‘Get Smart’ and ‘Happy Days’ Actor Dead at 97: RIP to David Ketchum

Get Smart’s David Ketchum has died at 97.

His daughter told The Hollywood Reporter that he passed away on Aug. 10 in a care facility in Thousand Oaks, California.

Ketchum was born on Feb. 4, 1928, in an elevator in Quincy, Illinois. Although he majored in electrical engineering at UCLA, he ended up shifting his focus to show business, saying in a 1965 interview that he had “already done a lot of performing.” He admitted he took engineering, knowing that he’d eventually “have to work for a living.” He had to pass on a role in the John Wayne-led film Leathernecks in 1951 due to being activated for service in the National Guard.

After getting into a public information unit that gave him the chance to host a nightly radio show in San Francisco, Ketchum did a radio program in San Diego for seven years and boldly asked Bob Hope and Doris Day to be guests, to which they obliged. He later appeared on The Steve Allen Plymouth Show in 1957 and became a regular on The New Steve Allen Show in 1961. He worked with Ken Berry, Jackie Joseph, and Jo Anne Worley in the Billy Barnes Revue, which made its Broadway debut that same year.

Ketchum is best known for his role as Agent 13 in the second season of NBC’s Get Smart in 1966 and 1967. He also appeared in five episodes of Happy Days between 1974 and 1984, appearing as three different characters. Additional acting credits include The Jim Backus Show, I’m Dickens, He’s Fenster, The Joey Bishop Show, Roger Ramjet, Camp Runamuck, Hey, Landlord, Good Morning World, The Andy Griffith Show, That Girl, The Mary Tyler Moore Show, The Odd Couple, Love, American Style, and Perfect Strangers. He reprised his role as Agent 13 for the 1989 film Get Smart, Again! His final role was in 1999’s The Other Sister.

Along with acting, David Ketchum was also a prolific writer. He has credits on Hey, Landlord, Captain Nice, Get Smart, Here’s Lucy, Lancelot Link: Secret Chimp, The Funky Phantom, Love, American Style, The Elevator, The Little People, The Rookies, Switch, Wonder Woman, Who’s Watching the Kids, Happy Days, The Love Boat, and Full House, among many others.

“He 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. Friends and fans are “invited to enjoy one of his classic performances on Get Smart or Camp Runamuck in remembrance of his quick wit, gentle heart, and cinematic spirit.”