David McCallum — the Scottish actor and sometimes-musician who was sampled by a number of rap producers — has died at 90 years old. As reported by Variety, McCallum died of natural causes yesterday (September 25) in New York City.
McCallum was born in Glasgow to two concert musicians, though he was raised largely in London. He played oboe as a child before being conscripted into the British army and studied acting at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art. In the early '60s, McCallum played roles in movies like The Great Escape and The Greatest Story Ever Told before landing the role of Russian agent Illya Kuryakin on the hit NBC spy show The Man from U.N.C.L.E., which aired from 1964 to 1968.
During his stint on The Man from U.N.C.L.E., McCallum released four albums of soundtrack-worthy orchestral instrumental music for Capitol Records, all recorded with the late producer David Axelrod. McCallum didn't sing on these albums — which included covers and a few originals — instead playing multiple instruments.
Those records have endured mostly for the way they've been sampled — most famously, Dr. Dre took a sample of McCallum's 1967 song "The Edge" and created his Snoop Dogg-featuring 2000 hit "The Next Episode." DJ Shadow also sampled McCallum's "House of Mirrors" in his score for the 2000 documentary Dark Days.
David McCallum didn't make music again after his run on The Man from U.N.C.L.E. ended, going on to star in TV series like Colditz and Sapphire & Steel. Later, he played Dr. Donald "Ducky" Mallard on NCIS, playing that role from the show's 2003 debut until his death. McCallum was the last remaining original cast member left on the show.
Revisit "The Edge" below.
McCallum was born in Glasgow to two concert musicians, though he was raised largely in London. He played oboe as a child before being conscripted into the British army and studied acting at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art. In the early '60s, McCallum played roles in movies like The Great Escape and The Greatest Story Ever Told before landing the role of Russian agent Illya Kuryakin on the hit NBC spy show The Man from U.N.C.L.E., which aired from 1964 to 1968.
During his stint on The Man from U.N.C.L.E., McCallum released four albums of soundtrack-worthy orchestral instrumental music for Capitol Records, all recorded with the late producer David Axelrod. McCallum didn't sing on these albums — which included covers and a few originals — instead playing multiple instruments.
Those records have endured mostly for the way they've been sampled — most famously, Dr. Dre took a sample of McCallum's 1967 song "The Edge" and created his Snoop Dogg-featuring 2000 hit "The Next Episode." DJ Shadow also sampled McCallum's "House of Mirrors" in his score for the 2000 documentary Dark Days.
David McCallum didn't make music again after his run on The Man from U.N.C.L.E. ended, going on to star in TV series like Colditz and Sapphire & Steel. Later, he played Dr. Donald "Ducky" Mallard on NCIS, playing that role from the show's 2003 debut until his death. McCallum was the last remaining original cast member left on the show.
Revisit "The Edge" below.
