Stanley Adams (born Abramowitz) had a lengthy career on both stage and screen, the majority of which was spent playing minor supporting roles. A possible exception was the part of Rusty Trawler, a pint sized millionaire in the classic romantic comedy Frühstück bei Tiffany (1961). Otherwise, he portrayed innumerable minor ethnic villains,
bartenders and avuncular, fast-talking characters, known in the credits
only by their first names. On television, conversely, he proved himself more of a
scene stealer, particularly in the 1960s and early '70s, when his face
popped up on just about every major prime time show. He was at his best as pool
hustler Sure-shot Wilson in an episode of
Männerwirtschaft (1970), Rollo,
a quirky time-traveling scientist on
Unwahrscheinliche Geschichten (1959),
and - famously - as 'asteroid detecting', tribble-dispensing galactic
entrepreneur Cyrano Jones on
Raumschiff Enterprise (1966). Alas, he may also be remembered as
a sentient space carrot named Tybo on
Verschollen zwischen fremden Welten (1965)....
His suicide in April 1977 has been attributed to severe depression as a
result of a back injury, sustained earlier in the decade. Apart from
the obvious pain, it would almost certainly have limited his employment
opportunities.
