Murder plots, stolen submarines and, as always, work drama fill the days of the NCIS stars. But these crime-fighting TV stalwarts weren’t always ready to queue up on the screen for a dose of detective department drama.
Find out what the cast looked like when they made their start on the screen and what they’re getting up to now – from ABC Afterschool Specials to super-stardom, chart their rise to the top.
© MediaPunch via Getty Images,Getty ImagesMark Harmon has made his mark on the screen in NCIS and alongside Lindsay Lohan in ‘Freaky Friday’
Mark Harmon
The two-time Primetime Emmy nominee has some seriously memorable cinema under his belt, appearing in 2000s classics like Chasing Liberty and Freaky Friday.
He started acting in the mid-’70s with episodic appearances in Adam-12, Ozzie’s Girls and Emergency!. Hejoined the NCIS crew in 2003 and remained on the show until 2021, branching off to NCIS: Origins three years later
Pauley brought fan-favourite Abby Sciuto to the screen on ‘NCIS’
Pauley Perrette
Pauley Perrette is a staple of the NCIS team, appearing on 354 episodes of the series between 2003 and 2018. She got her acting start on ABC Afterschool Specials in 1994 and Moloney in 1996.
Since then, she’s worked on 2000 classic Almost Famous, Dawson’s Creek and in 2020 worked on 13 episodes of TV series Broke.
© Patrick McMullan via Getty Images,Getty Images for Paramount+Cote de Pablo co-stars in NCIS spinoff ‘NCIS: Tony & Ziva’
Cote de Pablo
Cote de Pablo joined NCIS in 2005, working on the show for eight years and eventually starring in spinoff NCIS: Tony & Ziva. She started acting just five years before her standout role, appearing in an episode of drama series The $treet.
Her other early roles include castings in All My Children (2002), The Jury (2004) and The Education of Max Bickford (2001).
© Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty Images,Getty Images for Paramount+Michael worked on a whopping 440 episodes of ‘Loving’ before he joined the ‘NCIS’ crew
Michael Weatherly
It wouldn’t be NCIS without Michael Weatherly. The actor has worked on several variations of the show, including NCIS: New Orleans, NCIS: Los Angeles and NCIS: Tony & Ziva.
Before he took the plunge into the on-screen Naval Criminal Investigative Service (yes, that is what it stands for), Michael first appeared in an uncredited role on The Cosby Show and starred in a jaw-dropping 440 episodes of ’90s soap Loving as Cooper Alden.
© CBS via Getty ImagesSean Murray has brought Timothy McGee to our screens for an impressive 488 episodes so far
Sean Murray
With 488 episodes of NCIS to his name, it’s fair to say Sean Murray has made an impact on the franchise. But before he was gracing our screens as Timothy McGee, Sean got his start in 1991 TV movie Backfield in Motion.
Two years later, he worked alongside Bette Midler and Sarah Jessica Parker in Hocus Pocus. He’s still busy with the NCIS cast today, but eagle-eyed fans will also remember he took on a different kind of military mystery when he recurred as Danny Walden on the ’90s hit JAG.
© AFP via Getty Images,WireImage via Getty ImagesKatrina started acting in 2000 and has since become a regular on ‘NCIS’
Katrina Law
Katrina Law was a later addition to the NCIS cast, joining the team as Jessica Knight in 2021. To date, she’s appeared in 91 episodes of the hit series and worked on two episodes of spin-off NCIS: Hawai’i.
It’s not too far of a stretch for the actress who worked on 22 episodes of Hawaii Five-O. But before she was solving crimes in the sun, Katrina got her start in 2000, alongside John Travolta and Lisa Kudrow in comedy film Lucky Numbers.