Although it wasn’t a subject he regularly addressed, the late David McCallum, who played medical examiner Ducky in the series NCIS and who recently died, had confided in him about the terrible illness that affected him.
On September 25, fans of NCIS were shocked when they heard the sad news. It was a spokesperson for CBS, the broadcast channel of the series in the United States, who was responsible for announcing the disappearance of David McCallum. The one who played the famous forensic doctor of the saga, throughout the twenty seasons and 450 episodes, sHe died at the Presbyterian Hospital in New York, at the age of 90, of natural causes. The news had the effect of a real blow not only for the fans of the man who lent his features to “Ducky”, but also for the artists who crossed his path. Joan Collins, central figure of the saga Dynastywrote : “So sad that David McCallum, my first boyfriend at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts, has died… (He was) a good actor, a great talent and a true gentleman!“
David McCallum: what was the illness that made him suffer?
If David McCallum was an emblematic figure of the big screen (Service Intelligence, The great Escape, The Spy in the Green Hat) like the small screen (The All Risks Agency, Arabesque, Very special agents, NCIS), the actor was also a musician. However, he almost gave up on his passion when the doctors told him thathe suffered from Dupuytren’s disease, which paralyzed his right hand. On this subject, the one who shone in the television series The Man from Uncleduring the 1960s, confided: “I couldn’t access all the notes. (…) The tightening of my hand had happened slowly and was uncomfortable rather than painful. I had reached a point where two of the fingers on my right hand were curling so far toward the palm of my hand that I couldn’t straighten them enough to play the notes. (…) I was afraid I wouldn’t be able to play anymore.“
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An illness that has affected other public figures
Affected by Dupuytren’s disease at the age of 76, LThe actor was lucky to be taken care of in time and to be able to continue practicing his art. But other public figures have also been affected by this disease. They include Lady Thatcher, Ronald Reagan, actor Bill Nighy and famous playwright, Samuel Beckett.
Article written with the collaboration of 6Medias.
