David McCallum Age: How Old Is Ducky From NCIS In Real Life?

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David McCallum is the only original NCIS actor left in the CBS police procedural, having been in the show from the very first episode. While his visits may not be as frequent as they used to be, Donald "Ducky" Mallard (played by David McCallum) remains a key part of the NCIS family. He returned to the series for season 19, episode 20, All or Nothing on Monday, May 17.

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WARNING: This article contains spoilers from NCIS.Ducky used to work as the team's chief medical examiner but decided he wanted to slow down back in season 16 and retire from the role.

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His job was taken over by his assistant Jimmy Palmer (Brian Dietzen) but Ducky admitted he was going to miss his life at NCIS.

So Director Leon Vance (Rocky Carroll) instead offered Ducky the position of part-time historian, allowing him to still visit the office from time to time, which he was delighted with.

Ducky popped in when Jimmy needed his assistance on a case in All or Nothing, giving him a chance to also bond with his former assistant's new love interest Agent Jessica Knight (Katrina Law).

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NCIS: How old is Ducky in real life? (Image: CBS)

NCIS: Ducky with his former love interest and childhood friend Maggie. (Image: CBS)

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How old is Ducky from NCIS in real life?

Ducky's age is never specified in NCIS with fans only knowing that he is past retirement age.

It is assumed though that the former medical expert is roughly the same age as the star who portrays him.

Actor David McCallum was born in September 1933 which means he is now 88-years-old.

So he is more than 20 years past the age of retirement and yet, it doesn't seem like he will ever be ready to retire altogether.

NCIS: Ducky is played by actor David McCallum. (Image: GETTY)

NCIS: Jimmy Palmer took over Ducky's role as chief medical examiner. (Image: CBS)

Sadly, Ducky never got married and doesn't have a family of his own, despite his lovable nature.

This was a decision he made years ago as he had trouble maintaining relationships after a friend lost his entire family due to their work.

He was referring to Agent Leroy Gibbs (Mark Harmon) whose wife and daughter were murdered by a Mexican drug dealer.

However, there was one significant past love in Ducky's life that has been previously explored.

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In season 12's So It Goes, Ducky became reacquainted with his childhood friend Maggie Clarke (Alice Krige) who he hadn't seen for decades.

A flashback scene showed when Ducky was leaving for America, Maggie gave him a bow tie as a going-away present which he didn't like at the time.

As fans know all too well, Ducky almost always wears a bow tie, showing what a major part she did play in his life.

While he did confess to having feelings for her, Maggie was already engaged to another and so their romance could not be.

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Ducky has only appeared in two episodes of NCIS season 19, episode five titled Face the Strange and episode 20, All or Nothing.

But fans will be delighted to know that there will be some more Ducky screen time to come.

He is going to show his face once more in NCIS season 19's grand finale Birds of a Feather.

NCIS season 19 concludes on Monday, May 23, on CBS. The drama continues on Wednesday on Disney+ in the UK.

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