David McCallum, a veteran NCIS actor who began his career in the 1950s, has d1ed.
David McCallum, the star of NCIS, d1ed at the age of 90 after a long and rich career.
After briefly studying at the Royal Academy of Music, the actor resorted to acting after growing up in a musical family.
He went on to train at the famed Royal Academy of Dramatic Art and began his career on BBC Radio before transitioning to the screen.
McCallum is most recognized for his portrayal as agent Illya Kuryakin in The Man from U.N.C.L.E.
However, he became best known to a new generation of fans in the last two decades as Dr. Donald ‘Ducky’ Mallard on the hit CBS series NCIS.
Other notable films in which he has appeared include The Great Escape, Sapphire & Steel, The Invisible Man, Kidnapped, and Colditz.
McCallum has recently stepped away from NCIS to lend his voice to roles in children’s television shows such as Batman vs. Robin and Ben 10.
Among his credits was a brief appearance in the 1970s TV series Marcus Welby M.D., in an episode titled Just a Little Courage.
The actor was unrecognizable as college lecturer Brian Kenny, who gave up a bright writing career to care for his brother.
Along with Robert Young, who played Dr. Marcus Welby in the TV series, James Brolin, Elena Verdugo, and Barry Higgins also starred.
McCallum wore his hair longer and acquired a moustache to give him an intellectual air for the role of professor.
The celebrity appeared young in images and would have been in his late 30s when he made the show.
Since the announcement of McCallum’s passing from natural causes, there has been an outpouring of mourning from the star’s NCIS family and other former co-stars.
The actor was remembered on the official NCIS Instagram page, which wrote: “We are extremely saddened by the passing of David McCallum and grateful that CBS was his home for so many years.
“David was a talented playwright and performer who was adored by people all around the world.
He lived an extraordinary life, and his family and the innumerable hours of cinema and television that he starred in will ensure that his legacy endures forever.
We shall miss his warmth and delightful sense of humor, which brightened any space or setting he entered, as well as the fantastic tales he frequently told from a life well lived.
Our thoughts are with his wife Katherine, his family as a whole, and everyone who knew and loved David.
Sean Murray, Brian Dietzen, LL Cool J, Emily Wickersham, and Michael Weatherly from NCIS also paid respect to the great.
When the next season airs after the SAG-AFTRA strikes are resolved, the show will most likely put together an homage to McCallum.