Ncis Stars Mark Harmon And Others Pay Tribute To David Mccallum
David McCallum’s NCIS co-stars pay tribute to the beloved Ducky actor, including former franchise leads Mark Harmon and Michael Weatherly.
David McCallum, who played Ducky, is honored by the NCIS team under Mark Harmon. One of the founding cast members of the CBS procedural, McCallum played Dr. Donald “Ducky” Mallard, the head medical examiner of the show’s fictional organization, in his much-loved first performance in 2003. Since Ducky had known Leroy Jethro Gibbs for a very long time before the show even began, his relationship with the crew predated the beginning of the program.
After news broke that McCallum died at the age of 90, his NCIS castmates honored him and his legacy on their respective social media pages. Pauley Perrette shared a throwback image of her, McCallum, and Sasha Alexandar during the early days of NCIS, alongside a slideshow of their snaps over the years.
Jess actress Katrina Law honored McCallum by sharing an image of him as Ducky and writing “R.I.P.” in the caption. Brian Dietzen, who plays Jimmy Palmer, grieved his NCIS co-star while also thanking him for his friendship. Despite having already left NCIS, Michael Weatherly paid tribute to his former co-star, highlighting McCallum’s love of living life. Lauren Holly, on the other hand, highlighted McCallum’s kindness.
Finally, Jon Cryer expressed his gratitude for having the chance to work with McCallum.
Meanwhile, Harmon shared his statement with TV Line. Read his full quote below:
“David lived a great, full, long life. I was in awe when I first met him and all of us on the show were honored to have toed a mark opposite him. My condolences go out to Katherine and his family.”
Why Ducky Is So Important To NCIS
Given his extended tenure at NCIS, Ducky’s position inevitably changed. In addition to his high level of competence, he was also well recognized for a variety of eccentricities, such as his fondness for bright bow ties, which he frequently included into his attire. Despite how gruesome his job as the chief medical examiner for NCIS was, Ducky made it interesting for both him and the procedural’s viewers by having strange conversations with the dead.
Ducky spent years autopsying dead bodies in NCIS, with his findings usually becoming critical to the team’s effort to solve their cases. That being said, in the show’s recent years, his appearances became more sporadic. Technically, McCallum remained an official cast member of the show until season 20, but he wasn’t involved in every single episode after the actor struck a deal with CBS to have limited screen time. This stemmed from his desire to spend more time with his family, considering that he was already in his late 80s when this arrangement was made.
Although the debut date for NCIS season 21 is officially set, it is still uncertain because of the ongoing SAG-AFTRA strike and the WGA strike, which appears to be nearing an end. Regardless of the timing, it will undoubtedly find a way to honor McCallum and his legacy as Ducky.
