David McCallum was loved by fans for his portrayal of chief medical examiner Dr Donald ‘Ducky’ Mallard in NCIS, but the show was almost canceled because of his casting
NCIS fans fell in love with David McCallum when he joined the show, but his time on the program was almost cut short.
The Scottish actor played chief medical examiner Dr Donald ‘Ducky’ Mallard on NCIS, joining the cast for the show’s backdoor pilot and he remained part of the cast until his death in 2023. However, studio bosses were initially unhappy with the decision to hire David.
Former NCIS director James Whitmore Jr explained how producer Don Bellisario threatened to cancel the show after the studio tried to block David’s casting. “When they cast David McCallum as Ducky, the studio said, ‘No way, we’re not casting this old character actor in the role,” James said.
“Don said, ‘If you don’t, we’re not doing the show.’ He was that serious about it. The studio went with it, and of course, David McCallum is gold,” he said in a previous interview with The Hollywood Reporter.
Peter Golden, the former head of CBS casting, said he believed the disagreement came about because of where David was from. He explained, “I think it was because David McCallum was British. The feeling was, ‘Can you do that?’ This was such an American show.”
David previously reflected on how he managed to secure the part of Ducky. He explained how he received a phone call asking him to meet with casting director and film producer Bonnie Timmermann to film the pilot.
After several auditions, David met with Don Bellisario. “Afterwards, Don came out and put his arm around me, because he’s a great deal bigger than I am, and said, ‘David,’ … and I realized I might have the charm,” David said during an appearance at The Television Academy Foundation.
David received the call that he’d got the job as he was trying to fix a flat tire while in Los Angeles. He joked, “And I said, well then, I’m gonna go get a car that works.”
Following David’s death in 2023, NCIS paid tribute to his character. In an episode titled The Stories We Leave Behind, the NCIS team delved into one of Ducky’s unresolved cases as a tribute to their late co-worker.
NCIS executive producers Steven D. Binder and David North also issued a statement following his death. They said, “For over 20 years, David McCallum endeared himself to audiences around the world playing the wise, quirky, and sometimes enigmatic, Dr Donald ‘Ducky’ Mallard. But, as much as his fans may have loved him, those who worked side by side with David loved him that much more. He was a scholar and a gentleman, always gracious, a consummate professional, and never one to pass up a joke.”