David McCallum

Acting

David McCallum

Born 1933-09-19 · Glasgow, Scotland, UK

David McCallum (September 19, 1933 - September 25, 2023) was a Scottish actor and musician. He gained wide recognition in the 1960s for playing secret agent Illya Kuryakin in the television series The Man from U.N.C.L.E. His other notable television roles include Carter in Colditz (1972–1974) and Steel in Sapphire & Steel (1979–1982). Beginning in 2003, McCallum gained renewed international popularity for his role as NCIS medical examiner Dr. Donald "Ducky" Mallard in the American television series NCIS. On film, McCallum notably appeared in The Great Escape (1963). He was born in Glasgow, Scotland, to David McCallum Sr., an orchestral violinist, and Dorothy (née Dorman), a cellist. He began his acting career in the early 1950s, appearing in British television shows and films. In 1957, he moved to Hollywood to pursue a career in American cinema. His breakthrough role came in 1964 when he was cast as Illya Kuryakin in The Man from U.N.C.L.E. The show was a huge success, and he became an international star. After the show ended in 1968, he continued to act in films and television shows, but he never achieved the same level of success. In 2003, he was cast as Dr. Donald "Ducky" Mallard in NCIS. The show was a critical and commercial success, and McCallum became one of the most popular members of the cast. He remained with the show for a 20-year run, and became the longest-serving cast member. In addition to his acting career, he was also a musician. He has released several albums of folk and pop music, and he also toured extensively.

Acting credits

The Great Escape poster
7.9

The Nazis, exasperated at the number of escapes from their prison camps by a relatively small number of Allied prisoners, relocate them to a high-security 'escape-proof' camp to sit out the remainder of the war. Undaunted, the prisoners plan one of the most ambitious escape attempts of World War II. Based on a true story.

The Great Escape

1963

The Greatest Story Ever Told poster
6.4

From his birth in Bethlehem to his death and eventual resurrection, the life of Jesus Christ is given the all-star treatment in this epic retelling. Major aspects of Christ's life are touched upon, including the execution of all the newborn males in Egypt by King Herod; Christ's baptism by John the Baptist; and the betrayal by Judas after the Last Supper that eventually leads to Christ's crucifixion and miraculous return.

The Greatest Story Ever Told

1965

Batman: Gotham Knight poster
6.7

Six interlocking stories reveal Bruce Wayne's earliest adventures as Batman and the steps he took to become the grim avenger of Gotham City.

Batman: Gotham Knight

2008

Son of Batman poster
7.1

Batman learns he has a violent, unruly pre-teen son, secretly raised by the terrorist group known as The League of Assassins.

Son of Batman

2014

Batman vs. Robin poster
7.2

Damian Wayne is having a hard time coping with his father's "no killing" rule. Meanwhile, Gotham is going through hell with threats such as the insane Dollmaker, and the secretive Court of Owls.

Batman vs. Robin

2015

Wonder Woman poster
7.2

On the mystical island of Themyscira, a proud and fierce warrior race of Amazons have raised a daughter of untold beauty, grace and strength: Princess Diana. When an Army fighter pilot, Steve Trevor, crash-lands on the island, the rebellious and headstrong Diana defies Amazonian law by accompanying Trevor back to civilization.

Wonder Woman

2009

Return to 'The Great Escape' poster
8.5

A documentary about the making of the 1963 film THE GREAT ESCAPE, as well as some of the historical details on which it was based.

Return to 'The Great Escape'

1993

Mosquito Squadron poster
5.6

England, World War II. Quint Munroe, RAF officer and new leader of a Mosquito squadron, is tasked with destroying a secret Nazi base in France while trying to overcome the disappearance of a brother-in-arms.

Mosquito Squadron

1969

A Night to Remember poster
7.6

The sinking of the Titanic is presented in a highly realistic fashion in this tense British drama. The disaster is portrayed largely from the perspective of the ocean liner's second officer, Charles Lightoller. Despite numerous warnings about ice, the ship sails on, with Capt. Edward John Smith keeping it going at a steady clip. When the doomed vessel finally hits an iceberg, the crew and passengers discover that they lack enough lifeboats, and tragedy follows.

A Night to Remember

1958

The Watcher in the Woods poster
5.9

After an American family moves to an old country manor in rural England, one of the daughters is tormented by the spirit of the owner's long lost daughter, who mysteriously disappeared 30 years ago during a solar eclipse.

The Watcher in the Woods

1980

Coming Home poster
5.4

Drama about the Dunar and Carey-Lewis families, before during and after WW2.

Coming Home

1998

Hell Drivers poster
6.7

An ex-con trying to go clean ends up working for a crooked trucking company swindling money.

Hell Drivers

1957

Cherry poster
5.5

At age 19, a young woman is jilted at the altar. This leads to a declaration that she will swear off men forever. Now 10 years later, she suddenly decides she would like to have a child. She advertises in the newspaper for potential mates, whether by traditional methods or by sperm donors, but gets nothing but losers. However, two neighborhood men vie for her attention - her gynecologist and a professional clown.

Cherry

1999

Billy Budd poster
7.3

Billy is an innocent, naive seaman in the British Navy in 1797. When the ship's sadistic master-at-arms is murdered, Billy is accused and tried.

Billy Budd

1962

No artwork available
10.0

The penniless but handsome Count Zalavári chooses a rich girl from the countryside for her money. They don't get to marry because the butler catches him with the maid. He meets an American millionairess who gives him expensive jewelry as a gift. She is killed by her driver later that night. All suspicion falls on the Count.

Az aranyifjú

1986

Beyond Titanic poster
8.3

A survey of 86 years of Titanicana in popular culture, with the emphasis on movies about (or inspired by) the disaster.

Beyond Titanic

1998

Freud: The Secret Passion poster
6.5

An examination of Austrian psychologist Sigmund Freud's career when he began to treat patients diagnosed with hysteria, using the radical technique of hypnosis.

Freud: The Secret Passion

1962

Swindle poster
4.6

Four thieves attempt to make the richest score in history.

Swindle

2002

No artwork available
NR

Trace the history of television and its impact on American culture with clips, newsreels, and exclusive interviews from television greats like Walter Cronkite, Carol Burnett, and Jay Leno.

Television: The First Fifty Years

1999

Hear My Song poster
5.9

Singer Josef Locke fled to Ireland 25 years ago to escape the clutches of the tax man and police Chief Jim Abbott. What he also left behind was the love of his life Cathleen Doyle. Now, Micky O’Neill is desperate to save both his ailing Liverpool nightclub ‘Heartly’s’ and his failing relationship with the beautiful Nancy, Cathleen’s daughter. The solution? Book the infamous Josef Locke.

Hear My Song

1991

One Spy Too Many poster
5.1

The men from U.N.C.L.E." are back! This time Robert Vaughn and David McCallum must stop the megalomaniac Alexander from committing the world's greatest crimes.

One Spy Too Many

1966

The Unknown poster
7.0

After two women poison the blackmailer who has been tormenting them, they wind up at the house of a blind man whose eccentric guest believes he has built a working time machine. Soon, the blackmailer is back to torment them all.

The Unknown

1964

Hauser's Memory poster
6.8

A scientist is persuaded by the government to inject himself with the brain fluid of a dying colleague in order to preserve missile-defense secrets. However, he finds that he is now torn between his own wife and that of his dead colleague, who was a Nazi sympathizer.

Hauser's Memory

1970

The Haunting of Morella poster
4.8

An executed witch inhabits her teenaged daughter's body to continue in the pursuit of bloodshed.

The Haunting of Morella

1990