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This article refers to Agent 99 as portrayed by Barbara Feldon in the original series and associated productions. For the character portrayed by Anne Hathaway see Agent 99 (2008 film).

Agent 99
99 gun
Agent 99 of CONTROL.
First Get Smart Appearance Mr. Big
Additional Episodes Most Episodes
Affiliation CONTROL
Gender Female
Family Maxwell Smart (husband),

Zachary Smart (son), unnamed mother,
unnamed daughter

Defeated by Undefeated
Famous Quote "Oh Max"


Agent 99 is one of CONTROL's top agents and a frequent partner of Maxwell Smart during missions. She was later married to Maxwell Smart during the fourth season of the TV show.

Early Life[]

Agent 99 has an even more mysterious past than Agent 86. Her exact birthdate is unknown but Max says he has "known 99 since she was 24" [Episode #89: "Closely Watched Planes"]. Calculating from a first meeting in 1965 gives a birth year of 1941. However, since the apparent Christmastime case at Bowers Department Store [Episode #4: "Our Man in Toyland"] cannot logically have taken place later than December 1964, it is likely that both events occurred at least a year earlier than usually thought. This theory is also consistent with Max' 1968 statement that they have worked together for five years [Episode #79: "99 Loses CONTROL"].

99 tells Max that she was "raised in the country", presumably on her mother's property forty miles north of Twin Falls, Idaho. Her father is dead, but when alive he claimed to be a greeting card salesman, although he was really a spy [Episode #88: "Snoopy Smart Vs. The Red Baron"]. He also looked exactly like the KAOS Agent Simon the Likeable [Episode #120: "And Baby Makes Four, conclusion"].

Before becoming a spy, 99 worked as a high fashion model [Episode #29: "Shipment to Beirut"] and once wanted to be a Rockette [GS95 Episode #4: "Shoot Up the Charts"].

Working at CONTROL[]

For skills see Skills of 99 in secret CONTROL planbook.
99-rub-a-dub

Ready for action.

99 joined CONTROL just two weeks after Max, by which time Max had driven the Chief bald [Episode #60: "A Man Called Smart, Part 3"]. Her mentor in these early days was Agent 12 [TV Movie: "Get Smart, Again!"].

Her talents as a spy are numerous. She won three straight Lamont Cranston Awards for Shadowing [Episode #93: "A Tale of Two Tails"]. She speaks Chinese, German, French and Spanish (Episodes #28:"Ship of Spies, Part 2", #23:"I'm Only Human" #36: "Casablanca" and #103: "Tequila Mockingbird"]. 99 is an accomplished dancer [Episode #10: "Our Man in Leotards"], as well as a violin and harp player [Episode #26: "Hubert's Unfinished Symphony"]. In several episodes 99's cover is that of a singer and she reveals herself to have an excellent voice [Episodes #36: "Casablanca" and #103: "Tequila Mockingbird"].

Relationship with Max[]

From the moment they met, 99 has been in love with Maxwell Smart. For years she tried to get him to notice her, but for the most part he refused to treat her as anything but a fellow spy and together they became, in the Chief's words, "the best working team I've got" [Episode #56: "Appointment in Sahara"]. Several "near kisses" were interrupted by either Fang or gunshots [Episodes #1: "Mr. Big" and #3: "School Days"]; lip contact occurred only under chemical influence [Episodes #10: "Our Man in Leotards" and #75: "The Groovy Guru"].

Kiss-picture

The mystery photograph.

Unfortunately, it seems that their first "real" kisses occur off-screen. Max carries a photograph of himself kissing 99 which appears to have been taken at Bowers Department Store but the exact circumstances are unknown [Episode #79: "99 Loses CONTROL"]; and, years later, 99 recalls an incident when Max kissed her on a mission crawling through the sewers under East Berlin as the time she knew he loved her [GS95 Episode #3: "Goodbye Ms. Chip"]. But apparently nothing comes of either occasion.

Eventually, she gives up on Max, quits CONTROL, and gets engaged to Victor Royal. Jealous beyond words, Max follows her to Royal's Casino and reveals him to be a KAOS agent. She returns to CONTROL feeling depressed about Royal, but more secure about Max's feelings for her [Episode #79: "99 Loses CONTROL"].

Wedding

Wedding day.

Finally, in 1968, when they're on a case and escape seems impossible, Max confesses his love and tells 99 that he'd marry her if they could only escape. With that motivation, 99 thinks of a way out of the KAOS trap and they become engaged [Episode #87: "The Impossible Mission"]. She gets several engagement rings, with one of them turning out to be the stolen Morris Diamond [Episode #91: "Diamonds Are a Spy's Best Friend"] and another shattering like glass when CONTROL's own opera star Rosa La Costa sings [Episode #113: "Pheasant Under Glass"].

A little more than a year after their wedding [Episode #95: "With Love and Twitches"], 99 gives birth to twins - a boy (whose name was eventually revealed to be Zachary (Zach) ["Get Smart 1995 series"]) and a girl (whose name, like her mother's, is never revealed) [Episode #120: "And Baby Makes Four, conclusion"].

The Later Years[]

By 1989, with CONTROL long deactivated and the twins in college, 99 is working on a book about her life in the spy business called Out of CONTROL. Unbeknownst to her, the publisher, Nicholas Dimente, is the new leader of KAOS. And he is using information from her manuscript as part of the very plot which leads to Max being recalled to duty and CONTROL being reactivated. 99 finds herself drawn into the mayhem and she and Max enjoy saving the world together one last time [TV Movie: "Get Smart, Again!".]

Perhaps inspired by the example of Agent 95 and perhaps aided by publicity from the book, 99 decides to pursue a career in politics.

Congresswoman99

Congresswoman.

By 1995, she has been elected to Congress and, with a position on the committee that oversees CONTROL's budget, she is able to secure an increase in funding that enables Max, now the Chief, to promote Zach from the research department to full agent - despite some misgivings on 99's part as to his safety.

Although no longer an official part of the organization, 99 continues to work closely with her husband and son in support of CONTROL and the nation. ["Get Smart 1995 series"].

Names[]

During five seasons 99 uses many names.

Names used by 99
Name Episode Comment
Melissa Westbrook #17: "Kisses for KAOS" The aristocratic-sounding name is ideal for her cover as a wealthy patron of the arts and 99 plays the role to perfection.
Miss Evans #35: "Maxwell Smart, Alias Jimmy Ballantine" Manicurist at Dobring's barbershop.
Dr. Greta Braun #57: "Pussycats Galore" German scientist. Max is her husband Fritz.
Ernestine #60: "A Man Called Smart, Part 3" Max calls 99 this name. She replies that that's the first time he's called her that and then adds, "I wish it were my name."
Conchita #"61: "Viva Smart" Max is Conchata. They used the names of recently deceased flamenco dancers.
Miss Primrose #62: "Witness for the Persecution" Name by which Max introduces 99 to his landlady.
Legs #71: "The Mild Ones" Biker chick.
Susan Hilton #79: "99 Loses CONTROL" Max's reaction: "So, it's Miss Hilton, Susan Hilton. I worked with you for five years and you never told me your name." 99: "You never asked me".*
Viola Vain #101: "Hurray for Hollywood" Announced with a suitable hauteur when posing as an actress. Max calls himself Lawrence Hollywood.
Rosita Delgado #103: "Tequila Mockingbird" Singer at the cantina in Mira Loma, Mexico.
Miss Norris #110: "Greer Window" Receptionist at Otto Greer Industries.
Helen Blake #126: "Moonlighting Becomes You" Hannibal Day calls her Helen Trent.
Ninna #132: "How Green Was My Valet" Pronounced "Niner". The new maid in Bulmanian embassy.
  • That episode (99 Loses CONTROL) has caused a great deal of confusion among fans, as 99 tells Victor that her name is Susan Hilton. Many people have mistakenly said that is her real name. However, at the end of the episode, she quite clearly states that Susan Hilton is a fake name.
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