In his five decades on television , he was best known as Maxwell Smart ( Agent 86 ) in the television situation comedy `` Get Smart '' ( 1965 -- 70 , 1995 ) , which he also sometimes directed and wrote .
He was best known for his role as Maxwell Smart ( Agent 86 ) in the TV situation comedy `` Get Smart '' ( 1965 -- 1970 , 1995 ) , for which he also directed and wrote .