David McCallum, who died on September 25 at the age of 90, is best remembered to TV viewers for his role as Dr. Donald “Ducky” Mallard on the long-running CBS procedural NCIS. He also starred in the spy series The Man from U.N.C.L.E. as Illya Kuryakin. In the early 1980s, he did a turn on As the World Turns as villain Maurice Vermeil.
David McCallum: Oakdale Story
In 1983, McCallum appeared as Maurice Vermeil, a villain who drew Steve (Frank Runyeon) and Craig (Scott Bryce) into his web of deceit. The actor said he wanted to do a daytime serial to challenge himself on the rigors of a soap opera shooting schedule. Bryce recalls McCallum as being a very giving actor.
“I had the distinct pleasure to work with David on a location shoot on a cruise ship to Bermuda,” Bryce shared on Facebook. “Late one night, David had a phone call scene with my character [Craig]. My dialog on the phone was to be read by a script supervisor. But even though it was crazy late, I was on- board, so I showed up at the cabin they were in and gave him my lines from off-camera. He really was impressed by that, it seems. A week later, back in the studio in [New York City], it was time to shoot my end of the conversation with his character. Who walked in the door, without pay, to give me his lines? David. Amazing. He was a class act and a class actor. Prayers up for him and his family.”
A “Ducky” Co-Star
Actors from the world of daytime who worked with McCallum on NCIS took to social media to share their memories of the performer. “RIP David McCallum,” posted Lauren Holly (ex-Julie, All My Children), who acted opposite McCallum as Jenny Shepard, the director of NCIS and his boss. “You were the kindest man. Thank you for being you. 🙏🏻💔 NCIS #JennyandDucky.”
“RIP David McCallum – wonderful actor and an absolute gent,” posted Paul Telfer (Xander, Days of our Lives), who appeared in Seasons 5 and 7 of NCIS. The DAYS fan favorite played Damon Werth, a former U.S. Marine Corps Corporal, who later became a mercenary with First Defense Inc., a private security firm.
Michael Weatherly (ex-Cooper, Loving) worked for 13 seasons with McCallum on NCIS, where he played very special agent Tony DiNozzo. The actor shared a clip of his former co-worker’s acting in both of his iconic roles on X but also wrote, “In lieu of flowers, McCallum’s family asks that donations be made to the Marine Corps Scholarship Foundation at http://mcsf.org.”
David McCallum: Good Company
McCallum was born in Glasgow, Scotland, UK, on September 19, 1933; he died from natural causes less than a week after his 90th birthday. McCallum is survived by wife Katherine Carpenter, to whom he’d been married for 56 years, sons Paul McCallum, Valentine McCallum, and Peter McCallum, his daughter Sophie McCallum, and eight grandchildren. Prior to his marriage to Carpenter, McCallum had been wed to actress Jill Ireland (Death Wish II).
In 1965, the actor was nominated for a Primetime Emmy in the category of Outstanding Individual Achievements in Entertainment — Actors and Performers for his role on The Man from U.N.C.L.E. He was in prestigious company as other nominees included Johnny Carson (The Tonight Show), Bob Hope (Bob Hope Presents the Chrysler Theatre), Dick Van Dyke (Timothy, DAYS; The Dick Van Dyke Show), Julie Andrews (The Andy Williams Show), Julie Harris (Lilimae, Knots Landing; The Holy Terror), and Barbra Streisand (My Name Is Barbra). Soap Hub sends sincere condolences to McCallum’s family.
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