The Man From U.N.C.L.E. star David McCallum leaves huge fortune to wife after his death aged 90

Daily Mail​

30-05-2025

Actor David McCallum, renowned for his 1960s role in The Man from U.N.C.L.E, left his wife a near £100,000 fortune following his death, new documents have revealed.
The Scottish-born film and television star, who gained global recognition for playing a secret agent in the popular 1960s spy drama, died of natural causes on September 25, 2023, aged 90.
As a household name, Mr McCallum starred in an abundance of films that included Night to Remember (1958), The Greatest Story Ever Told (1965), alongside with American actor Steve McQueen in epic war adventure The Great Escape (1963).
He later returned to television in 2003, gaining popularity amongst younger audiences for his long-running role as a medical examiner, Dr. Donald 'Ducky' Mullard, in US show NCIS.
Now, new documents have shown that his estate in England and Wales was worth a whopping £97,307 when he died, with such value left entirely to his wife Katherine Carpenter.
Mr McCallum's will, made in 2010 and then ratified by the Nassau County Surrogates Court in New York, stipulated that if his wife Katherine died before him his estate was to be left to their two children, Peter and Sophie.
And, in the instance that Katherine predeceased him, the will also made provision for Paul and Valentine - his two sons with previous wife Jill Ireland - to each receive $100,000.
Pictured: Mr McCallum with his wife Katherine Carpenter, 80, in Monaco in 2009. The couple wedded in 1967, with Mr McCallum previously describing their relationship as 'two halves of a whole'
Mr McCallum married 80-year-old Katherine, an interior designer, in 1967, with Mr McCallum describing their relationship as 'two halves of a whole'.
During a 2017 interview with Closer, the popular actor added: 'We work well together, and when problems come along, we solve them.
'The best thing about a marriage is you find out what the other person wants and make damned sure they get it.'
It followed a nine-year marriage with rising actress Jill Ireland whom he had met while appearing in western film Robbery Under Arms in 1957.
The couple, who had a third son, Jason, who later passed away from a drug overdose, eventually divorced in 1967.
In a television career spanning more than 50 years, the actor starred in short-lived science fiction series, The Invisible Man, and from 1979 to 1982 he played Steel in a British science fiction series, Sapphire and Steel.
Over the years, Mr McCallum also appeared in guest shots in several TV shows, including Murder, She Wrote and Sex and the City. series' including Colditz, The Invisible Man and Sapphire & Steel.
But it was his role as mysterious Soviet agent Illya Kuryakin in The Man from U.N.C.L.E that saw Mr McCallum become a household name in the mid-60s.
The show, which debuted in 1964 and had a four-year run, starred Robert Vaughn as Napoleon Solo, an agent in a secretive, high-tech squad of crime fighters.
Mr McCallum, who played the role of Solo's Russian sidekick, received two Emmy nominations and several Golden Globe nominations for his starring role, while teenage girls around the world became fascinated by his good looks and enigmatic, intellectual character.
The Glaswegian actor, who lived in New York during his later years and passed away surrounded by family, was described as a 'true legend' by his former co-stars, who praised his 'funny' and 'authentic' nature.
In a statement announcing his death, US broadcaster CBS said in a statement: 'David was a gifted actor and author, and beloved by many around the world.
'He led an incredible life, and his legacy will forever live on through his family and the countless hours on film and television that will never go away.'