David Ketchum, the prolific television writer and comedic actor best known for his role as the hapless Agent 13 on the cult 1965 sitcom Get Smart, died Aug. 10. He was 97.
The Ventura County Medical Examiner’s Office confirmed Ketchum’s death to PEOPLE. The office did not immediately respond to Entertainment Weekly‘s request for comment on Friday.
Ketchum made his TV debut in 1961, appearing on episodes of such programs as The Jim Backus Show and The Munsters before joining season 2 of Get Smart in 1966 as Agent 13, a character whose signature became finding himself stationed in tight, uncomfortable spaces — mailboxes, fire hydrants, etc. — while undercover for assignments.
Everett
“The hardest part for me was when they put Agent 13 in a washing machine,” Ketchum recalled in a 2002 interview. I’m 6′2″, so I can’t fit easily into cramped places, and a washing machine is about as cramped as it gets. They also built an 8-ft. tube I got into so I could be spun around in the front. You try remembering your lines while you’re spinning around with water and soap squirting in your face!”
The series, created by Mel Brooks and Buck Henry, concluded a five-season run in 1970. Ketchum reprised the role in the 1989 TV movie Get Smart, Again! as well as the short-lived 1995 revival.
Get Smart got a big screen remake, starring Steve Carell, Anne Hathaway, in 2008, with Bill Murray in the role of the beloved Agent 13.
Ketchum’s expansive TV credits also include memorable turns as Mel Warshaw on I’m Dickens, He’s Fenster and Spiffy on Camp Runamuck; as well as guest spots on iconic sitcoms The Mary Tyler Moore Show, Green Acres, The Odd Couple, The Partridge Family, Maude, Mork & Mindy, and Happy Days.
Behind the camera, Ketchum wrote episodes of Full House, MacGyver, The Love Boat, Lottery!, Laverne & Shirley, T.J. Hooker, M*A*S*H, Here’s Lucy, The Bionic Woman, Wonder Woman, The Six Million Dollar Man, and even Get Smart. He also appeared in the films Good Neighbor Sam, The Grasshopper, Goodnight Jackie, Love at First Bite, Young Doctors in Love, and The Other Sister.
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Ketchum is survived by his wife, Louise, and their two daughters Nicole and Wendy.
The actor “leaves behind a legacy of laughter, warmth and timeless television moments — reminding us all that sometimes, the simplest surprise (like someone perched in a mailbox) can yield the biggest smile,” his family said in a statement to The Hollywood Reporter.
