David Ketchum, the character actor and television writer best known for playing the perpetually inconvenienced Agent 13 on the classic spy spoof “Get Smart,” died August 10 at a care facility in Thousand Oaks, California. He was 97.
Ketchum’s daughter Nicole Madden confirmed his death to The Hollywood Reporter, with the family announcing the news publicly on August 22. The cause of death was heart failure.
Born February 4, 1928, in Quincy, Illinois, Ketchum began his entertainment career in radio before transitioning to television acting in the early 1960s. He first gained recognition as a series regular on “I’m Dickens, He’s Fenster,” playing carpenter Mel Warshaw opposite John Astin and Marty Ingalls during the 1962-63 season on ABC.
Ketchum then starred as Counselor Spiffy on the NBC comedy “Camp Runamuck” during the 1965-66 season before landing his most iconic role. He joined “Get Smart” for its second season in 1966, created by Buck Henry and Mel Brooks, playing the exasperated Agent 13 who became the centerpiece of one of television’s most memorable running gags.
His character would appear squeezed into increasingly ridiculous hiding places during undercover surveillance assignments, including vending machines, mailboxes, grandfather clocks, fire hydrants, airport lockers, and trash cans. The gag began when his sweaty head emerged from under a barbershop steam cabinet cover. When asked by Agent 86, played by Don Adams, what he had learned about the latest criminal plot, Agent 13 replied that he had grown to hate the spy business.
In a 2002 interview, Ketchum reflected on the physical demands of the role, noting that being six-foot-two made fitting into cramped spaces particularly challenging. “The hardest part for me was when they put Agent 13 in a washing machine,” he explained, describing how producers built an eight-foot tube so he could be spun around while remembering his lines with water and soap squirting in his face.
Ketchum appeared in 13 episodes of “Get Smart” during its original run from 1965 to 1970, also writing one episode titled “Classification: Dead” in 1967. He reprised his role as Agent 13 in the 1989 television movie “Get Smart, Again!” and appeared in one episode of the 1995 Fox reboot of the series.
Beyond acting, Ketchum established himself as a prolific television writer, contributing scripts to nearly four dozen shows through 1990. His writing credits included “M*A*S*H,” “Happy Days,” “Laverne & Shirley,” “Wonder Woman,” “The Six Million Dollar Man,” “The Bionic Woman,” “MacGyver,” “Highway to Heaven,” and “Full House.” He began his writing career with a 1967 episode of Garry Marshall’s “Hey, Landlord,” leading to a long professional relationship with Marshall that included work on several of his comedy projects.
Ketchum made guest appearances on numerous popular television series throughout the 1960s, 70s, and 80s, including “The Andy Griffith Show,” “The Mary Tyler Moore Show,” “The Carol Burnett Show,” “The Munsters,” “Petticoat Junction,” “Mod Squad,” “That Girl,” “Green Acres,” “The Odd Couple,” “Alice,” and “Mork & Mindy.” He appeared in five episodes of “Happy Days,” playing three different characters.
His film credits included “Good Neighbor Sam” (1964), “The Grasshopper” (1970), “Bless the Beasts & Children” (1971), “Love at First Bite” (1979), “The Main Event” (1979), “The North Avenue Irregulars” (1979), “Young Doctors in Love” (1982), and “The Other Sister” (1999). He also appeared in a series of commercials for Union 76 gas stations during the 1970s and 80s, playing the character Murph.
Before entering show business, Ketchum studied electrical engineering at UCLA and served in the National Guard, where he hosted a nightly radio show in San Francisco through a public information unit. He later hosted another radio program in San Diego for seven years, launching it by securing appearances from Bob Hope and Doris Day.
In 1962, Ketchum released a comedy album titled “The Long-Playing Tongue of Dave Ketchum,” which Billboard praised for his funny ideas and ability to deliver them effectively. He also worked alongside Ken Berry, Jackie Joseph, and Jo Anne Worley in the Billy Barnes Revue, which reached Broadway in 1961.
Ketchum married his wife Louise in August 1957, and their marriage lasted nearly seven decades. He is survived by Louise, their two daughters Nicole Madden and Wendy Ellis, three grandchildren, and one great-grandchild. His family released a statement indicating that he leaves behind a legacy of laughter, warmth, and timeless television moments, encouraging fans to honor his memory by watching one of his classic performances in remembrance of his quick wit, gentle heart, and cinematic spirit.
