The beloved actress who portrayed the iconic spy in the hit 1960s comedy series has embraced a fulfilling life away from the spotlight after retiring from acting.
Barbara Feldon, best known for her role as Agent 99 in the classic television series “Get Smart,” celebrated her 92nd birthday on March 12, 2025. The talented actress left Hollywood decades ago to return to her beloved New York City, where she continues to live a rich and fulfilling life far from the cameras that once defined her career.
From Pennsylvania to Hollywood Stardom
Born March 12, 1933, in Bethel Park, Pennsylvania, Feldon rose to fame as Agent 99 in the hit spy comedy “Get Smart” (1965-1970), acting alongside Don Adams’ Maxwell Smart.
Beyond her signature role, Feldon also appeared in films like “Fitzwilly” (1967) and “Smile” (1975). Unlike many actors who resist being associated with a single character, Feldon always embraced her connection to Agent 99 and didn’t care about being typecast.
“I was just happy to be working back then,” she chuckled in a 2016 interview with Forbes. “I was too busy to be thinking about anything like that.” When asked about her favorite episode of “Get Smart,” the actress recalled fond memories of playful disguises.
“I always loved when we got to dress up and play, like we were in kindergarten. I loved the one where Don [Adams] and I are disguised as Charlie Chaplin, both of us, with mustaches and everything,” she shared. This particular episode featured Max proposing to Agent 99.
However, while she loved her job, the actress had her own life, which was rather different than her character’s.
Life Beyond the Camera
While Agent 99 gave birth to twins on the show, Feldon herself never had children in real life. When asked if she regretted this, the actress responded with calm acceptance. “No. It just didn’t happen. Time went by and my life was just a different kind of life,” she explained.
She added wisely, “There are so many ways to be happy, and you can be happy with children. I know I would have been if I had had them. But you can be happy without them, too, and I have been.”
However, Feldon did recall wearing a pregnancy pad during filming, and with humor, said, “I was like, ‘Whoa, I’m quite not [sic] sure this would be fun.'”
While she might not have had children, the actress was in a prominent relationship with Burt Nodella from 1968 through 1979. He was the Emmy-winning producer of “Get Smart,” who sadly passed away in 2016 at the age of 91.
Advice to Her Younger Self
When asked what advice she would give to her younger self, Feldon showed remarkable insight. “I would give advice, and she would not take it. Older people do have wisdom, but younger people really cannot accept it because it’s not where they are,” she said.
Her guidance would be to “take things more lightly, see life in a bigger context than just that a total vision of success or being good enough.”
Feldon observed that young people often pursue an impossible ideal, suggesting instead that one should enjoy the people on set, disregard concerns about acceptance or TV Q scores, and adopt a more lighthearted approach to life.
Finding Joy in Solitude
In the early 2000s, Feldon wrote the book “Living Alone And Loving It,” sharing her journey to finding happiness on her own. “I had been in relationships my whole life. I’d been married, then had lived with someone for several years. After those, I just assumed I would find another relationship. But it didn’t happen,” she revealed.
As time passed, she discovered that solitude could be fulfilling. Her motivation for writing the book came from meeting people “who feel living by themselves is a second-rate life.”
The actress revealed that many people wrote to her, thanking her for the book. While speaking about this to Forbes, she questioned what people think about relationships, pointing out how much we are told to think marriage is best.
“But times have changed. Did you know that 49% of New Yorkers live by themselves?” she added. The actress would certainly know that fact and more about the Big Apple, as she moved back there decades ago.
Returning to New York
In 1977, she made a life-changing decision to move back to New York City, leaving Los Angeles and Hollywood behind. “I just never had the acting itch,” explained Feldon, who officially retired in 2006.
After earning a drama degree from Carnegie Institute of Technology (now Carnegie Mellon University) in 1955, the Pittsburgh-area native packed her bags and headed to New York before going to Los Angeles for her career. “It was like a 12-year interruption of my life in New York,” she told Closer Weekly in 2018. “I was longing to come back.”
Furthermore, the vibrant city continues to stimulate her. “There’s so much artistic and intellectual stimulation in New York,” she shared. “Every day is different.” And even though she stepped away from acting, people still love her today.
Fans Continue to Cherish Agent 99
Over the years, fans have expressed their admiration for Feldon, showing that her impact as Agent 99 remains strong. On March 12, 2022, one fan wrote, “Sending 99 birthday wishes to Barbara Feldon.”
To which, another responded, “What a beauty! What an actress!” More recently, a fan posted one of her quotes, and someone replied, “Secret crush.”
Additionally, when an account called Hollywood Golden Age of Cinema posted birthday congratulations on March 12, 2025, one netizen quickly wrote, “Wow, 99 is 92! God bless her, loved watching her in Get Smart as well as her appearances.” Another added, “Make it to 99 😂💪.”
The ongoing affection from her admirers proves Feldon’s lasting influence globally and among other icons from the 1960s and 1970s, including Lana Wood, even though she now prefers a secluded life outside of Hollywood.
