Charles Bronson Stole David McCallum's Wife — Their Marriage Lasted 22 Years until Her Last Days

Charles Bronson's 22-year marriage to Jill Ireland ended only with her death. But their enduring Hollywood union had begun with an extraordinary betrayal involving one of his own co-stars.

The man Ireland left behind was "The Great Escape" actor David McCallum, who had introduced his wife to Bronson himself.

Years later, McCallum revealed what Bronson told him shortly before he discovered the pair were already having an affair — and why he ultimately held no grudge against his former friend.

From the Coal Mines to Hollywood

Long before Bronson became one of Hollywood's most recognizable tough guys, his life looked very different. According to his IMDb biography, he was born Charles Buchinsky on November 3, 1921, in Pennsylvania.

His father, Walter Buchinsky, was a Lithuanian immigrant and coal miner, while his mother, Mary Valinsk, was born in Pennsylvania to Lithuanian parents. Bronson was the 11th of 15 children in a family that struggled to make ends meet.

Their financial problems deepened when his father died while Bronson was just 10. By 16, Bronson was working in the coal mines himself, earning $1 for every ton of coal. His life took another turn during World War II.

In 1943, he entered the Army and was assigned to the 760th Mess Squadron in Kingman, Arizona, where he drove a delivery truck. After the war, Bronson worked as a bricklayer, short-order cook, and onion picker in New York before heading to Atlantic City and renting beach chairs on the boardwalk.

There, a chance meeting helped put him on a completely different path. Bronson met several Philadelphia actors who were vacationing in the city and convinced them to let him show off his scenery-painting skills.

They were impressed and gave him work, which eventually included some acting. He soon discovered he preferred performing to painting. In 1949, Bronson headed to California and enrolled at the Pasadena Playhouse.

His first steps into Hollywood were modest. As The New York Times reported, he landed a minor part alongside Gary Cooper in the 1951 film "You're in the Navy Now." The reason he got the part was hardly conventional: Bronson was reportedly the only actor at the audition who could belch on cue.

During the 1950s, he changed his surname from Buchinsky to Bronson amid the country's anti-communist climate. He believed a Russian-sounding surname could damage his prospects as a public figure.

Bronson continued working in low-budget movies, including 1958's "Machine Gun Kelly," which was made in only eight days. That performance eventually caught the attention of French star Alain Delon, who later invited Bronson to France and cast him in "Adieu, l'Ami."

The film became a major European hit. By 1970, Bronson had become a familiar face in crime films and Westerns. He starred in "The Valachi Papers" and "Chato's Land" in 1972 before forming a successful partnership with British director Michael Winner.

Together, they made films including 1972's "The Mechanic" and 1973's "The Stone Killer." Then, after roughly 25 years in the business, Bronson landed the role that transformed his career.

David McCallum Introduced Bronson to His Wife

Ireland had already established a career of her own before becoming closely linked to Bronson on and off screen. Born in London on April 24, 1936, she trained as a ballet dancer and began performing professionally at 12. She also spent time with the Monte Carlo Ballet.

Ireland later moved into singing and acting, making her movie debut as a teenager in 1955's "Oh, Rosalinda" with Sir Michael Redgrave. She also appeared in several "Carry On" productions.

Then, in 1957, she married rising actor David McCallum, whom she had worked with in British productions. It happened astonishingly fast. In a 2009 interview with The Scotsman, McCallum revealed that he married Ireland only seven days after meeting her.

He described the whirlwind decision as a rebellion against his strict upbringing. The couple moved to Hollywood in 1962, where Ireland began appearing on American television. Her credits included "Ben Casey," "Mannix," "Star Trek," and McCallum's hit series "The Man from U.N.C.L.E."

But another major production would bring a third person into their marriage. McCallum and Bronson were both cast in "The Great Escape." McCallum introduced Bronson to Ireland.

Bronson and Ireland subsequently became romantically involved while she was still married to McCallum. And years later, in 2009, McCallum revealed an extraordinary conversation that took place before he learned about the affair.

While working on "The Great Escape" in Germany, McCallum was called away to test for "The Greatest Story Ever Told." He shared:

"Jill had just had a miscarriage so I was concerned about leaving her, but Charles Bronson said: 'Don't worry, I'll take care of her.' I didn't realise they'd already begun an affair. But it all worked out fine because soon after that I got together with Katherine and we've been very happily married for 42 years."

McCallum's marriage to Ireland ended in 1967. There were also reports that Bronson had told McCallum after meeting Ireland that he would marry his wife. McCallum, however, said he had no recollection of Bronson making the remark.

And despite everything that happened, he insisted there was no lasting hatred between the two men. "I never hated him, Charlie was always a good friend," McCallum told the Mirror.

What reportedly happened next was exactly what the old story suggested. Bronson married Ireland.

Bronson and Ireland Began Their 22-Year Marriage

The pair wed in 1968, one year after Ireland's marriage to McCallum ended. Ireland soon became a regular presence in her new husband's films, beginning with "Villa Rides." The arrangement produced one of her best-known jokes about Bronson.

"I'm in so many Charles Bronson films because no other actress will work with him," she once quipped, according to the Los Angeles Times. Ireland appeared alongside Bronson in numerous productions, including "Breakout" and "Death Wish II."

By the late 1970s, she was looking for new challenges and began co-producing some of their films. She also recorded the album "Hello and Goodbye" in 1977. Away from Hollywood, Bronson and Ireland built a sprawling blended family.

They raised children from their previous marriages as well as children they brought into their family together. In 1983, they adopted Katrina Holden after her biological mother, Hilary, died. But just one year later, Ireland received devastating news.

Ireland's Cancer Diagnosis Changed Their Lives

Ireland was diagnosed with breast cancer in 1984. She underwent a mastectomy before writing candidly about her diagnosis and recovery in her first book, "Life Wish: A Personal Story of Survival."

Ireland also turned her experience into public advocacy. She spoke to cancer patients and their families, raised money for cancer research, and deliberately referred to herself as a cancer "survivor" rather than a "victim."

"Think of yourself and be happy. Make the most of your life and put yourself first," she told women who had undergone mastectomies. "A breast does not make me who I am." Throughout her treatment, Ireland credited Bronson with helping her endure intensive radiation and chemotherapy.

Then came another crushing development. In February 1989, doctors discovered the cancer had returned and metastasized to Ireland's lungs. It quickly spread to her hip, femur, and thyroid. Doctors told Ireland she had two to three years to live.

Her response was characteristically direct. "I don't want to die," she said. "It's not an OK thing. Not right now. We all die one day, but I am not in the mood to do it yet." Before the year was over, another tragedy struck the family.

Her Son Died as She Battled Cancer

In November 1989, Ireland's son Jason McCallum died after ingesting and injecting drugs. He was 27. Ireland and David McCallum had adopted Jason as an infant.

His death interrupted her chemotherapy and prompted a cross-country flight by chartered plane from her beloved Vermont farm. Ireland had already documented her son's struggle with drug addiction and treatment in her second book, "Life Lines."

She had believed Jason was "clean" when he died. Ireland had not learned until after adopting him that he had been born addicted to drugs. Her experience with Jason led her to speak publicly about addiction, just as she had done with cancer.

Ireland said she admired former First Lady Betty Ford for publicly discussing both her mastectomy and treatment for drug problems.

"I greatly love and admire Betty Ford," Ireland said. "She was very inspirational to me with her honesty about her breast cancer and then again with her candor about her drug abuse. If anything, if I can help other people feel less alone with the problem, that would be nice."

Despite her worsening health, Ireland continued working. In April 1990, she received a star on Hollywood Boulevard recognizing a career that had included more than 35 films. Ireland appeared frail at the ceremony but told those gathered, "This is really quite a thrill."

She was also working on a third book, "Life Times," which was to feature profiles of her friends. She never completed it.

Bronson Remained at Her Side Until the End

Ireland slipped into a coma at her Malibu home on May 18, 1990. At 11:30 a.m., after battling cancer for six years, she died. She was 54. Bronson, whom Ireland had credited with caring for her throughout radiation and chemotherapy, was at her bedside.

Ireland's sons Paul and Valentine McCallum, daughter Zuleika Bronson, mother Dorothy, and brother John were also there. Her death ended a marriage that had lasted 22 years. Ireland had already made it clear that she did not want a somber farewell.

In an essay for Life magazine, she described wanting a real wake with balloons, champagne, bright and happy colors, plenty of food, and music. She wanted her funeral to celebrate her life.

It was a life in which Ireland had made deeply private struggles public, using her experiences with cancer, mastectomy, and addiction to reach people facing similar circumstances.

And the man who had once entered her life amid the breakdown of her first marriage remained beside her when that life ended.

McCallum Found Love Again

McCallum's acting career also continued for decades. McCallum became famous for his Emmy-nominated role in "The Man from U.N.C.L.E." before finding another generation of fans through "NCIS."

For two decades, he played Chief Medical Examiner Donald "Ducky" Mallard, the eccentric investigator with a gift for psychological profiling. McCallum died of natural causes at New York-Presbyterian Hospital on September 25, 2023, Deadline reported.

He was surrounded by his family and was 90, having celebrated his birthday less than a week earlier. McCallum was the last surviving original cast member of "NCIS."

Bronson Married Again After Ireland's Death

Bronson eventually found love again as well. He married actress Kim Weeks, known for films including "Family of Cops" and "Breach of Faith," according to her IMDb biography.

In 2000, Bronson was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease. He died from pneumonia at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles on August 30, 2003. He was 81.

Bronson was survived by Weeks; his daughters Suzanne, Katrina Holden-Bronson, and Zuleika; son Tony; stepsons Paul and Valentine McCallum; and two grandchildren.

He also left an estate worth about $48 million, including properties in Malibu, Vermont, Greece, and Lithuania, according to a published account of the actor's life.

Bronson was also posthumously awarded a special Golden Globe Award. His rise from a poverty-stricken Pennsylvania mining family to Hollywood stardom was remarkable enough.

But the story behind his longest marriage was every bit as dramatic: McCallum introduced Bronson to his wife, Bronson and Ireland began an affair, and Ireland eventually divorced McCallum before marrying Bronson.

McCallum went on to insist he never hated his former friend and built a decades-long marriage of his own. Bronson and Ireland, meanwhile, stayed together for 22 years — until Ireland's death brought their controversial Hollywood love story to its final chapter.