Jonathan Harris (November 6, 1914 – November 3, 2002), was an American stage and character actor. Two of his best-known roles were as the timid accountant Bradford Webster in the tv version of The Third Man, and the comic villain Dr. Zachary Smith, in the 1960s sci-fi television series, Lost in Space. Near the end of his career, he provided the voice of "Manny", a praying mantis in the animated feature A Bug's Life.
The second of three children, ...
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Jonathan Harris (November 6, 1914 – November 3, 2002), was an American stage and character actor. Two of his best-known roles were as the timid accountant Bradford Webster in the tv version of The Third Man, and the comic villain Dr. Zachary Smith, in the 1960s sci-fi television series, Lost in Space. Near the end of his career, he provided the voice of "Manny", a praying mantis in the animated feature A Bug's Life.
The second of three children, Harris was born Jonathan Daniel Charasuchin to a poor family in the Bronx, New York. His parents, who eked out a living in Manhattan's garment district, were Sam and Jennie Charasuchin. Jonathan's ancestry was Russian-Jewish and Polish. His family resided in a six-tenant apartment complex. To raise money, his mother took in boarders, some of whom were given Jonathan's bed, forcing Jonathan to sleep in the dining room. From the age of 12, he worked as a pharmacy clerk. While there was little money for luxuries, Jonathan's father took efforts to...
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