David Keith McCallum, Jr. (Mary Hill, Glasgow, September 19, 1933 – September 25, 2023) was a British actor and musician. His father DavidKeith McCallum Sr. was the Scottish leader (principal first violinist) of the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, the London Philharmonic Orchestra, and the Scottish National Orchestra.
He first gained recognition in the 1960s for playing secret agent Illya Kuryakin in the television series The Man from U.N.C.L.E.
In recent years, McCallum has gained renewed international recognition and popularity for his role in the American television series NCIS. In the 1960s, McCallum recorded four albums for Capitol Records with music producer David Axelrod: Music … A Part of Me (1966), Music … A Bit More of Me (1966), Music … It’s Happening Now! (1967), and McCallum (1968).
McCallum did not sing on these records, as many television stars of the 1960s did when offered recording contracts. As a classically trained musician, he conceived a blend of oboe, English horn and strings with guitar and drums, and presented instrumental interpretations of hits of the day. The official arranger on the albums was H. B. Barnum. However, McCallum conducted, and contributed several original compositions of his own, over the course of four LPs.