Who is David McCallum's wife? All eyes are on 'NCIS' star's partner after his death at age 90
NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK: British actor and 'The Man From U.N.C.L.E.' star David McCallum tragically died on September 25, in New York City. He had his wife Katherine Carpenter and family by his deathbed.
He is survived by Carpenter, his wife of 56 years, and also their sons Paul, Valentine, and Peter McCallum, daughter Sophie McCallum and their eight grandchildren — Julia McCallum, Iain de Sanctis, Luca de Sanctis, Gavin McCallum, Stella McCallum, Alessandro de Sanctis, George McCallum, and Whit McCallum, per Daily Mail.
McCallum married actress and model Katherine Carpenter on September 16, 1967, and they were together since then till the 'NCIS' actor's death.
Before Carpenter, the actor was wed to Jill Ireland from 1957 until 1967 and had three sons together, Paul, Valentine, and Jason. Ireland eventually divorced McCallum, though, and later married actor Charles Bronson.
In 2015, McCallum revealed to the Los Angeles Times that he had eight grandchildren, including two girls and six boys, all of whom reside in California.
He jokingly said, "I keep the boys and the girls on different coasts so I can keep them straight."
McCallum and his wife Carpenter, a former artist in her own right, have formed quite an enduring family.
David McCallum's wife Katherine Carpenter is a former model
Carpenter first met McCallum while working as a model, which is largely the reason for their first encounter.
According to Express, McCallum and his 'The Man from U.N.C.L.E.' co-star Robert Vaughn were the focus of a photo shoot that included models and Carpenter was one of them.
McCallum posted side-by-side images to Facebook in July 2015 to commemorate the occasion's 50th anniversary.
Carpenter no longer pursues any showbiz gigs, but she still upholds her father's military legacy by collaborating with her late husband on charitable endeavors, such as support for the US Marine Corps.
Carpenter appears to have prioritized her personal life over her career after getting married to McCallum in 1967. Carpenter has devoted her time to charities alongside raising her two children, Peter and Sophie, with McCallum.
David and Katherine were 'two halves of a whole'
McCallum had earlier stated in 2017 to Closer Weekly that he and Katherine are "two halves of a whole."
"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," McCallum added at the time.
McCallum further told Radio Times in 2022 that his wife's achievement had been essential to "keep the family running."
He told the outlet, "This is the life of an actor, particularly in the early years before you get a little better known: your main concern is to make enough money to keep the family running."
"Fortunately I married a young lady who was more talented than I was [Katherine] and so we shared the burden together and we've had a very successful relationship," the 'U.N.C.L.E.' actor explained.
David McCallum was married to Jill Ireland before he wed Katherine
According to TV Trope, McCallum married Jill Ireland in 1968, a year after he met her as a fellow actor on the sets of 'Hell Drivers'.
However, his marriage started to break apart after he played alongside Charles Bronson in John Sturges' 1963 action movie 'The Great Escape.'
Despite being married and having three sons, McCallum avoided Ireland in public while they were still together.
According to Express, McCallum decided to break with tradition when he started seeing Carpenter following the public breakdown of his marriage with Ireland.
The couple filed for divorce in February 1967 after McCallum reportedly was devastated to learn that Ireland had been seeing Bronson frequently.
'NCIS' actor David McCallum claimed he 'never hated' Charles Bronson
Following the Ireland and Bronson's romance, McCallum stated: "I never hated him, Charlie was always a good friend. I find that when problems come along, worrying about them and getting anxious and negative is quite unnecessary. You can solve them, usually amicably. That’s what happened."
Although McCallum seemed to be positive about the split, he previously acknowledged, "It was an extremely difficult time, not least because we had three children," per Express.