MUMBAI: David McCallum, an actor who rose to fame as a teen heartthrob in the 1960s television classic The Man From U.N.C.L.E. and played the eccentric medical examiner in the hugely successful NCIS series 40 years later, has passed away. He was 90.

According to a statement released by CBS, McCallum passed away naturally on Monday at New York Presbyterian Hospital while accompanied by relatives. A statement from CBS reads, “David was a gifted actor and author, and beloved by many around the world. 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.”

Also read: 'Man from UNCLE' actor Robert Vaughn dies aged 83

Scottish-born McCallum has been having success with roles in movies like The Great Escape, The Greatest Story Ever Told, and A Night to Remember (about the Titanic). However, The Man From U.N.C.L.E. is credited with popularizing the blonde actor with the Beatles-inspired hairstyle in the middle of the 1960s.

Secret agents were increasingly prevalent on both big and small screens as a result of the James Bond books and movies' success. According to Jon Heitland's The Man From U.N.C.L.E. Book, Ian Fleming, who created the Bond franchise, made ideas and contributions to The Man From U.N.C.L.E.

Robert Vaughn played Napoleon Solo in the show, which made its premiere in 1964. Napoleon Solo was a member of a covert, cutting-edge team of law enforcement officers whose initials stood for United Network Command for Law and Enforcement. Despite the Cold War, the CIA employed people from all over the world, including McCallum, who played Illya Kuryakin, Solo's Russian sidekick.

According to McCallum, the role started out being relatively tiny. He added in a 1998 interview, “I’d never heard of the word ‘sidekick’ before.”

The program received mixed reviews but soon gained popularity, especially with teenage girls drawn to McCallum's attractiveness and mysterious, intellectual persona. By 1965, Illya had taken on a more significant role in Vaughn's identity, and the two actors frequently saw fans swarming them in public.

The show ran until 1968. In the 1983 TV movie, The Return of the Man From U.N.C.L.E., Vaughn and McCallum reunited to save the world once more after being tempted out of retirement.

In 2003, McCallum made a comeback on television in a different series for a CBS organization known only by its initials: NCIS. In his role, he took on the persona of Dr. Donald "Ducky" Mallard, a pathologist who worked for the Naval Criminal Investigation Service, a team that investigated crimes involving the Navy or the Marines. The NCIS manager was played by Mark Harmon.

According to McCallum, Ducky, who wore spectacles, a bow tie, and had a thing for attractive women, “looked a little silly, but it was great fun to do.” He also took the job seriously, spending time learning about how autopsies are performed at the Los Angeles coroner's office.

Lauren Holly, a co-star, expressed her sorrow on X, formerly Twitter, “You were the kindest man. Thank you for being you.” "In memoriam" card honouring McCallum will now be included in the previously mentioned Monday night NCIS marathon.

The show rapidly grew in popularity and eventually made into the list of the top 10 shows. When "NCIS" was being made, McCallum, who resided in New York, stayed in a one-bedroom apartment in Santa Monica.

“He was a scholar and a gentleman, always gracious, a consummate professional, and never one to pass up a joke. From day one, it was an honor to work with him and he never let us down. He was, quite simply, a legend," in a statement, Steven D. Binder and David North, executive producers of NCIS, remarked.

Two Emmy nominations came from McCallum's work on U.N.C.L.E., and he received a third for his performance as an instructor battling alcoholism in the 1969 drama Teacher, Teacher for the Hallmark Hall of Fame.

He played the titular character in the brief science fiction series The Invisible Man in 1975, and he played Steel in the British science fiction series Sapphire and Steel from 1979 to 1982. He also had numerous cameo appearances over the years in TV shows including Sex and the City and Murder, She Wrote.

He made his Broadway debut in The Flip Side in 1968 and in the Michael Sheen and David Suchet-starring production of Amadeus in 1999. A number of off-Broadway productions featured him as well.

McCallum, a lifelong American citizen who spent most of his time in the country starting in the 1960s, said to The Associated Press in 2003, “I have always loved the freedom of this country and everything it stands for. And I live here, and I like to vote here.”

1933 saw the birth of David Keith McCallum in Glasgow. His mother and father, both played the cello and violin, respectively. His father was also named David. David Sr. played with the London Philharmonic and Royal Philharmonic when David was 3 years old, therefore the family relocated to London.

The Royal Academy of Music is where young David studied the oboe. He turned to theater after deciding he wasn't skilled enough and temporarily attending the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art. “I was a small, emaciated blond with a caved chest, so there weren’t an awful lot of parts for me,” he stated in a 2009 interview with the Los Angeles Times.

After taking a break for military service, he returned to London and started working on live television and motion pictures. In 1957, he starred alongside emerging actress Jill Ireland in the adventure film Robbery Under Arms, which was set in early Australia. That year, the couple also got hitched.

McCallum was a member of The Great Escape's big cast in 1963, and he and his wife were close to Charles Bronson, who was also in the movie. Ireland and McCallum eventually got divorced in 1967 after Ireland fell in love with Bronson. 1968 saw her union with Bronson.

Paul, Jason, and Valentine were the three sons McCallum had from his first marriage. Peter and Sophie were the children of his second marriage. Jason passed away due to an overdose.

Also read: EXCLUSIVE! Amar Upadhyay sheds light on his upcoming show Dori, says, ''No one has ever seen me playing such a role before''

Stay tuned to TellyChakkar for all the latest updates.

Credit- Hindustan Times