Fans Melt as Brian Dietzen Reveals ‘One-of-a-Kind’ Gift and Funny Story About Late NCIS Icon David McCallum
NCIS favorite Brian Dietzen recently shared a touching story about his late co-star, David McCallum, who played the beloved Dr. Donald “Ducky” Mallard.
As NCIS gears up for its 23rd season, Dietzen-who now leads the medical department as chief medical examiner Jimmy Palmer-reflected on a special “core memory” with McCallum.
In an Instagram post, the 47-year-old actor revealed that while moving, he came across a unique fan gift: an original Man From U.N.C.L.E. action figure from McCallum’s 1960s spy series days.
“Fun story with this one,” Dietzen wrote. “A fan sent me this original Man From U.N.C.L.E. toy several years ago. Then I read the letter enclosed and discovered that this person had hand-sewn scrubs for the doll so it could be a Jimmy Palmer/Illya Kuryakin mashup-two of their favorite shows in one box!”
Dietzen shared that he showed the gift to McCallum, who laughed and responded with a hearty “Ha!”
“Well done, and thank you to the creative person behind this one-of-a-kind piece,” Dietzen added warmly.
McCallum passed away on September 25, 2023, at age 90. NCIS later honored him with the emotional episode “The Stories We Leave Behind,” which aired in February 2024. Co-written by Dietzen, the episode saw the team finishing one of Ducky’s unfinished cases and featured a surprise return by Michael Weatherly as Tony DiNozzo, who came back to pay his respects.
