As the final original cast member of NCIS, David McCallum’s character, Dr. Donald “Ducky” Mallard, has been through a lot. The Scottish actor became an integral part of the long-running series after its debut in 2003.
However, during the show’s ninth season in 2012, David’s Ducky had a health scare that put his future in jeopardy. Was that episode a foreshadowing of David’s future health issues? Here’s what we discovered.
Is David McCallum suffering from any health issues? Ducky, his ‘NCIS’ character, d1ed of a heart att4ck in Season 9.
Ducky suffered a heart att4ck in the NCIS Season 9 finale after a bomb exploded outside the NCIS headquarters. As a result, fans were concerned that David would not appear in future episodes of the cr1me drama.
Ducky’s health scare in the show, thankfully, did not deter him. Not only that, but David’s iconic character lived on throughout Season 20. However, as David approaches 90, viewers wonder about his health in 2023.
While Ducky nearly d1ed from a heart att4ck in Season 9 of NCIS, the actor who plays him has been in good health for the past 89 years.
Despite his age, David has not publicly admitted to having any major health issues since the series premiered in 2003. That doesn’t mean he wants to spend the rest of his life as Ducky in the CBS cr1me drama.
After playing Ducky on ‘NCIS’ for two decades, David McCallum is gradually stepping down.
With David’s character Ducky playing a pivotal role in NCIS for the past 20 years, fans have undoubtedly noticed the Scottish actor’s screen time gradually but steadily decreasing in recent seasons.
David took to Facebook in 2018 to announce his new deal with CBS for future installments of the series.
“I am thrilled to announce that I have reached an agreement with CBS for Dr. Donald Mallard to remain with NCIS for Season 16,” the actor said.
“Once again, the schedule will be constrained. That arrangement will enable me to spend more time with Katherine, our children, six grandchildren, and Nickie.”
Ducky’s career may be coming to an end now that NCIS is in its 20th season. David revealed in a November 2022 interview with Express that he only had two episodes left on his CBS contract.
“Retirement is a work in progress, shall we say!” joked the actor to the publication. It’s unknown if David’s final episodes have already been shot. If they haven’t, Ducky has a good chance of making it to Season 21 of NCIS.
But, for the time being, it appears that only time will tell!
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