"Oh, the pain! Ohhh, the pain!"

American actor (1914-2002). Real name: Jonathan Charasuchin. He was born in the Bronx to Russian-Jewish parents who had recently moved to the United States. He earned a degree in pharmacology from Fordham University but didn't enjoy the work, so he joined a repertory company in Long Island. He eventually found his way to Broadway in 1946, appearing in "A Flag Is Born" with Paul Muni and Marlon Brando.

Harris adopted the persona of a snooty classically-trained British thespian (It's reported that when people asked if he was from England, he'd say, "Oh no, my dear, just affected.") and made frequent guest appearances on television in the 1950s. It's said that he beat out Carroll O'Connor and Eddie Albert when he won the role he's best known for: the scheming, cowardly Dr. Zachary Smith in the '60s TV series "Lost in Space".

Though Dr. Smith was supposed to be the villain in the show, many of the episodes revolved around him, his doomed schemes, and his flamboyantly melodramatic pronouncements. He was often paired with Bill Mumy, who played Will Robinson, and the arm-flailing Robot, who Smith constantly insulted with angry alliterations of antagonism ("mumbling mass of metal," "bumbling bucket of bolts," "cybernetic simpleton," and "traitorous transistorized toad" immediately spring to mind).

Harris was proud of his work on "Lost in Space" and was a frequent guest at science fiction conventions, where he greeted his fans and promoted "Lost in Space" memorabilia. However, he refused to appear in the abysmal "Lost in Space" movie in the 1990s, primarily because he didn't want to play a mere walk-on role. And of course, he also acted in other films and television shows, including "Zorro," "Botany Bay," "Battlestar Galactica," "Happily Ever After," "Darkwing Duck," "Freakazoid!," "A Bug's Life," "Toy Story 2," "Hubert's Brain," and many others.

Harris died on November 3, 2002, of a blood clot in his heart while receiving therapy for a chronic back problem.

Research from the Internet Movie Database (www.imdb.com), from the Associated Press, and from www.lostinspacetv.com/fun/smith.html, for a colossal list of Dr. Smith's insults.
