Actor David McCallum, who portrayed Dr. Donald “Ducky” Mallard on the hit CBS procedural NCIS, was in the acting game for quite a long time. The British actor and musician began appearing in movies in 1957, but his breakout lead role came in the mid-1960s as secret agent Illya Kuryakin in the television series The Man from U.N.C.L.E.
Back then, McCallum was something of a sex symbol, and his enigmatic performance had viewers all over the world leaning in to guess the character’s real intentions.
How old was David McCallum when he passed?
McCallum was born in September 1933, and he passed away on September 25, 2023, at 90 years old. His legacy is vast, as he had a long and amazing career, even beyond TV and film.
In the 1960s, McCallum recorded four albums for Capitol Records, one of which included his best-known piece, entitled “The Edge.” The song was later sampled by Dr. Dre as the intro and riff for “The Next Episode” and likewise used by John Legend for “Actions.”
McCallum’s cut of “The Edge” appeared in 2008’s Grand Theft Auto IV video game, as well as in Edgar Wright’s jukebox crime dramedy Baby Driver.
If that weren’t enough, McCallum published a crime novel in 2016 called Once a Crooked Man. He was said to be working on another novel before his death.
Needless to say, we now feel extremely lazy comparing ourselves with the Man from U.N.C.L.E., Ducky, author, and recording artist extraordinaire. May everyone be blessed with such a work ethic when they’re octogenarians, and may David McCallum rest in peace.