Veteran Scottish actor David McCallum, who played Dr. "Ducky" Mallard in 20 seasons of the television series "NCIS," died Monday at the age of 90.
According to US media reports, McCallum died of natural causes in a New York hospital, surrounded by his family. McCallum was actually the only actor to have appeared in all seasons of "NCIS" to date: between seasons 1 and 15 he appeared in a leading role as the senior medical researcher, while for the past five seasons he has settled for guest roles due to his advanced age.
The final episode was the fourth of the show's 20th season, airing in October 2022 ("NCIS" was renewed earlier this year for season 21, but production has been delayed due to strikes paralyzing Hollywood).
David McCallum, Photo: YouTube
In addition to his iconic role in the hit military-police drama, McCallum starred as Russian secret agent Ilya Kuryakin in the classic spy series "The Man from U.N.C.L.E.", which aired for four seasons in the 1979s — and received two Emmy Award nominations for his role. He also played a leading role in the British science fiction series Sapphire & Steel, which aired from 1982 to 5, and made numerous guest appearances on other well-known series including Sex and the City, Law & Order, Babylon <>, Murder by Pulp, Crew to the Point, Matlock and many more.
David McCallum, Photo: YouTube
During his long and extensive career, McCallum has also composed several pieces of classical music, narrated dozens of recorded books, and contributed his voice to animated productions (including Ben 10) and video games.
McCallum is survived by his wife Katherine, to whom he was married for 56 years (his first wife was actress Jill Ireland), and is survived by four children.
Wrong? We'll fix it! If you find a mistake in the article, please share with us
