David McCallum died. In the 1960s, he played a teen hero on the hit show The Man From U.N.C.L.E., and 40 years later, he played an oddball medical examiner on the hit show NCIS. He was 90 years old.
McCallum died today at New York Presbyterian Hospital of natural causes surrounded by his family, according to a statement from CBS.
“David was a talented actor and author who was adored by many people across the globe. CBS said in a statement, “He led an extraordinary life, and his legacy will live on through his family and the countless hours of film and television that will never disappear.”
McCallum, who was born in Scotland, had found success in films such as A Night to Remember (about the Titanic), The Great Escape, and The Greatest Story Ever Told (as Judas). In the mid-1960s, however, it was The Man From U.N.C.L.E. that made the blond actor with the Beatles-esque haircut a ubiquitous name.
The triumph of the James Bond novels and films had set off a chain reaction, with secret agents proliferating on both large and small screens. According to Jon Heitland’s The Man From U.N.C.L.E. Book, Ian Fleming, creator of James Bond, contributed some concepts to the development of The Man From U.N.C.L.E.
Robert Vaughn portrayed Napoleon Solo, an agent in a covert, high-tech unit of crime fighters whose initials stood for United Network Command for Law and Enforcement. The program debuted in 1964. Despite the Cold War, the agency had international personnel, including McCallum as Solo’s Russian companion, Illya Kuryakin.
McCallum recalled that the role was initially relatively minor, adding in a 1998 interview, “I had never heard the word ‘ sidekick’ before.”
The show received varied reviews but ultimately gained popularity, especially among adolescent females who were drawn to McCallum’s good looks and enigmatic, intelligent character. By 1965, Illya was Vaughn’s primary partner, and both personalities were mobbed during personal appearances.
The series ran until 1968. In 1983, Vaughn and McCallum reunited for the nostalgic television film The Return of the Man from U.N.C.L.E., in which the agents were coaxed out of retirement to save the world once more.
McCallum returned to television in 2003 with CBS’s NCIS, another series featuring an agency with the same initials. He portrayed Dr. Donald “Ducky” Mallard, a nerdy pathologist for the Naval Criminal Investigation Service, which investigates offenses involving the Navy or Marines. Mark Harmon portrayed the leader of NCIS.
McCallum said he believed Ducky, who sported spectacles and a bow tie and had an eye for pretty women, “looked a little silly, but it was great fun to do”. He also took the position seriously, spending time in the coroner’s office in Los Angeles to learn how autopsies are conducted.
Co-star Lauren Holly lamented his passing on X, formerly Twitter:
“You were the kindest man. “We appreciate your being you.” Tonight’s 20th anniversary NCIS marathon will now include an “in memoriam” card for McCallum.
Gradually gaining an audience, the show eventually made the list of top 10 programs. McCallum, who resided in New York, rented a one-bedroom condominium in Santa Monica during the production of NCIS.
“He was a scholar and a gentleman who was always gracious, a consummate professional, and never one to turn down a jest. It was a privilege to work with him from day one, and he never let us down. Simply put, he was a legend,” stated NCIS executive producers Steven D. Binder and David North in a statement.
McCallum’s work on U.N.C.L.E. earned him two Emmy nominations, and he received a third nomination for his role as an educator battling alcoholism in the 1969 Hallmark Hall of Fame drama Teacher, Teacher.
In 1975, he portrayed the eponymous character in the short-lived science fiction series The Invisible Man, and from 1979 to 1982, he portrayed Steel in the British science fiction series Sapphire and Steel. Over the years, he also made guest appearances on numerous television programs, including Murder, She Wrote, and Sex and the City.
He appeared on Broadway in The Flip Side, a 1968 comedy, and Amadeus, a 1999 revival starring Michael Sheen and David Suchet. Additionally, he acted in several off-Broadway productions.
McCallum was a longtime American citizen, telling The Associated Press in 2003, “I have always admired the freedom this country stands for and everything it stands for. And I reside here and enjoy voting here”.
In 1933, David Keith McCallum was born in Glasgow. His father, also named David, played the violin, and his mother, also named David, played the cello.
The family migrated to London when David was 3 years old, where David Sr. played with the London Philharmonic and Royal Philharmonic.
The young David studied the oboe at the Royal Academy of Music. He determined he wasn’t talented enough, so he studied briefly at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art before turning to the theater.
But “I was a small, emaciated blond with a caved chest, so there weren’t an awful lot of parts for me”, he commented in a Los Angeles Times interview in 2009.
After completing his military service, he returned to London and began working in live television and film. In 1957, he starred alongside Jill Ireland in the film Robbery Under Arms, an adventure set in early Australia. The couple tied the knot in the same year.
In 1963, McCallum was part of the enormous cast of The Great Escape and he and his wife became friendly with Charles Bronson, also in the film. Ireland ultimately fell in love with Bronson, leading to her 1967 divorce from McCallum. In 1968, she married Bronson.
McCallum stated in 2009, “Everything turned out well because shortly thereafter I met Katherine Carpenter, a former model, and we’ve been married for 42 years.”
Paul, Jason, and Valentine were McCallum’s three sons from his first marriage, and Peter and Sophie were his son and daughter from his second. Jason overdosed and perished.
“He was the epitome of the Renaissance man; he was intrigued by science and culture and turned those interests into expertise. As an example, he was able to orchestrate a symphony orchestra and (if necessary) could execute an autopsy, based on his decades-long preparation for his role on NCIS, according to a statement released by Peter McCallum.
McCallum told a reporter in 2007 while working on NCIS, “I’ve always believed that the harder I labor, the fortunate I become. I believe in serendipity, but I also believe that devoting yourself to what you do is the greatest way to succeed in this life.”
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