Sad news to report as it was announced that David McCallum died this morning at New York Presbyterian Hospital at the age of 90. The actor was best known for playing Chief Medical Examiner Donald “Ducky” Mallard on NCIS, as well as Ilya Kuryakin on The Man from U.N.C.L.E.
David McCallum’s son, Peter, released a statement on behalf of the family.
He was the kindest, coolest, most patient and loving father. He always put family before self. He looked forward to any chance to connect with his grandchildren, and had a unique bond with each of them. He and his youngest grandson, Whit, 9, could often be found in the corner of a room at family parties having deep philosophical conversations.
He was a true renaissance man — he was fascinated by science and culture and would turn those passions into knowledge. For example, he was capable of conducting a symphony orchestra and (if needed) could actually perform an autopsy, based on his decades-long studies for his role on NCIS.
Peter McCallum continued, “After returning from the hospital to their apartment, I asked my mother if she was OK before she went to sleep. Her answer was simply, ‘Yes. But I do wish we had had a chance to grow old together.’ She is 79, and dad just turned 90. The honesty in that emotion shows how vibrant their beautiful relationship and daily lives were, and that somehow, even at 90, Daddy never grew old.“
NCIS executive producers Steven D. Binder and David North said, “For over twenty years, David McCallum endeared himself to audiences around the world playing the wise, quirky, and sometimes enigmatic, Dr. Donald “Ducky” Mallard. But as much as his fans may have loved him, those who worked side by side with David loved him that much more. He was a scholar and a gentleman, always gracious, a consummate professional, and never one to pass up a joke. From day one, it was an honor to work with him and he never let us down. He was, quite simply, a legend. He was also family and will be deeply missed.“
David McCallum was the longest-serving main cast member on NCIS, and executive producer Charles Floyd Johnson even recently said that there was talk of him returning for “four or five episodes” of the upcoming season.
Next to Ducky, McCallum’s most memorable role was that of Ilya Kuryakin on The Man from U.N.C.L.E. The character was originally never intended to be anything more than a minor one, but his popularity quickly blew up, and the producers bumped him up to co-lead alongside Robert Vaughn. The actor appeared in movies such as A Night to Remember, The Great Escape, Mosquito Squadron, Night of the Lepus, and more, as well as TV shows like Night Gallery, The Six Million Dollar Man, The Invisible Man, Murder She Wrote, seaQuest DSV, Babylon 5, Law & Order, The Outer Limits, Sex and the City, and more.
Our thoughts go out to David McCallum’s family, friends, and many fans. You will be greatly missed.