David Ketchum

David Ketchum, the actor and television writer best known for his role as Agent 13 on Get Smart, died August 10, 2025, in Thousand Oaks, California. He was 97.

Ketchum was born February 4, 1928, in Quincy, Illinois. As a college student at UCLA, he worked with the USO to help entertain American troops around the world. After hosting a radio program in San Diego for seven years, he broke into television in the early 1960s, playing Mel Warshaw on "I'm Dickens, He's Fenster" and Spiffy on "Camp Runamuck."

In 1966, Ketchum took over the role of Agent 13 on "Get Smart," appearing in 13 episodes. He reprised it in the 1989 TV movie "Get Smart, Again!" and the 1995 revival.

Ketchum was also a prolific television writer. His credits include episodes for "M*A*S*H," "MacGyver," "Full House," "The Love Boat," "The Bionic Woman," "Wonder Woman," and "The Six Million Dollar Man." He co-wrote an episode of Get Smart titled "Classification: Dead," and the M*A*S*H episode "Tuttle" earned him a Writer's Guild of America Award nomination.

By Legacy News Staff

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