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Here's How NCIS Star David McCallum Found Love Again after a Painful Divorce

Rebelander Basilan
By Rebelander Basilan
Mar 28, 2019
05:48 A.M.

NCIS veteran star David McCallum knows the sentiment of a broken heart. But his better half Katherine Carpenter showed him how to love again.

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McCallum, 85, was first married to actress Jill Ireland in 1957. They met during the production of the film "Hell Drivers."

David McCallum at the Pacific Design Center on August 10, 2016 in West Hollywood, California. | Photo: Getty Images

David McCallum at the Pacific Design Center on August 10, 2016 in West Hollywood, California. | Photo: Getty Images

"[McCallum] was deeply hurt. He started to retreat into a shell. Then he met Katherine Carpenter. She's made a new man of him."

In 1963, the actor introduced Ireland to Charles Bronson when both were filming "The Great Escape." His wife then divorced him in 1967 and married Bronson a year later.

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REMAINED GOOD FRIENDS

However, McCallum has not harbored any ill-feeling towards Bronson. He said:

“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.”

Even though McCallum seems to have forgiven his former co-star and wife, he admitted that the divorce was a "difficult time, not least because we had three children.”

David McCallum and his wife Katherine Carpenter at Grimaldi in Monte Carlo, Monaco in June 2009 | Photo: Getty Images

David McCallum and his wife Katherine Carpenter at Grimaldi in Monte Carlo, Monaco in June 2009 | Photo: Getty Images

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McCallum and Ireland shared sons, Paul, Jason, and Valentine. Jason, who was adopted, passed away from an accidental drug overdose in 1989.

The award-winning actor had a soft spot for Jason. He described him as “one of the most wonderful people you could ever hope to meet.”

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HAPPILY MARRIED

McCallum has now moved on in life and has found love again. He has been married to former model Katherine Carpenter since 1967. They are active in charitable organizations that support the United States Marine Corps.

One of the actor's friends once said: "[McCallum] was deeply hurt. He started to retreat into a shell. Then he met Katherine Carpenter. She's made a new man of him."

Being happily married to Carpenter, the couple has two children: son Peter and daughter Sophie.

David McCallum as Dr. Donald "Ducky" Mallard in the American television series "NCIS" | Photo: Getty Images

David McCallum as Dr. Donald "Ducky" Mallard in the American television series "NCIS" | Photo: Getty Images

McCallum first gained recognition in the 1960s when he played secret agent Illya Kuryakin in the TV series "The Man from U.N.C.L.E.."

In the recent years, he played as NCIS medical examiner Dr. Donald "Ducky" Mallard in the American television series "NCIS."

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