Late NCIS actor David McCallum was a father of five and shared his children with his first and second wives. Let’s meet his four sons and only daughter.
Actor David McCallum was best known for his role as Chief Medical Examiner Donald ‘Ducky’ Mallard on the CBS drama series, NCIS.
On September 25, 2023, it was revealed that the 90-year-old passed away surrounded by his wife, Katherine, and family.
He was a family man and despite all of his achievement, being a father was the topmost of them all. Following his death, many might want to know more about his kids. Read on for more.
Who was David McCallum and what do we know about his family?
David McCallum was born on September 19, 1933, in Glasgow, United Kingdom to parents David McCallum, Sr. and Dorothy Dorman.
His mom, Dorothy, was a cellist while his dad was an orchestral violinist.
He was not the only child to his mother and father as he had one more sibling, a brother named Iain McCallum.
At a young age, his family moved to London for his father to player the leader of the London Philharmonic Orchestra.
Early in the Second World War, he was evacuated back to Scotland, where he lived with his mother at Gartocharn by Loch Lomond.
While growing up, McCallum studied at University College School, a boys’ independent school in Hampstead, London, under a scholarship.
David’s career in the entertainment industry which spanned over 7 decades (from 1947 tp 2023) started at a young age.
First, his parents encouraged him to prepare for a career in music, he played the oboe. In 1946 he began doing boy voices for the BBC radio repertory company. Also involved in local amateur drama, at age 17, he appeared as Oberon in an open-air production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream with the Play and Pageant Union. He left school at age 18 and was conscripted for National Service.
He joined the British Army’s 3rd Battalion the Middlesex Regiment, which was seconded to the Royal West African Frontier Force. In March 1954 he was promoted to lieutenant. After leaving the army he attended the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (also in London), where Joan Collins was a classmate.
In general, David McCallum was recognized for television roles in The Man from U.N.C.L.E., Colditz, and Sapphire & Steel.
On September 25, 2023, the NCIS veteran died of natural causes at New York Presbyterian Hospital.
David was reportedly surrounded by family and had recently turned 90 on September 19.
“We are deeply saddened by the passing of David McCallum and privileged that CBS was his home for so many years,” the CBS network said in a statement.
“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.
“We will miss his warmth and endearing sense of humor that lit up any room or soundstage he stepped onto, as well as the brilliant stories he often shared from a life well-lived. Our hearts go out to his wife Katherine and his entire family, and all those who knew and loved David.”
Who are David McCallum’s children?
Before David McCallum’s death in September 2023, he was a father of five. He had five kids; four sons and a daughter.
The names of his children are Paul McCallum, Jason McCallum, and Valentine “Val” McCallum, Peter McCallum and Sophie McCallum.
All of his kids are his biological offsprings aside Jason. In 1989, Jason, who was adopted, reportedly died from an accidental drug overdose.
Following Jason’s death, McCallum spoke about the devastating loss of his son to the Belfast Telegraph in January 2016. “You never come to terms with the death of a child,” McCallum reflected. “The pain is very real, but it’s like an ache that turns into anger.
Val McCallum is a guitar player, playing on and off with Jackson Browne since 2002, Lucinda Williams from 2011 to 2016, and many others. He is a member of the faux country band Jackshit.
Sophie and her dad have a podcast together titled Life, Love + Good Stuff; Father and Daughter chats with David and Sophie McCallum. On the podcast, they “ share about living life through the lens of self-love, how familial relationships and life experiences hinder or fuel an authentic and rewarding life filled with conscious and compassionate self love,” according to the show’s description. McCallum also has eight grandchildren.
He shares his kids with his two wives; Jill Ireland whom he welcomed his three oldest sons with and Katherine Carpenter whom he had his youngest kids with.
McCallum was a grandfather as his kids blessed him with six grandchildren.
What do we know about David McCallum’s love life?
Since 2003, David McCallum has portrayed retired NCIS doctor Donald “Ducky” Mallard and was the longest-running cast member on the CBS drama.
He was married to his first wife, Jill Ireland, from 1957 to 1967.
However, McCallum’s Great Escape co-star, Charles Bronson, romanced his ex-wife and the two split. “I never hated him, Charlie was always a good friend,” he told Mirror UK in January 2017 about Ireland’s affair, but admitted that it was tough because of the kids they shared. “It was an extremely difficult time, not least because we had three children.”
The actor married his second wife, Katherine Carpenter on September 16, 1967, at the Lutheran Church in New York.
McCallum and Katherine stayed married together for over 5 decades. At the time of his second marriage, he was 33 years old.
McCallum and his wife were active in charitable organisations that support the United States Marine Corps: Katherine’s father was a Marine who served in the Battle of Iwo Jima and her brother was killed in the Vietnam War.