(Los Angeles) British actor David McCallum, who played the role of medical examiner “Ducky” in NCIS for 20 seasons, has died at the age of 90, several American media reported on Monday.
The man who first became known to the general public in the 1960s by playing the charming Illya Kouriakine in the series The Man from U.N.C.L.E., died Monday surrounded by his family in a New York hospital, CBS reported. .
“He was the kindest, coolest, most patient and loving father,” his son Peter said, according to the outlet.
“He was fascinated by science and culture and turned those passions into knowledge,” he added, noting that his father would even have been able to perform an autopsy “based on his decades-long research for his role in NCIS”.
A student at the prestigious Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts in London, David McCallum made one of his first film appearances in 1963 in The Great Escape, notably alongside Steve McQueen.
But it was when he was chosen the following year to play the enigmatic Soviet secret agent Illya Kouriakine in The Man from U.N.C.L.E. that his career is experiencing real growth.
With lush blonde hair and turtlenecks, David McCallum represented a certain icon of charm.
The Man from U.N.C.L.E. only lasted four years, but his character followed him for life.
“It’s been over 30 years, but I can’t escape,” he told the New York Times in 1998.
From 2003, he began his role as Dr. Donald “Ducky” Mallard, a forensic pathologist for the United States Naval Criminal Investigation Service, NCIS, in the series of the same name. A real hit, it will be followed by millions of spectators in the United States and around the world, continuing through its 20 seasons to be broadcast on American television.
With his signature bow ties, he would appear in all but one episode of the first 15 seasons, before making more sporadic appearances starting in season 16.
