quasi friend of Mork's Pen Pal, Peter, who fancies himself Peter Pan.