Actor David McCallum, who became a teen heartthrob in the hit series The Man From U.N.C.L.E. in the 1960s and was the eccentric medical examiner in the popular NCIS 40 years later, has died aged 90.

He died on Monday of natural causes surrounded by family at New York Presbyterian Hospital, 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,” said a statement from CBS.

David McCallum
David McCallum played Illya Kuryakin in the The Man From U.N.C.L.E (PA)

Scottish-born McCallum had been doing well appearing in such films as A Night To Remember (about the Titanic), The Great Escape and The Greatest Story Ever Told (as Judas).

But it was The Man From U.N.C.L.E. that made the blond actor with the Beatles’ haircut a household name in the mid 1960s.

The success of the James Bond books and films had set off a chain reaction, with secret agents proliferating on both large and small screens.

Indeed, Bond creator Ian Fleming contributed some ideas as The Man From U.N.C.L.E. was being developed, according to Jon Heitland’s The Man From U.N.C.L.E. Book.