‘Get Smart’ Star David Ketchum Dies at 97

David Ketchum, who played the frequently uncomfortable Agent 13 on the classic ’60s comedy Get Smart, has died at 97.

Ketchum, born in 1928, was a comedian before joining Mel Brooks‘ famous spy sitcom; after starting in radio, he became a regular on Steve Allen‘s shows, and released a solo comedy album in 1962. After roles on the shows I’m Dickens, He’s Fenster and Camp Runamuck, he joined the spy spoof in its second season, playing Agent 13, a character who was frequently found hiding in uncomfortable spots like toilets, couches, and mailboxes.

It was a great running gag, but as Ketchum recalled in a 2002 interview, it wasn’t always fun: “The hardest part for me was when they put Agent 13 in a washing machine. I’m 6-foot-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 eight-foot 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!”