David McCallum, beloved for his roles in NCIS and The Great Escape, left behind a modest estate in the UK worth nearly £100,000 — all of it going to his wife, Katherine Carpenter.
Best known as a secret agent in the 1960s hit The Man from U.N.C.L.E., McCallum enjoyed a career that spanned decades across film and television. Official documents show his estate in England and Wales totaled £97,307 at the time of his death, with Katherine named both beneficiary and administrator. His will, written in 2010 and ratified in New York, outlined clear provisions for his family.
Born in Glasgow, McCallum died of natural causes at 90, surrounded by loved ones just days after celebrating his birthday. He had five children from two marriages — three with actress Jill Ireland and two with Katherine. The will stated that if Katherine had passed before him, the estate would go to their children Peter and Sophie, with additional financial provisions set aside for his sons Paul and Valentine.
McCallum’s legacy stretches far beyond finances. He earned global recognition as Illya Kuryakin in The Man from U.N.C.L.E., appeared in classics like The Great Escape, and later reached a new generation as Chief Medical Examiner Donald “Ducky” Mallard on NCIS, where he remained one of the show’s most beloved original cast members since 2003.
Following his passing, NCIS executive producers remembered him as a “scholar and a gentleman” whose warmth, humor, and professionalism made him unforgettable on and off screen. CBS Studios also paid tribute, calling him a gifted actor and author whose legacy will live on through his family and his decades of work.