David McCallum

In his two-and-a-half-hour remote TheirStory interview, David McCallum (1933-2023) describes his early years in Scotland and England, and how he got involved with BBC radio and BBC television as a child. He talks about attending the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts, serving in the Royal West African Frontier Force, and being a stage manager for the Chesterfield Civic Theatre and the Oxford Repertory Company. He recalls his roles in the films Freud: The Secret Passion, Billy Budd, The Long and the Short and the Tall, The Secret Place, and The Greatest Story Ever Told. He speaks of moving to Los Angeles and his guest role on The Outer Limits, and then details his years playing "Illya Kuryakin" on The Man From U.N.C.L.E. -- he discusses working with co-stars Robert Vaughn and Leo G. Carroll, performing stunts on the show, doing publicity in Nielsen cities, how the show changed over the years, and more. He explains why he moved to New York City after The Man From U.N.C.L.E. ended, briefly discusses working on the British shows Colditz and Sapphire and Steel, and then recounts how he was cast as "Dr. Donald Mallard" aka "Ducky" on the hit CBS show, NCIS. McCallum recalls some of "Ducky's" most memorable storylines, talks about castmates leaving the show, and shares why he thinks NCIS is so popular. He concludes with remarks about how the industry has changed since he first started, and offers advice to aspiring actors. Adrienne Faillace conducted the interview on November 30, 2021.