David McCallum, the prolific TV mainstay best known for roles on NCIS and an Emmy-nominated turn on The Man From U.N.C.L.E., has died. NCIS’ social media accounts announced the actor’s death Monday. He was 90.
“We are deeply saddened by the passing of David McCallum and privileged that CBS was his home for so many years. David was a gifted actor and author, and beloved by many around the world,” the post reads. “He led an incredible life, and his legacy will forever live on through his family and the countless hours on film and television that will never go away. We will miss his warmth and endearing sense of humor that lit up any room or soundstage he stepped onto, as well as the brilliant stories he often shared from a life well-lived. Our hearts go out to his wife Katherine and his entire family, and all those who knew and loved David.”
McCallum is best remembered for his remarkable television career. After spending the 50s and early 60s in movies, including a role in the Steve McQueen hit The Great Escape, McCallum jumped to the small screen, doing guest spots on The Outer Limits and Perry Mason.
The Man From U.N.C.L.E. was his breakout. With his mop of blond hair and slight frame, McCallum played Illya Kuryakin opposite Robert Vaugh’s Napoleon Solo. The series followed a pair of counterespionage secret agents as they engaged in spy games marked by inventive gadgets and 60s cool. The show earned McCallum two Emmy nominations and rode the initial wave of James Bond mania to 105 episodes, several spin-off movies, and a 2015 movie starring Henry Cavill.
With the final The Man From U.N.C.L.E. movie in 1968, McCallum returned to the United Kingdom, where he became a fixture of British television on such programs as Colditz and Sapphire & Steel. He also found work in the U.S. as a guest star on Murder, She Wrote and seaQuest DSV.
McCallum found his next iconic role at CBS as a regular on NCIS. The fan-favorite chief medical examiner, Dr. Donald “Ducky” Mallard, appeared on the show for the rest of the actor’s life. In 2021, NCIS star Mark Harmon left the series, making McCallum the only remaining original cast member.
Born September 19, 1933, in Maryhill, Glasgow, McCallum was born into a family of musicians. His father and mother, a violinist and a cellist, respectively, moved the family to London so his father could lead the London Philharmonic. However, during World War II, McCallum was evacuated from the city and returned to Scotland.
Described by his son as a “true renaissance man,” McCallum had talent far past his television roles. He also released his first novel, Once A Crooked Man, in 2016, and narrated more than 30 audiobooks. In the 60s, he recorded four albums for Capitol Records as a composer and conductor. His most famous composition, “The Edge,” received a second life as the keystone sample on Dr. Dre’s “The Next Episode.”
McCallum was married twice, with the first going about as poorly as a marriage could. After 10 years of matrimony with his Hell Drivers co-star Jill Ireland, she left McCallum for Charles Bronson, whom Ireland met through her ex-husband on the set of Great Escape. McCallum rebounded well enough, marrying Katherine Carpenter in 1967. The couple remained together throughout the rest of his life.
McCallum is survived by Katherine, his sons Paul, Val, Peter, his daughter Sophie, and his six grandchildren.