David Ketchum (born February 4, 1928, in

Quincy, Illinois Quincy ( ) is a city in Adams County, Illinois, United States, and its county seat. Located on the Mississippi River, the population was 39,463 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, down from 40,633 in 2010. The Quincy, Illinois, mic ...

) is an American

character actor A character actor is an actor known for playing unusual, eccentric, or interesting character (arts), characters in supporting roles, rather than leading ones.28 April 2013, The New York Acting SchoolTen Best Character Actors of All Time Retrie ...

and comedian best known for his appearances in television sitcoms, including ''

The Mary Tyler Moore Show ''The Mary Tyler Moore Show'' (also known simply as ''Mary Tyler Moore'') is an American television sitcom created by James L. Brooks and Allan Burns and starring actress Mary Tyler Moore. The show originally aired on CBS from September 19, 1970 ...

'', '' Camp Runamuck'', and ''

Get Smart ''Get Smart'' is an American comedy television series parodying the Spy fiction, secret agent genre that had become widely popular in the first half of the 1960s with the release of the ''James Bond'' films. It was created by Mel Brooks and Bu ...

''. Ketchum studied physics at UCLA and joined other UCLA students in entertaining military personnel around the world for the USO. Ketchum had a radio program for seven years in San Diego, California. On television, he portrayed Counselor Spiffy in '' Camp Runamuck''. He was also a regular on ''

I'm Dickens, He's Fenster ''I'm Dickens, He's Fenster'' is an American sitcom starring John Astin and Marty Ingels that ran on ABC from September 28, 1962, to May 10th, 1963. Synopsis The series starred John Astin and Marty Ingels as Harry Dickens and Arch Fenster, ...

'', playing the role of Mel Warshaw. In ''Get Smart'', he played Agent 13, and was often seen in recurring jokes on the show hiding in unusual places such as mailboxes or fire hydrants. Ketchum reprised the role in the 1989

TV movie A television film, alternatively known as a television movie, made-for-TV film/movie, telefilm, telemovie or TV film/movie, is a film with a running time similar to a feature film that is produced and originally distributed by or to a terrest ...

Get Smart Again ''Get Smart, Again!'' is a 1989 American made-for-television comedy film based on the 1965–1970 NBC/CBS sitcom ''Get Smart!'' starring Don Adams and Barbara Feldon reprising their characters of Maxwell Smart and Agent 99. It originally aire ...

'' as well as an episode of the 1995 revival of ''Get Smart'' on

Fox Foxes are small-to-medium-sized omnivorous mammals belonging to several genera of the family Canidae. They have a flattened skull; upright, triangular ears; a pointed, slightly upturned snout; and a long, bushy tail ("brush"). Twelve species ...

. Ketchum also co-wrote one episode of the third season of the original series, titled " Classification: Dead." He also wrote scripts for other programs, including ''

The Andy Griffith Show ''The Andy Griffith Show '' is an American sitcom television series that was aired on CBS from October 3, 1960, to April 1, 1968, with a total of 249 half-hour episodes spanning eight seasons—159 in black and white and 90 in color. The series ...

'' and ''

Petticoat Junction ''Petticoat Junction'' is an American television sitcom that originally aired on CBS from September 1963 to April 1970. The series takes place at the Shady Rest Hotel, which is run by Kate Bradley; her three daughters Billie Jo, Bobbie Jo, an ...

''. In 1962, his comedy album ''The Long-Playing Tongue of Dave Ketchum'' was released. ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...

'' gave it a 4-star prefix for strong sales potential. Films in which Ketchum appeared included ''

Young Doctors in Love ''Young Doctors in Love'' is a 1982 American comedy film directed by Garry Marshall. It spoofs a variety of medical shows (in particular, ''General Hospital'') and has many guest stars from ABC soap operas. The film stars Sean Young, Michae ...

'' (1982) and '' The Other Sister'' (1999). Ketchum married singer Louise Bryant.

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* * 1928 births Living people American male television actors Actors from Quincy, Illinois University of California, Los Angeles alumni American male television writers American television writers 20th-century American male writers 20th-century American male actors Comedians from Illinois American male comedians {{US-tv-actor-1920s-stub