David McCallum (1933-2023)

 For fans of 60's television, this hurts.

David McCallum, who rose to fame as Ilya Kuryakin in The Man From UNCLE (1964-8), and saw a career revival with NCIS over the last 20 years, passed away earlier today from natural causes at 90, one week after his milestone birthday.

Like a number of his contemporaries in the 60's, such as Star Trek's William Shatner & Leonard Nimoy and Batman star Adam West, McCallum dabbled in music during his stint on UNCLE. He not only sang, but played a number of instruments, including the guitar and oboe. 

Originally from Scotland, McCallum split time between England and Scotland during his formative years, and began his career as a voice actor on radio for the BBC in the late 40's. After UNCLE ended, McCallum spent two seasons starring in a BBC-Universal co-production, Colditz, which, if I recall correctly, was imported to the US. Back in the States, he top-lined a short-lived adaptation of HG Wells' The Invisible Man for NBC & Universal, playing a secret agent rendered invisible by an experiment gone awry. It lasted half a season.

Four years later, McCallum was back in England, paired with Joanna Lumley (ex-The New Avengers) in Sapphire & Steel, which ran for six seasons, or, as they are called in the UK, series. He also appeared in a number of movies, including "The Great Escape".

McCallum did his due diligence in preparing for his role as forensic scientist Donald "Ducky" Mallard on NCIS, to the point where producer Don Belisario cracked that he had considered making the veteran actor a technical advisor.

From The Man From UNCLE is a scene with David and special guest star Nancy Sinatra, including a duet, "Trouble", composed by McCallum.

Rest in peace.