I have written three books: Leadville: A Biography of the A40 (Picador 2000), which won a Somerset Maugham Award and the John Llewellyn Rhys Prize and was short-listed for two other awards; The City of Abraham (Picador, 2012); and The Great Flood: Travels through a Sodden Landscape (Picador 2019), which was a Radio 4 Book of the Week. I am a contributing writer at the New Statesman, and a regular contributor to other newspapers and magazines. I was born in Essex in 1968, and grew up in Hampshire, Northumberland, and the Wirral. I have lived in London since 1992.
Had one daughter by his first wife; two sons and a daughter by second wife Suzanne.
Best remembered by the public for his starring role as the CONTROL Chief in "Get Smart" .
Platts death was originally reported as a heart attack at age 58. However, one of his sons confirmed that Platt committed suicide in 1974 after two previous attempts while suffering from an undiagnosed and untreated depression that was further sparked by financial troubles. It is also said that Platts "Get Smart" co-star, Don Adams , knew the real cause of death.
