Donald Alan Diamond (June 4, 1921 – June 19, 2011) was an American radio, film, and

television Television, sometimes shortened to TV, is a telecommunication medium for transmitting moving images and sound. The term can refer to a television set, or the medium of television transmission. Television is a mass medium for advertisin ...

actor An actor or actress is a person who portrays a character in a performance. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. The analogous Greek term is (), li ...

who portrayed "Crazy Cat", the sidekick and heir apparent to Chief Wild Eagle on the popular 1960s television sitcom, ''

F Troop ''F Troop'' is a satirical American television sitcom Western about U.S. soldiers and Native Americans in the Wild West during the 1860s that originally aired for two seasons on ABC. It debuted in the United States on September 14, 1965, and c ...

'' (1965–1967). He also co-starred as "El Toro", the sidekick of Bill Williams' main character of

Kit Carson Christopher Houston Carson (December 24, 1809 – May 23, 1868) was an American frontiersman. He was a fur trapper, wilderness guide, Indian agent, and U.S. Army officer. He became a frontier legend in his own lifetime by biographies and n ...

in 105 episodes of the popular early television series, ''

The Adventures of Kit Carson ''The Adventures of Kit Carson'' is an American Western that aired from 1951 to 1955. The show ran for four seasons and consisted of 104 episodes over four years. The original air date was Saturday, August 11, 1951. It concluded on January 22, 19 ...

'', from 1951 to 1955 .

Career

Don Diamond's father, Benjamin, emigrated to the United States from Russia in 1906 with his parents. Benjamin Diamond served in the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cla ...

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

and then became a prosperous clothing merchant. Benjamin and Ruth Diamond had another son, Neal, three years younger than Don. Diamond studied drama at the

University of Michigan , mottoeng = "Arts, Knowledge, Truth" , former_names = Catholepistemiad, or University of Michigania (1817–1821) , budget = $10.3 billion (2021) , endowment = $17 billion (2021)As o ...

, graduating with a bachelor's degree in 1942. He then enlisted in the

United States Army Air Corps The United States Army Air Corps (USAAC) was the aerial warfare service component of the United States Army between 1926 and 1941. After World War I, as early aviation became an increasingly important part of modern warfare, a philosophical r ...

, where he earned a commission. Already fluent in

Yiddish Yiddish (, or , ''yidish'' or ''idish'', , ; , ''Yidish-Taytsh'', ) is a West Germanic language historically spoken by Ashkenazi Jews. It originated during the 9th century in Central Europe, providing the nascent Ashkenazi community with a ver ...

, he learned to speak Spanish while he was stationed in

New Mexico ) , population_demonym = New Mexican ( es, Neomexicano, Neomejicano, Nuevo Mexicano) , seat = Santa Fe , LargestCity = Albuquerque , LargestMetro = Tiguex , OfficialLang = None , Languages = English, Spanish ( New Mexican), Navajo, Ker ...

during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

. Discharged in 1946 as a first lieutenant, he began acting on radio and became known for his dialect portrayals of Spaniards and Mexicans. This led to his playing the role of "El Toro" in ''The Adventures of Kit Carson'' syndicated

television series A television show – or simply TV show – is any content produced for viewing on a television set which can be broadcast via over-the-air, satellite television, satellite, or cable television, cable, excluding breaking news, television adverti ...

(1951–1955). Diamond also played Corporal Reyes on the

Walt Disney Walter Elias Disney (; December 5, 1901December 15, 1966) was an American animator, film producer and entrepreneur. A pioneer of the American animation industry, he introduced several developments in the production of cartoons. As a film p ...

television series ''

Zorro Zorro (Spanish language, Spanish for 'fox') is a fictional character created in 1919 by American pulp magazine, pulp writer Johnston McCulley, appearing in works set in the Pueblo of Los Angeles in Alta California. He is typically portrayed a ...

'' (1957–1959) alongside

Henry Calvin Henry Calvin (born Wimberly Calvin Goodman; May 25, 1918 – October 6, 1975) was an American actor known for his role as the Spanish soldier Sergeant Demetrio Lopez Garcia on Walt Disney's live-action television series ''Zorro'' (1957–1959) ...

, who portrayed Sergeant Garcia. In 1968, Diamond appeared as Diego on ''

The Big Valley ''The Big Valley'' is an American Western drama television series that originally aired from September 15, 1965, to May 19, 1969 on ABC. The series is set on the fictional Barkley Ranch in Stockton, California, from 1884 to 1888. The one-hour e ...

'' in the episode titled "Miranda." He appeared on more than 100 television shows and in many feature films. He performed extensive voice-over work in commercials and cartoons, most notably as the voice of Toro in the DePatie-Freleng Enterprises cartoon series ''

Tijuana Toads ''Tijuana Toads'' is a series of 17 theatrical cartoons produced by DePatie–Freleng and released through United Artists. Plot The series was about two toads, El Toro and Pancho, who live in the Mexican city of Tijuana. Throughout the carto ...

.''

Death

Diamond died due to heart failure in

Los Angeles, California Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

, on June 19, 2011, at age 90.Don Diamond, Character Actor, is dead at 90
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Personal

His wife, Louisa, was a teacher.

Filmography

References

External links

*
Obituary in ''Los Angeles Times''
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Diamond, Don 1921 births 2011 deaths American male film actors United States Army Air Forces personnel of World War II American people of Russian descent American male radio actors American male television actors Male actors from New York City United States Army Air Forces officers University of Michigan School of Music, Theatre & Dance alumni Yiddish-speaking people 20th-century American male actors American male voice actors People from Brooklyn Western (genre) television actors