David McCallum is probably best known for playing Ilya Kuryakin in the hit series “The Man from UNCLE,” which aired on NBC from 1964 to 1968, and associated movies (with added sex and violence). But for a time, it seemed as if he was on track to follow in his parents’ footsteps to become a career musician.
His mother, Dorothy Dorman, was a cellist. His father, David McCallum Sr., was concertmaster of the London Philharmonic and later the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, both at the invitation of Sir Thomas Beecham. Once, when on tour in the U.S., Beecham fell ill, and it fell to the senior McCallum to conduct the orchestra – which he did, to positive reviews.
He also played for the Beatles and was Mantovani’s leader for 10 years. As “The Man from UNCLE” took off, Mantovani quipped, “We can afford the father, but not the son.”
Needless to say, the younger McCallum grew up in a supportive household that nurtured his interest in music. He himself trained on the violin and cello, although oboe was to become his focus. In 1951, he became assistant stage manager of the Glyndebourne Opera Company. However, by then, the acting bug had bitten.
He did record several albums, on which he conducted, and for which he composed and arranged, though many of the tracks were covers of popular hits of the day. Only a classically-trained musician would think to add parts for oboe, cor anglais, and strings to guitar and drums.
McCallum played a variety of instruments onscreen in “The Man from UNCLE.” He also appeared in a memorable “The Outer Limits” episode, “The Sixth Finger,” in which he sprouts an extra digit on either hand and plays Bach’s “The Well-Tempered Clavier” (although it’s Glenn Gould on the soundtrack).
He confessed that music never grabbed him quite the way that acting did. But the desire to express himself in music never left. McCallum died yesterday at the age of 90.
“The Edge” by David McCallum
From “The Sixth Finger”
Playing guitar and singing with Nancy Sinatra on “The Man from UNCLE”
Clockwise from left: on guitar; on oboe at age 12; on double-bass on “The Man from UNCLE;” and playing Bach on “The Outer Limits”
