Actor David McCallum, Obituary News; Actor David McCallum, Death – Cause of Death

Actor David McCallum, known for his role on the long-running CBS procedural “NCIS,” has died, the network said in a statement. He was 90.

“He was the kindest, coolest, most patient and loving father,” his son Peter McCallum wrote in a statement from the family, provided by CBS. “He always put family before self.”

McCallum died of natural causes surrounded by his family at New York Presbyterian Hospital, CBS said.

David was a talented performer and author who was well-liked by many people all around the world, according to the network’s statement. 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 friendliness and delightful sense of humor, which brightened whatever space or setting he entered, as well as the amazing tales from a life well lived that he frequently shared.

In the 1960s spy series “The Man From U.N.C.L.E.,” McCallum, a Scotsman, co-starred as agent Illya Kuryakin against Robert Vaughn’s dapper spy Napoleon Solo. This was McCallum’s big break in the US (after a number of parts in British television).

McCallum earned a pair of Emmy nominations for the show, and working steadily thereafter, including roles in the films “The Great Escape” and “A Night to Remember.” He also starred in a memorable episode of the eerie sci-fi anthology series “The Outer Limits,” “The Sixth Finger,” playing an ordinary man who volunteers to undergo evolutionary advancement at accelerated speed.

In 1975, McCallum made his comeback to television in the NBC series “The Invisible Man,” which he starred in. Despite its ground-breaking visual effects at the time, the show only ran for one season. His implausible final TV appearance was on the CBS crime drama “NCIS.” The patriarch of the show’s investigators and eccentric chief medical examiner Donald “Ducky” Mallard was played by McCallum.

McCallum is survived by his wife of 56 years Katherine McCallum, three sons (Paul McCallum, Valentine McCallum and Peter McCallum), his daughter Sophie McCallum and eight grandchildren.

Feel free to drop condolences messages and prayers for the family and friends of the deceased as it will go a very long way at this difficult time of theirs.