NCIS star David McCallum was married twice before his death. Let’s meet his current wife Katherine Carpenter and ex-spouse Jill Ireland.
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.
Here’s what we know about his love life, including his marriages, divorce, and all about his relationship history.
Who was David McCallum married to?
NCIS star David McCallum was married twice in his entire life before his death in September 2023. The names of his wife at the time of his passing was Katherine Carpenter and his ex-spouse was Jill Ireland.
At age 23, McCallum had his first married to English actress Jill Ireland. Their nuptial took place in London in 1957.
David and Jill are believed to have met during the production of the film Hell Drivers.
The former couple married for 10 years before they separated and divorced in 1967.
Before their split, they welcomed three sons: Paul, Jason, and Valentine (Val). Jason, who was adopted, died from an accidental drug overdose in 1989. 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.
After leaving McCallum, Ireland married Charles Bronson, to whom McCallum had introduced her while McCallum and Bronson were filming The Great Escape (1963).
That same year he finalised his divorce from Jill, McCallum got married to his second and current spouse, Katherine Carpenter. Their wedding took place 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.
Before his death, he welcomed two kids with Katherine. They had a son, Peter, and a daughter, Sophie.
Who is Katherine Carpenter?
Katherine Carpenter is an actress and model born on November 30, 1944.
In 2017, David told Closer Weekly that he and Katherine are “two halves of a whole.”
He continued: “We work well together, and when problems come along, we solve them. The best thing about a marriage is you find out what the other person wants and make damned sure they get it.”
In 2022, David explained to Radio Times that his wife’s success is what helped “keep the family running.”
“This is the life of an actor, particularly in the early years before you get a little better known: your main concern is to make enough money to keep the family running,” he told the outlet.
“Fortunately I married a young lady who was more talented than I was [Katherine] and so we shared the burden together and we’ve had a very successful relationship.”
Who was Jill Ireland?
Just like David McCallum, Jill Dorothy Ireland also pursued a career in the entertainment industry. She was an actress and a singer.
She appeared in 16 films with husband Charles Bronson, and was involved in two of Bronson’s other films as a producer.
She was born on April 24, 1936, in London, United Kingdom, to parents Jack Ireland and Dorothy Ireland.
In 1990, Ireland died of breast cancer at her home in Malibu, California. She was cremated and her ashes were placed in a cane which Charles Bronson had buried with him at Brownsville Cemetery when he died in 2003.
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.”