David McCallum became a star by playing Soviet agent Illya Kuryakin in the 1960s spy drama The Man from U.N.C.L.E.
More recently, the Scottish-born actor was known for his long-running role as a medical examiner on hit TV show NCIS.
Sadly, McCallum passed away on September 25, 2023.
“David was a gifted actor and author, and beloved by many around the world,” the NCIS tribute said.
“He led an incredible life, and his legacy will forever live on through his family and the countless hours on film and television that will never go away.”
His family also payed tribute to the late actor.
“He was the kindest, coolest, most patient and loving father. He always put family before self. He looked forward to any chance to connect with his grandchildren, and had a unique bond with each of them,” his son, Peter McCallum, shared in a statement on behalf of the family. “He and his youngest grandson, Whit, 9, could often be found in the corner of a room at family parties having deep philosophical conversations.
“He was a true renaissance man—he was fascinated by science and culture and would turn those passions into knowledge,” the statement continued. “For example, he was capable of conducting a symphony orchestra and (if needed) could actually perform an autopsy, based on his decades-long studies for his role on NCIS.
“After returning from the hospital to their apartment, I asked my mother if she was OK before she went to sleep. Her answer was simply, ‘Yes. But I do wish we had had a chance to grow old together.’ She is 79, and dad just turned 90. The honesty in that emotion shows how vibrant their beautiful relationship and daily lives were and that somehow, even at 90, Daddy never grew old.”
With his parents being professional musicians, his dad, David Sr., worked as an orchestral violinist for the London Philharmonic Orchestra, his mother, Dorothy, as a cellist, everyone assumed McCallum would choose the same career path. Well, it’s not that he didn’t, because besides being a famous name in the film industry, he’s also a musician who released four albums with Capitol Records during the mid 60’s.
Speaking of his love for music, McCallum once said, “I always knew that I could turn to music if I failed as an actor.”
Acting, however, became his passion the moment he stepped on stage for the first time.
“I played The Little Prince in Shakespeare’s King John, at one of those local things where people do skits and songs. Mine was the little prince having his eyes put out by this terrible man, and I acted it, evidently, very well, because I got a standing ovation. I wasn’t more than eight,” he recalled.
“And I said: ‘Hey, hey, hey, this is kinda cool!’ I don’t know if I consciously thought it, but I had found the place I wanted to be: on a stage, with the lights and make-up and the people. I’m exactly the same to this day; the feeling has never left.”
Initially, he attended the Royal Academy of Music in London, England, but left it for the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art.
One of the actors McCallum played alongside while on NCIS was Cote de Pablo.
Between 2005 and 2013, Cote de Pablo starred in 189 episodes of NCIS. She made short comebacks in both 2019 and 2020. However, she never returned as a constant cast member.
When she decided to leave the show towards the end of the 11th season, both her co-stars and her fans were surprised by her decision.
“It was not an easy decision, not one taken lightly,” she told Latina then. “I feel like I am leaving my family. What I want to say most of all is thank you to the fans and to the people who have been so supportive of me and of the show, who have made the show the great success that it is.”
When McCallum heard the news, he was left frustrated.
Speaking to Digital Spy, he explained that writers had to rewrite several episodes of the show and that he was angry.
“It was frustration and anger that someone should just walk out on us,” McCallum said.
“I just don’t understand how a leading lady in a show that’s worldwide, who ostensibly wants to have a career as an actress, suddenly walks away from such a gem and just vanishes a couple of days before we start production.
“This business is merciless so right away the whole team of writers gets in and rewrites the first five shows,” he added. “When it happened, you think, ‘This is a dangerous road to go down’ – but they pulled it off.”
It was back in 2016, that McCallum decided to speak of the possible reasons why Cote de Pablo left the show.
It was during an AMA (Ask Me Anything) thread on the popular social media platform Reddit that he was asked whether he was aware of why she left NCIS.
McCallum was quick to answer.
“At the time I was astonished when Cote left. But in retrospect, it seems that she was not up to handling the demands that the character put upon her,” he responded, as reported by Express.
He then added: “I still don’t understand her deeper motives.”
Weeks after McCallum spoke of Cote de Pablo, she spoke to Vanity Fair and shared her part of the story.
“Look, I love this character. I worked eight years crafting this character and loving her. And so when I felt or I perceived that the character was not being treated with the respect that she deserved, no money in the world [would make me stay],” she shared with the magazine.
“They were going to send her back to Israel and make her an unfortunate, miserable woman,” the actress continued. “I said, ‘What do I leave all the women that have watched and followed the show for so long?’ And I didn’t think it was fair. So I said, ‘Unless someone can really write something fantastic for her, I won’t go back.’”
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