David McCallum, NCIS Star, Dead At 90

Born into a talented family on September 19, 1933, in Glasgow, Scotland, actor David McCallum’s father, David McCallum, Sr., was the leader of the London Philharmonic, and his mother was a cellist named Dorothy Dorman. McCallum joined “The Man From U.N.C.L.E.” in what was supposed to be a small part in 1964, but his good looks and Beatles-style hairdo made him a fan favorite among teenage girls. McCallum played Illya Kuryakin, a Russian sidekick to Robert Vaughn’s super agent, Napoleon Solo. The two battled bad guys for the United Network Command for Law and Enforcement agency for four years until 1968, as well as in the film, “The Spy in the Green Hat,” released in 1967. 

In 1983, the agents were called out of retirement one last time for the TV movie, “The Return of the Man from U.N.C.L.E.: The Fifteen Years Later Affair.” Over the years, McCallum appeared in multiple movies and TV shows including “The Great Escape,” “The A-Team,” and even one soap opera appearance, playing Maurice Vermeil in a 1983 episode of “As the World Turns.” In 2003, he took on the “NCIS” role of “Ducky,” quickly becoming a fan favorite as the nerdy pathologist. There was nothing the accomplished star couldn’t do, as he released an album called “Music: A Bit More of Me,” in 1968 and wrote a book, “Once a Crooked Man,” in 2016. McCallum will be sorely missed by friends, family, and fans.