David McCallum on ‘NCIS’: A Look Back at Ducky’s 5 Most Memorable Cases
When Mark Harmon first met David McCallum in 2003 while filming the backdoor pilot for NCIS (which aired on JAG), he gushed, “I can’t imagine I’m shaking the hand of Illya Kuryakin.” To which McCallum replied, “Good God, man, that was 40 years ago!” Such is the aura of a true TV legend, even one as charming and unassuming as McCallum, who died September 25, 2023 at a Manhattan hospital six days after turning 90.
Trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London, the Scottish-born son of a violinist for the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra first tasted international fame when cast as Kuryakin, the enigmatic Russian spy in NBC’s The Man From U.N.C.L.E. (1964–68), which earned him two Emmy nominations. As the taciturn Illya, who initially had just a few lines in the pilot, he broke out by cutting a dashing if elusive figure in his trademark black turtleneck, crowned with a blond Beatles moptop. Fans mobbed him wherever he appeared, with hundreds of teens at an Illinois airport waving placards reading “Flush THRUSH” (U.N.C.L.E.’s nemesis) and “All the Way With Illya K.”
(Credit: Everett Collection)
In 1965, McCallum confessed to TV Guide Magazine, “With my Calvinist background and my deep Presbyterian blood, with my stiff Scottish spine, to be told you’re suddenly a ‘sex symbol’ — it’s just disquieting.”
But what could be more satisfying than reaching an even wider audience in one’s seventies? That’s what happened when he assumed the more loquacious, instantly endearing role of medical examiner Donald “Ducky” Mallard in the global hit NCIS.
If Harmon’s commanding Leroy Jethro Gibbs was the team’s father figure, Ducky was the “wise uncle,” he mused on the occasion of the show’s 400th episode in 2020. When actor Adam Campbell, playing a young Ducky, asked McCallum for a word to describe the character, he replied, “Enthusiasm — about everything. He’s positive and likes to solve problems, which is why he’s a pathologist.” McCallum’s enthusiasm for playing Ducky led him to study pathology and observe autopsies, bringing authenticity to the set. “He’s the role model,” Harmon said of his costar in 2010. “No one prepares harder; no one spends more time on his character.”
His most constant scene partner, Brian Dietzen as protégé (now Chief Medical Examiner) Jimmy Palmer, remembered him as “a joy to work with.… Always had something new to add to the page, and ALWAYS had the ability to steal every scene he was in!”
Though his presence was reduced in recent seasons, with Ducky working part time as NCIS historian, McCallum remained a part of the NCIS family to the end, and he’ll be an essential part of its history forever.
Below, take a look back at some of McCallum’s most memorable cases as Ducky on NCIS, and let us know your favorites in the comments section.
This is an excerpt from TV Guide Magazine’s NCIS: Special Collector’s Edition issue. For more inside scoop on the long-running CBS franchise, pick up a copy of the issue available on newsstands and for order online at NCISMagazine.com.
"The Meat Puzzle" (Season 2, Episode 13)
It’s tough to narrow down the greatest Ducky episodes, but a no-brainer (or rather, a three-brainer) is this aptly—and horrifyingly—titled episode. Ducky was at his best as he assembled a massive jigsaw puzzle of human parts from three different bodies, and the mild-mannered doctor was pitted against his perfect foils: a failed ME and his truly freaky family of morticians. Evil medical science versus our heroic NCIS pathologist. Of course, it would be the good guys who prevailed when the team burst in to rescue a kidnapped Ducky, who quipped, “What kept you?” after he staunched his own bleeding. This terrifying thriller of a case had some levity too. We met Ducky’s 96-year-old mother Victoria (Nina Foch) and her precious corgis. She was a bit confused when she threatened to disembowel “gigolo” Tony with a knife.
"Broken Bird" (Season 6, Episode 13)
After Ducky was stabbed in the hand while investigating a sailor’s murder, a tragic moment from his past came to light. While working at a refugee camp in Afghanistan, he knew an interrogator nicknamed “Mr. Pain.” Mr. Pain tried to break Ducky’s spirit by repeatedly torturing captives, then making Ducky patch them up. To stop one man from suffering a slow, painful death, Ducky ended the prisoner’s life. “Broken Bird” gave us a rare moment of emotional vulnerability for Ducky, and the team got a look at a darker side to the usually jovial doctor.
"Recruited" (Season 8, Episode 12)
Meet Dr. Walter Magnus. Great name, even greater actor! Legendary comedian Bob Newhart appeared as Ducky’s mentor and predecessor, who stopped in for a surprise visit. But Newhart’s trademark stammering delivery wasn’t played for laughs. Rather, it highlighted the elder ME’s struggle with his fading memory, much to Ducky’s dismay. In 2011, Newhart talked to TV Guide Magazine about finding his character: “I said, ‘Let me fool with it.’ I was trying to walk a line between being funny and maintaining the integrity of the show.”
"The Tie That Binds" (Season 14, Episode 10)
We get two Duckys for the price of one in this episode. While performing an autopsy, present-day Ducky talked to his younger self (who’s impressed that he’s maintained his looks). Ducky recalled the time he found his mother hiding a naked con man in her closet! They were engaged, but he scared the man off at the time, and he’s worried he ruined his mother’s one chance at love. His younger self assured him he did the right thing, and Ducky learned that mom Victoria did in fact find love again.
"Everything Starts Somewhere" (Season 18, Episode 2)
NCIS marked its monumental 400th episode by revealing the first meeting between a young Donald Mallard (Adam Campbell, above) and an even younger Gibbs (Sean Harmon). In 1980, new-to-America Ducky was driving on the wrong side of the road when he caused another car to crash. Lucky for Gibbs, who had been abducted and locked in the trunk! In the present, Ducky and Gibbs worked a case that connected back to those early days, letting us see both where their relationship began and how far it’s come.
