 Mark Harmon has led tributes to his longtime NCIS co-star David McCallum following his death aged 90. McCallum died peacefully on Monday (September 25) of natural causes in New York City, prompting an outpouring of grief from figures in the entertainment world. Among those remembering the actor, who played pathologist Dr. Donald 'Ducky' Mallard in the crime drama, was Mark, 72, who was lead character Jethro Gibbs for18 years until his shock exit. 'David lived a great, full, long life. I was in awe when I first met him and all of us on the show were honored to have toed a mark opposite him. My condolences go out to Katherine and his family,' Mark said in a statement shared with TVLine. NCIS star Brian Dietzen, who shared scenes with McCallum, also remembered the star as a 'wonderful father, husband and dear friend.' In a lengthy tribute on Instagram, he wrote: 'A life well lived. David McCallum was a mentor, a great scene partner, a wonderful father and husband, and he was my dear friend. He played played pathologist Dr. Donald 'Ducky' Mallard in NCIS (Picture: CBS) Mark paid an emotional tribute to his co-star (Picture: Getty) 'I met David on my first day of work at NCIS. I was booked to work one day on the show, but David and I hit it off. Our scene turned out well and they invited me back for more scenes with this screen legend. Several more. 'Over the course of the next 20 years, David and I (along with our alter-ego's Ducky and Jimmy) developed a deep friendship and love of our shared work. He was a joy to work with. Always had a smile. Always had something new to add to the page, and ALWAYS had the ability to steal every scene he was in!' Brian praised McCallum for his 'quick and wry' sense of humour, generosity with advice and for frequently praising his co-stars for their performances. He continued: 'I loved getting a phone call from him after a show aired to hear him talk about the){kind=link}
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Mark Harmon has led tributes to his longtime NCIS co-star David McCallum following his death aged 90.
McCallum died peacefully on Monday (September 25) of natural causes in New York City, prompting an outpouring of grief from figures in the entertainment world.
Among those remembering the actor, who played pathologist Dr. Donald ‘Ducky’ Mallard in the crime drama, was Mark, 72, who was lead character Jethro Gibbs for18 years until his shock exit.
‘David lived a great, full, long life. I was in awe when I first met him and all of us on the show were honored to have toed a mark opposite him. My condolences go out to Katherine and his family,’ Mark said in a statement shared with TVLine.