TV legend David McCallum passed away in September 2023 but his legacy lives on – not only in the hearts and minds of his fans but in the footsteps of his beloved children. A doting father of five, the actor welcomed sons Paul, Jason, and Valentine (Val) during his 10-year marriage to actress Jill Ireland.
Following their divorce, David went on to find love with Katherine Carpenter in 1967, and to his delight became a father twice more, welcoming his fourth son, Peter, and a daughter named Sophie.
Among them, David’s son Val bears a particularly striking resemblance to his late father, and he’s also followed in his footsteps with a prestigious career in the entertainment industry. Meet Val here…
A celebrated guitarist and singer-songwriter, Val is based in Los Angeles. He shares a daughter named Stella with his wife, Shelli.
Boasting an impressive resume, the 60-year-old star has toured with Jackson Browne, Randy Newman, Bonnie Raitt, Lucinda Williams, and Sheryl Crow. Like his father, Val’s also been involved with TV shows and in 2017, he worked as a composer on the series Sun Records, starring Drake Milligan, Chad Michael Murray and Billy Gardell.
Speaking to Folk/Tumble about his segway into music, Val revealed that his mother Jill had hoped he’d become an actor one day. My mum wanted me to. She sent me to an acting coach but she didn’t like the way I said my S’s,” he explained with a laugh. “So I was happy with that. I never really wanted to go down that route.”
Val had already inherited a love of music from his father’s side. His paternal grandfather was the celebrated orchestral violinist, David McCallum Sr, and his grandmother, Dorothy, was a cellist.
Coincidentally, David was faced with the same choice as Val in his younger years, but rather than choosing music over acting, he chose acting over music. In an interview with Radio Times, the NCIS alum recalled: “My father and mother were both musicians. I became an oboe player and my father offered to send me to Paris, to the Conservatoire, and study the oboe. By that time I was hooked on the stage and said, ‘No, I’m going to go on the boards.’ And I did.”
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Prior to his passing, David shared a sweet bond with his children, and in 2021 Val posted a throwback photo from their time together. “A sweet memory from a few years back. Me and my forever charming always well pressed slightly smaller rascally twin enjoying a nice white wine,” Val joked in the caption. “He came out a few minutes before me … I’m still trying to keep up with him.”
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Following the news of David’s death last year, Val has since reunited with his father’s NCIS co-star, Pauley Perrette. Taking to Instagram in October, the actress revealed that she’d watched Val perform alongside Jackson Browne, and praised the duo’s “Excellent musicianship.”
Fans were naturally touched by the crossover and shared their disbelief at Val’s resemblance to David in the comments, grateful that a piece of the star lives on in his talented son.