Joe Spano - FBI Special Agent Tobias C. Fornell

Joe Spano is famous for his role as FBI Special Agent Tobias C. Fornell in "NCIS." But he is no stranger to police roles, and before his stint on the long-running popular show, he had another role as Lt. Henry Goldblume in the series "Hill Street Blues."

He worked on "NCIS" as a recurring character from the first season to season 15 when the character became a private investigator and appearances became more infrequent. He also played a role in the spinoff show "NCIS: New Orleans," and in 2021, he appeared in a show called "The Hollywood Moment."

Lauren Holly - Director Jenny Shepard

Before she gained fame for her role in "NCIS," Lauren Holly had a significant role as Linda Lee, Bruce Lee's wife, in the biopic "Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story." She also had a list of other roles in popular films like "Beautiful Girls," "Dumb and Dumber," and "What Women Want."

She played Director Jenny Shepard in "NCIS" from 2005 to 2008. She had previously worked with Mark Harmon and Rocky Carroll on "Chicago Hope" and joined them on this show. She has since also appeared in "Lucifer," "Good Witch," and the Netflix show "Designated Survivor." In 2021, she also had a part in "Family Law."

Penny Johnson Jerald - Joanne Torrence

Penny Johnson Jerald is famous for many other roles besides the one she held on "NCIS." She has a diverse portfolio that includes work in comedy, science fiction, and action series. Some of her most prominent roles include Beverly Barnes in "The Larry Sanders Show" and Kasidy Yates in " Star Trek: Deep Space Nine."

Johnson Jerald also had a recurring role in the show "24," playing Sherry Palmer. She did so before she had episodic roles in a few episodes in "NCIS," playing Joanne Torrence. After that short stint, she had other parts in shows like "Sideswiped" and, in 2022, returned for another season of "The Orville."

Lily Tomlin - Penelope Langston

Actress, writer, and producer Lily Tomlin is a pretty well-respected actress. All you have to do is see the fact that she is an Emmy and Grammy-winning performer, and you'll know she's a big deal. One of her Emmys was won for a 1974 TV special she wrote and produced called "Lily."

She won her Grammy for her 1972 comedy special called comedy album "This Is a Recording." She also appeared in an episode of NCIS in 2011, playing Penelope Langston. Since 2015 she has been starring in "Grace and Frankie," for which she has earned four Emmy nominations.

Rocky Carroll - NCIS Director Leon Vance

Rocky Carroll made his initial impression on the entertainment industry in comedy. He played Joey Emerson in the comedy-drama show "Roc," but soon moved into a more serious role in Chicago Hope, where he played Dr. Keith Wilkes. But he is probably most recognized for playing Leon Vance in "NCIS."

Carroll also starred in its spinoffs "NCIS: Los Angeles" and "NCIS: New Orleans." He has also directed about 15 episodes of the show, starting with the season 12 episode called "We Build, We Fight." In 2021, he narrated a documentary called "The Cinnamon Bear: A Holiday Adventure" and returned to the 15th season of "NCIS," which aired in 2022.

Weronika Rosati - Vanya Leonova

Born and raised in Poland, Weronika Rosati built her career on shows in her native land. Some of the most notable of these are M jak miłość, AND Kryminalni. But she also moved over to Hollywood and landed episodic roles in some popular shows.

Some of these shows include "Supernatural" and "True Detective," among many others. One of her last known ones was in "NCIS: Los Angeles," where she played a character named Vanya Leonova in season 12, episode 2. In 2021, they also used her likeness in a videogame called "The Medium." She also played Elizabeth Taylor in a film called "Brigitte Bardot Forever."

Daniela Ruah - NCIS Special Agent Kensi Blye

Daniela Ruah is an actress who is most famous for her role in "NCIS: Los Angeles." She has played Special Agent Kensi Blye since the show first aired in 2009 and even played a part in a 2011 episode of the series "Hawaii Five-0," which existed in the same universe.

She also dabbled in theater, most notable landing a role in the David Auburn plays called "Proof." In 2018 she hosted the Eurovision Song Contest with Catarina Furtado, Sílvia Alberto and Filomena Cautela. She returned to "NCIS, Los Angeles" for another season in 2022 and also appeared in an episode of "Entertainment Tonight."

Duane Henry - Clayton Reeves

In his homeland of Britain, Duane Henry is famous for his roles in shows like "Doctor Who," "The Bill" and "Law & Order: UK." He found even more fame in America, where he had an episodic role in shows like Jericho. But things blew up for him when he landed a role in "NCIS."

He played Clayton Reeves on the show, initially as a recurring character during season 13. But for seasons 14 and 15, he became a regular cast member, eventually leaving the show in 2018. He also had a small role in Captain Marvel and, in 2021, had a role in a film called "Mistletoe in Montana."

Brian Dietzen - Dr. Jimmy Palmer

Brian Dietzen was part of a mass introduction of new characters to "NCIS" in the show's second season. He initially just had a recurring role in the series in 2004. But in 2012, he was finally given a break and was made a regular cast member.

Before his big break, he had some roles in a few pretty impressive shows, including "My Guide to Becoming a Rock Star" and "Perception." He also had a role in the NCIS spinoff "NCIS: New Orleans." In 2022, he returned to "NCIS" for another season.

Kiara Muhammad - Kayla Vance

Starting your career as a child has its perks. For one thing, you can land a ton of roles in various kids' shows. Take Kiara Muhammad, who had roles in everything from "Hannah Montana" to "Curb Your Enthusiasm," "Hart of Dixie," and "Mike and Molly," among others. One of those others was a stint in "NCIS."

She had a four-episode run on the show playing a character named Kayla Vance, showing a different side to her acting ability. However, she is even more famous for being the voice of the popular animated character Doc McStuffins. In 2021, she had a role in an episode of "Dave."

Troian Bellisario - Sarah McGee

Another actress who made her name at a young age, Troian Bellisario, started acting at the age of three, starring in "The Last Rites." The film was directed by her father, Donald P. Bellisario, and it opened doors for more projects for her like "First Monday" and "Quantum Leap."

One of those roles was also in "NCIS," where she spent one episode playing Sarah McGee. This character was the sister of the main character Special Agent Timothy McGee. This wasn't her biggest breakthrough, and she would star in "Pretty Little Liars." In 2022, she starred in a short film called "Poppet."

Catherine Bell - Lieutenant Colonel Sarah MacKenzie

Before there was "NCIS," there was "JAG," a legal drama series that "was meant to be a mix of "Top Gun" and "A Few Good Men." One of the show's stars was Catherine Bell, who played Lieutenant Colonel Sarah MacKenzie for nine of the show's ten seasons.

When NCIS was spawned, hers was one of the characters who had crossover roles. This helped the show in its early days and made Bell a viable actress, working in other projects like "Law & Order" and "Army Wives." In 2021, she starred in the last season of "The Good Witch."

David McCallum - Dr. Donald "Ducky" Mallard

With a career that goes back to the 1963 film "The Great Escape." He is also renowned for his roles in shows like "The Man from U.N.C.L.E." He also recorded four music albums during the '60s, but in modern times, he is known and loved or has a different role.

That role is as Dr. Donald 'Ducky' Mallard, the character he plays in "NCIS." He is part of the show's fixtures, having played the character from 2003 through 2022. On top of that, he also appeared in the spinoff "NCIS: New Orleans."

Mark Harmon - Agent Leroy Gibbs

Mark Harmon plays Agent Leroy Gibbs in "NCIS." Why is that important? Well, it's because that happens to be the show's lead character. This isn't his first time playing a lead, and he also had a prominent role in the series "St. Elsewhere," playing Dr. Robert Caldwell.

Harmon also had a role in "The West Wing" as special agent Simon Donovan before landing a guest role on "JAG" as Gibbs, which subsequently made him the leading man in NCIS. He also appeared in the Spinoff "NCIS: New Orleans." Harmon left NCIS in 2021.

Tamara Taylor - Special Agent Cassie Yates

Before she hit it big time, Canadian actress Tamara Taylor had a role in "NCIS." She played Special Agent Cassie Yates as a guest role in two seasons, and although the part never led to more screentime on the show for her, it did open doors to other shows.

The most notable is "Bones," the long-running police procedural drama where she played Dr. Camille Saroyan. She starred in his role from 2006 to 2017 when the show ended. And since 2021, she has been starring in a series called "Law & Order: Organized Crime."

Sarah Jane Morris - Special Agent Erica Jane “EJ” Barrett

Sarah Jane Morris has built a steady portfolio of roles, including parts in films and series like "Body of Proof," "Grey's Anatomy," "Coyote Ugly," and "Mad Men." But she is best known for her role in the drama "Brothers & Sisters."

She also had a stint on NCIS in a recurring role-playing NCIS Special Agent Erica Jane "EJ" Barrett from 2011 to 2012. Although not as a crossover character, the role was short-lived, and she also had a role in "Hawaii Five-0," although not as a crossover character. In 2021, she appeared in a TV series called "The 80s - Music's Greatest Decade?"

Jaime Murray - ICE agent Julia "Jules" Foster-Yates

Jaime Murray is an English actress who has worked on several well-known products both in Britain and America. This includes the BBC series "Hustle" and a host of American productions such as "Dexter," "Warehouse 13," and the mini-series "Spartacus: Gods of the Arena," among a host of others.

One of those others was a one-episode appearance on "NCIS." she played Julia "Jules" Foster-Yates, an Immigration Customs Enforcement agent who got under the skin of several regular NCIS members. This opened more doors for shows like "Defiance" and "Once Upon a Time." she also voice acts, and from 2018 to 2021 she voiced the villainous character Carmilla in "Castlevania."

Joel Gretsch - NCIS Special Agent Stan Burley

Joel Gretsch is a pretty prolific actor who has appeared in several high profiles and popular shows such as "Friends," "Saved By The Bell," and Melrose Place. He also starred in "JAG, although not as the same character he played in "NCIS."

For the former, he played Chief Hodge for one episode. But in the latter, he joined "NCIS" as a recurring character named "NCIS" Special Agent Stan Burley. He is well known for his time on "The 4400" and "The Vampire Diaries." In 2021 he appeared in a short called "Chupacabra."

Alicia Coppola - FBI agent Amy Rand

Before you get ahead of yourself, no, Alicia Coppola is not part of the Coppola family that gave us Francis Ford Coppola and Nicholas Cage. She is still a talented actress who got her big break hosting the MTV game show Remote control. She would gain national fame for her role in the soap "Another World."

In a strange little twist, she also has the distinction of playing two different characters on three related shows. She played lawyer Lieutenant Commander Faith Coleman in "JAG" and "NCIS" and also appeared in four episodes of NCIS: Los Angeles playing "FBI Agent Lisa Rand." In 2021 she appeared in a show called "Generation."

Diane Neal - Special Agent Abigail Borin

Diane Neal is most likely better known for her role in "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit," where she played the New York Assistant District Attorney Casey Novak. She had two separate stints on that show, one from 2003 to 2008 and another from 2011 to 2012.

However, she is also famous for another role: Special Agent Abigail, born in "NCIS." She appeared for four episodes as a troubled former soldier who joined the team shortly after returning home from Iraq. She also played the character in the spinoff show "NCIS: New Orleans."

Jamie Lee Curtis - Dr. Samantha Ryan

Jamie Lee Curtis's career is the stuff of legends. She is famous for her role as Laurie Strode in the Halloween movies. Her role in the original, along with other slasher films, earned he the label of a scream queen. But no screaming was required for her role in "NCIS."

For the show, she played Dr. Samantha Ryan, who appeared in five episodes of the show. The character was the Pentagon's Psy Ops division director and crossed paths with "NCIS" on a case, making their lives difficult. Curtis, who had nothing but good things to say about her experience, starred in "Halloween Kills" in 2021.

Meredith Eaton - Lab Technician Carol Wilson

As a person with dwarfism, Meredith Eaton has made a big impact in the acting world. Like Peter Dinklage of "Game of Thrones," Eaton has become famous for her acting talents. She is considered the first woman with her condition to land a regular role in a prime time series, "Family Law."

Eaton had a recurring role in another legal drama, "Boston Legal," and held a lead role as Matilda "Matty" Webber in the "MacGyver" reboot. She also participated in "NCIS" as the researcher and lab technician Carol Wilson. In 2021, she made her final appearance in "MacGyver."

Millie Bobby Brown - Rachel Barnes

Millie Bobby Brown has become a household name since she made her star turn in the Netflix series "Stranger Things." But before this, and her star turn in movies like "Godzilla: King of Monsters," "Godzilla vs Kong" and "Enola Holmes," she had a blink-and-you'll-miss-it part in "NCIS."

She briefly played Rachel Barnes, a victim's daughter in the show, but it was really nothing to write home about. She went on to become a big star, though, and will reprise her role as Eleven in the fourth season of "Stranger Things."

Jessica Steen - Special Agent Paula Cassidy

During the first four seasons of "NCIS," Jessica Steen played the role of Special Agent Paula Cassidy. Her's was a recurring role, and she only played the character in six episodes of the show before eventually being killed off. It did act as a springboard for other shows, including "Supernatural," "Grey's Anatomy," and "Sacred Lies."

She also had a couple of film roles, such as the made-for-TV film "Slap Shot 2: Breaking the Ice" and a 2013 short film called "The Sound of Willie Nelson's Guitar." From 2007 to 2021, she starred in the series "Heartland."

Juliette Angelo - Emily Fornell

Being the diverse and detailed show that it is, "NCIS" has all of its bases covered when it comes to characters and their development. To have this, showrunners create family dynamics that add to the complexity of the characters' lives, which was how Juliette Angelo came in with her character.

She played a character named Emily Fornell, the daughter of ex-FBI Agent Tobias Fornell. Her appearances were sporadic at most, although she did return for a few episodes in 2021. She has also had parts in "Shameless" and the film "I'll Be Next Door for Christmas."

Margo Harshman - Delilah Fielding

Since she was two years old, Margo Harshman has been in the performing arts. She has been in beauty pageants and has taken piano lessons, dance lessons, gymnastics, and acting. None of these, barring the acting classes, counted for her stint in "NCIS," although she did a great job.

She played the character of Delilah Fielding, who used a wheelchair and worked as a US Department of Defense intelligence analyst. She was last in the role in 2021, and 2022 had a part in an episode of the spinoff show "How I Met Your Father."

Mary Mouser - Kelly Gibbs

If there is one thing that Mary Mouser has become renowned for, it's playing the daughter of a lead character. She is most famous for playing Samantha LaRusso, daughter of "Karate Kid" protagonist Daniel LaRusso, in the smash-hit series "Cobra Kai."

She had some practice because before grabbing her defining role, she was cast as Kelly Gibbs in "NCIS," the daughter of the leading character Leroy Jethro Gibbs. Besides Cobra Kai, she has also become popular on various shows, and in 2021 appeared in "Christy's Kitchen Throwback," "Snacks + Reacts," and "The Kelly Clarkson Show."

Pancho Demmings - Gerald Jackson

It's incredible how things have changed for "NCIS" over the years. In 2021 Mark Harmon, who has been on the show since episode one as the lead character, left the show. Another guy who was in it from the beginning, although left way before Harmon did, was Pancho Demmings.

Demmings had a recurring role in the show from 2003 to 2005, playing assistant medical examiner Gerald Jackson. He left the show after his character was written out but continued to find work, with roles in notable shoes like "CSI," "24," "General Hospital," and "Bones," among many others. In 2020, he appeared in a show called "Let's Dive In."

Maria Bello - Dr. Jacqueline "Jack" Sloane

Maria Bello is renowned for her tough-as-nails exterior, showcased in films like "Coyote Ugly" and the "Grown Ups" series of films. She also had TV roles in "ER" and, in 2017, joined the cast of "NCIS." In it, she played the psychologist Dr. Jacqueline "Jack" Sloane and became quite a hit with the fans.

But the character eventually ran its course, and in 2021 she left the show. She hasn't shared any plans with anyone recently, although she made quite a few appearances that same year, with the most notable being her appearance in the Facebook streaming show "Red Table Talk."

Stephanie Mello - Cynthia Sumner

Stephanie Mello may not have the most extensive acting portfolio, but sometimes it's all about quality instead of quantity. She got her big start on the early '90s sitcom "Growing Pains" and followed this up with roles in the popular soap opera "The Bold and the Beautiful" and the movie "Co-Incidence."

She also had a long-running recurring role in "NCIS," playing an MTAC Tech called Cynthia Sumner. The part lasted from 2005 to 2007, and she followed this up with work on the 2013 movie "Big Time Rush" as a casting director. She hasn't been active since then.

Abigail Breslin - Sandy Watson

Before she even made her appearance in "NCIS," Abigail Breslin already had a role in massive production. She made her acting debut in 2002 with a role in M. Night Shyamalan's "Signs." In 2004, she made her one-episode appearance in "NCIS," playing a little girl named Sandy Watson.

She has since gone on to star in plenty of other projects. These include the two "Zombieland" movies, "Perfect Sisters" and 2021's "Stillwater." She still dabbled in some TV work, with the leading role in "Scream Queens" and the 2017 remake of the film "Dirty Dancing."

Susanna Thompson - Army Lieutenant Colonel Hollis Mann

Susanna Thompson has had a long and diverse career, starting with roles in kids' films like "Little Giants" to dramas like "Ghosts of Mississippi." She also dabbled in sci-fi, playing in two iterations of "Star Trek, "Dr. Lenara Kahn in "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine" and the Borg Queen in "Star Trek: Voyager."

She also delved into forensic drama with her role in "NCIS." She had a recurring part in the series playing Army Lt. Col. Hollis Mann for eight episodes between 2006 and 2015. Since then, she also had a starring role in the popular series "Arrow" and, in 2021, had a role in the film "Malignant."

Marisol Nichols - Special Agent Zoe Keates

Some actors and actresses made their careers in "NCIS," others were already established stars when they either brought their star power to the show or made an episodic appearance to bring some gravitas to a particular show. This could be what Marisol Nichols's appearance in the series was like.

By the time she made her two-episode appearance in "NCIS" she had already had the leading role in the iconic show "24." She even made an appearance in "NCIS: Los Angeles" before eventually appearing as special agent Zoe Keates. She also had a role in "Riverdale" from 2017 to 2021.

Jacqueline Obradors - Paloma Reynosa

Jacqueline Obradors is another actress famous for many other roles before she made her appearance on "NCIS." Some of the films she starred in include "Six Days, Seven Nights," "A Man Apart," as well as TV appearances in "NYPD Blue." She even had a voice role in "Atlantis: The Lost Empire."

This means her three-episode run on "NCIS" was just a pass-through, although it was still a pretty powerful performance. She played Paloma Reynosa, a narcotics cartel ringleader. In 2021, she appeared in "NCIS: Los Angeles" and, in 2022, she did voice work on "Catwoman: Hunted."

Claudia Black - Velvet Road

Everyone who makes it big in acting in Australia had a stint on either "Neighbours" or "Home and Away." For Claudia Black, it was the latter, and her career made a round trip to Hollywood where she had parts in shows like "Farscape" and "Stargate SG-1."

Black had a short stint in "NCIS," where she played a bike riding narcotics dealer named Velvet Road. She is also quite popular in the video game industry and does voice and sometimes motion capture for the video games like "God of War," "Mass Effect 2," and "Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception." She appeared in the 2021 show "The Nevers."

Darby Stanchfield - Shannon Gibbs

All characters are essential to a show, but some affect it differently from others, like Shannon Gibbs, who Darby Stanchfield played on "NCIS." She is the deceased wife of lead character Leroy Jethro Gibbs and pops up in his memories, partially affecting his behavior and interactions in the show.

Stanchfield didn't stop acting after that role, as she was pretty busy before and after with works in projects like "Diagnoses: Murder." She was also in films like "Waitress" and shows like "Mad Men" and "Jericho." She eventually took the lead role in the Netflix series "Locke & Key."

Sarah Clarke - Special Agent Tess Monroe

While she had already made her mark on the TV landscape as the character Nina Myers in the popular action series "24." She had attached herself to another big blockbuster production when she played Renée Dwyer, the mother of Bella Swan, in the "Twilight" film series.

Another primary production she had a role in is "NCIS." In 2016, she had a two-episode stint on the show, playing Special Agent Tess Monroe. She followed this up with an episodic appearance in "Law & Order: SVU" and in 2021 had a role in a film called "CODA."

Cote de Pablo - Ziva David

At the age of 15, Chilean actress Cote de Pablo was already making waves, hosting a talk show called "Control" with Carlos Ponce, previously a host of "Entertainment Tonight." However, it was as the former Mossad agent Ziva David that she made her real impact.

She played the role of a former Israeli agent in "NCIS" from 2003 to 2011 and showcased her other talent as a singer, notably performing a part of the song "Temptation" by Tom Waits. She reprised her role for a few episodes in 2019 and did this again for one more in 2020.

Pauley Perrette - Forensic Scientist Abby Sciuto

If there is one person who is more recognized than Mark Harmon for being in "NCIS," It's Pauley Perrette. She is famous for her role as the goth-meets-punk forensic scientist Abby Scuito, becoming a fan favorite with her dark look.

But it turns out she was just a bubbly girl, ironically Perrette's actual personality, which is why fans were shocked when she announced that she was leaving the show. She went on to star in a sitcom called "Broke" in 2020, but it got canceled, and Perrette announced her retirement soon after.

Laura San Giacomo - Dr. Grace Confalone

Where does one start with Laura San Giacomo? She has had roles in some big movies and shows, including an Independent Spirit Award win for "S**, Lies, and Videotape." She also had a role in "Pretty Woman" and played Nadine Cross in the 1994 films version of the Stephen King epic "The Stand."

She has also had long-running roles in shows like "Just Shoot Me!" and "Saving Grace." Another one of her long stints came in "NCIS," where she played Dr. Grace Confalone from 2016 to 2019. Since then, she has moved into film roles, playing in 2021's "Violet" and 2022's "As We See It."