British actor David McCallum, who played forensic pathologist “Ducky” on “NCIS” for 20 seasons, has died at the age of 90, several American media outlets reported on Monday.
The man who first became known to the general public in the 1960s through the role of the charming Illya Kouriakine in the series “Very Special Agents” died on Monday in a New York hospital surrounded by his family, broadcaster CBS said .
“He was the kindest, coolest, most patient and loving father,” his son Peter said, according to the station.
“He was fascinated by science and culture and turned those passions into knowledge,” he added, adding that his father would even have been able to perform an autopsy “based on his decades of research for his role on NCIS.”
As 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 the following year, when he was chosen to play the enigmatic Soviet secret agent Illya Kouriakin in Very Special Agents, his career really took off.
With his luscious blonde hair and turtlenecks, David McCallum represented a certain icon of charm.
The Very Special Agents series only lasted four years, but his character followed him throughout his life.
“It’s been more than 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 with the United States Naval Criminal Investigation Service, NCIS, in the series of the same name. The film is a real hit and is watched by millions of viewers in the United States and around the world and continues to air on American television for 20 seasons.
Wearing his signature bow tie, he appeared in all but one episode of the first 15 seasons, before appearing more sporadically beginning in season 16.