‘The Man From U.N.C.L.E.’ & ‘NCIS’ star David McCallum dead at 90

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NCIS veteran David McCallum, also known for his Emmy-nominated role in The Man From U.N.C.L.E., died peacefully this morning of natural causes at New York Presbyterian Hospital, surrounded by family. He was 90, having celebrated his birthday less than a week ago.

A fan favorite, McCallum was the last remaining original cast member on CBS’ NCIS, in which he played Chief Medical Examiner Donald “Ducky” Mallard, an eccentric but highly efficient investigator with a knack for psychological profiling, for two decades.

“For over 20 years, David McCallum endeared himself to audiences around the world playing the wise, quirky, and sometimes enigmatic, Dr. Donald ‘Ducky’ Mallard,” said NCIS executive producers Steven D. Binder and David North. “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 1, 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.”

“We are deeply saddened by the passing of David McCallum and privileged that CBS was his home for so many years,” the network and NCIS studio CBS Studios said in a joint statement. “David was a gifted actor and author, and beloved by many around the world. 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.”

Born in Glasgow, Scotland on Sept. 19, 1933 in a prominent musical family, McCallum studied at the Royal Academy of Music. Following a well received performance from Shakespeare’s King John at a local theater group, he switched his focus to acting while keeping music as a secondary interest. After studying at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts, he joined Actors’ Equity in 1946 where he began working on BBC Radio and made his debut in a 1946 production of Whom the Gods Love, Die Young. That was followed by several years in repertory theater. His many theater productions include Amadeus, Communicating Doors, The Hunting of the Snark, Comedians, The Lion in Winter and Julius Caesar.

After moving to America in 1961, McCallum was cast in the role of Illya Kuryakin in the TV series The Man from U.N.C.L.E., Initially a minor character with two lines. But that was enough for producers to see that McCallum and star Robert Vaughn had considerable chemistry together, and McCallum was boosted to co-star status, with the role earning him two Emmy Award nominations and a Golden Globe nod. He went on to appear in the movies The Greatest Story Ever Told, The Great Escape, Mosquito Squadron, Billy Budd, Freud and A Night to Remember and in several TV movies, including the 1969 Teacher, Teacher, which landed him his third Emmy nomination.

McCallum found his next hit with NCIS. A close confidante to Mark Harmon’s Jethro Gibbs, his “Ducky” Mallard served as father confessor and paternal figure for the show’s offbeat cast of characters. McCallum remained on the show til the end, working a lighter schedule over the last several years.

McCallum’s extensive TV series credits also include The Invisible Man, The Education of Max Bickford, Sapphire and Steel, Colditz, Motherlove, Kidnapped, and episodes of The Outer Limits, Law & Order and Sex and the City. He also voiced characters in the animated series The Replacements and Ben 10 and narrated more than 30 books on tape and CD.

In addition to acting, McCallum also orchestrated and conducted a trio of records that put unique spins on some of the period’s more popular songs. In 2016 McCallum published his first novel, Once a Crooked Man.

Callum is survived by his wife of 56 years, Katherine McCallum, his sons Paul McCallum, Valentine McCallum and Peter McCallum, his daughter Sophie McCallum and his eight grandchildren: Julia McCallum, Luca de Sanctis, Iain de Sanctis, Stella McCallum, Gavin McCallum, George McCallum, Alessandro de Sanctis and Whit McCallum.

“He was the kindest, coolest, most patient and loving father,” Peter McCallum said in a statement on behalf of the family. “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."

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After reading some about him I feel like all the articles are really underselling the music he made. Damn near everyone here who was young in the late 90s heard part of his song The Edge when Dr Dre sampled it for The Next Episode. LINK

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In the 1960s, McCallum recorded four albums for Capitol Records with music producer David Axelrod: Music...A Part of Me (Capitol ST 2432, 1966), Music...A Bit More of Me (Capitol ST 2498, 1966), Music...It's Happening Now! (Capitol ST 2651, 1967), and McCallum (Capitol ST 2748, 1968). The best known of his pieces today is "The Edge", which was sampled by Dr. Dre as the intro and riff to the track "The Next Episode", "M.I.A." by Missin' Linx, "No Regrets" by Masta Ace, "Actions" by John Legend, and "Murderer (Live acoustic video)" by Ren. McCallum's version of "The Edge" appears on the soundtracks to the 2008 video game Grand Theft Auto IV and the 2017 film Baby Driver.

McCallum did not sing on these records, as many television stars of the 1960s did when offered recording contracts. As a classically trained musician, he conceived a blend of oboe, cor anglais and strings with guitar and drums, and presented instrumental interpretations of hits of the day. The official arranger on the albums was H.B. Barnum. However, McCallum conducted, and contributed several original compositions of his own, over the course of four LPs. The first two, Music...A Part of Me and Music...A Bit More of Me, have been issued together on CD on the Zonophone label. On Open Channel D, McCallum did sing on the first four tracks, "Communication", "House on Breckenridge Lane", "In the Garden, Under the Tree" (the theme song from the film Three Bites of the Apple) and "My Carousel". The music tracks are the same as the Zonophone CD. This CD was released on the Rev-Ola label. The single release of "Communication" reached No. 32 in the UK Singles Chart in April 1966.

In The Man from U.N.C.L.E. episode "The Discotheque Affair", McCallum plays the double bass as part of a band in a night club. He also played guitar and sang his own composition, "Trouble", with Nancy Sinatra on "The Take Me to Your Leader Affair", and played several instruments in "The Off-Broadway Affair".

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