David McCallum: ‘NCIS’ and ‘The Man From UNCLE’ star dies at 90

CNN
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Actor David McCallum, known for his role on the long-running CBS procedural “NCIS” The network said in a statement that she had died. He was 90 years old.

“He was the kindest, most wonderful, most patient and loving father,” his son, Peter McCallum, wrote in a statement from the family provided by CBS. “He always put family before himself.”

CBS said McCallum died of natural causes surrounded by his family at New York-Presbyterian Hospital.

“David was a talented actor and author who was loved by many around the world,” the network’s statement said. “He lived an amazing life, and his legacy will forever live on through his family and countless hours in film and television that will never go away. We will miss his warmth and endearing sense of humor that lit up any room or sound stage he stepped onto, as well as the wonderful stories he often shared from A life well lived.

McCallum, born in Scotland, had his biggest hit in the US (after a number of roles on British television) in the 1960s spy series The Man From UNCLE, in which he co-starred as agent Ilya Kuryakin opposite Robert Vaughn’s suave spy Napoleon Solo.

McCallum received two Emmy Award nominations for the series, and has worked steadily since, including roles in “The Great Escape” and “A Night to Remember.” He also starred in a memorable episode of the chilling sci-fi anthology series “The Outer Limits,” and “The Sixth Finger,” in which he played an ordinary man who volunteers to undergo evolutionary progress at an accelerating speed.

McCallum returned to television in a starring role in the 1975 NBC series The Invisible Man, but the show, despite its then-hit special effects, only lasted one season. His most unlikely work in television came with the CBS crime procedural “NCIS.” McCallum played Chief Medical Examiner Donald “Ducky” Mallard, an eccentric and skilled professional who served as a patriarch to the show’s investigators.

McCallum is survived by his wife of 56 years, Catherine McCallum, three sons (Paul McCallum, Valentine McCallum and Peter McCallum), a daughter Sophie McCallum and eight grandchildren.