He was in more than 450 episodes of ‘NCIS’: Fan favorite David McCallum, aka ‘Ducky,’ is dead

David McCallum is dead. The Scottish actor, whom ‘NCIS’ fans have loved for the past two decades as forensic pathologist Dr. Donald “Ducky” Mallard, who he came to know and love, died yesterday, Monday (September 25, 2023) in New York City.

McCallum’s son Peter confirmed the news in the form of a public statement in which he reflected not only on the intra-family ties between his father and his children and grandchildren, but especially on the passion with which his father pursued acting. “He was fascinated by science and culture and converted this passion into knowledge. He was able to conduct a symphony orchestra or (if necessary) perform a real autopsy based on his decades of research for his role in “NCIS.”

From “Solo for UNCLE” to “NCIS”: that was David McCallum

The Scot could look back on a career spanning seven decades as an actor, having first appeared in front of the camera for a series in 1953, before his first feature film, ‘I’ll Met By Moonlight’, followed in 1957. His big breakthrough in Hollywood would come a few years later:

After appearing alongside Steve McQueen, Richard Attenborough and Charles Bronson in John Sturges’ classic “Breaking Chains” in 1963, he also conquered television screens shortly afterwards with “Solo for ONCEL”. In the original “Codename UNCLE,” inspired by the adventures of cult agent James Bond, he appeared in more than 100 episodes as Illya Kuryakin, who acts alongside Napoleon Solo (Robert Vaughn) on behalf of the United Network Command for Law Enforcement. Good entry.

Later he appeared in front of the camera for numerous other TV productions, for example as the eponymous scientist in ‘The Invisible Man’ and made guest appearances in cult formats such as ‘The A-Team’, ‘Murder is their Hobby’, ‘Alfred Hitchcock Shows” , “Seaquest,” “Babylon 5” and “Sex And The City.” Over time, he also became a sought-after voice actor, appearing in several DC animated films as Alfred Pennyworth (“Batman: Gotham Knight”), Zeus (“Wonder Woman”) or Merlin (“Batman: The Brave & The Bold”) “) is heard, most people will probably forever associate him with the role he played the longest:

David McCallum was part of the regular cast of the popular investigative series from the first episode of “Navy CIS”, which is still incredibly successful today and has already reached 20 seasons – with season 21 already confirmed. In 457 episodes, McCallum stars as forensic pathologist Dr. It features Donald Mallard (or better known as ‘Ducky’), who, together with Abby Sciuto, played by Pauley Perrette, always plays a major role in catching the wanted criminals.

Great sympathy from his companions

‘Two And A Half Men’ star Jon Cryer, among others, honored McCallum on X (formerly Twitter). As a fan, it is “devastating” to hear that the actor is no longer with us. But it’s even worse for someone who was “lucky enough to work with him.”

“NCIS” lead actor Mark Harmon also said: “David has lived a wonderful, full and long life. “I was impressed when I first met him and we were all honored to work with him,” said Harmon .

And McCallum’s former ‘Navy CIS’ colleague Michael Weatherly, who was part of the long-running series from 2003 to 2016, also raised a glass to the Scots on social media:

“For David McCallum, every moment counted, in life and on set,” the actor writes. “Let’s raise our glasses and celebrate a funny, wonderful and authentic man,” he continues, emphasizing the major role McCallum played in his life. Because he only has three signatures in total – from Bond actor Sean Connery, jazz legend Tony Bennett and… “Ducky”.