British actor David McCallumwho played the coroner Ducky in the criminology series “NCIS” for 20 seasons, has died at the age of 90, according to information from several American media.
McCallum, also remembered for breaking more than one heart in the cult series of the 1960s “The CIPOL agent“, died surrounded by his family in a New York hospital, according to CBS.
“He was the kindest, coolest, most patient, loving father,” his son Peter told the television station. “He was a true Renaissance man: he was fascinated by science and culture, and he turned those passions into knowledge,” he added. “For example, he was capable of conducting a symphony orchestra and (if necessary) could perform an autopsy, based on his decades-long studies for his role in ‘NCIS.'”
After training at the prestigious Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, LondonMcCallum appeared in the epic 1963 war film “The Great Escape,” with such luminaries as Steve McQueen, James Garner, Charles Bronson and Donald Pleasence.
But it was his role the following year as the enigmatic Russian spy Illya Kuryakin in “The UNCOL Agent”, alongside Robert Vaughn in the role of Napoleon Solo, which consolidated his fame.