Shine Bright
This year at the SAG Awards, the host made up a drinking game, imploring the actors in the audience to take a drink if they appeared on Law & Order before they were famous. Well, one show that could give L&O a run for its money is NCIS, which has had some pretty famous guest stars throughout its long, long life on TV.
Since 2003, NCIS has got some seriously big names to make appearances. Some of them appeared when they were just starting off, while others were already huge stars. Do you remember these amazing
Colin Hanks
Why guest star in one episode when you can appear in three? In season 10 and 11 of NCIS, Colin Hanks—son of Tom Hanks and star of projects like Fargo, Orange County, and King Kong—appeared as Department of Defense officer Richard Parsons. After Ziva killed a Mossad director in an effort to avenge her father, Hanks’ character came to take a close look at the NCIS team, specifically focusing on Gibbs.
Ultimately, Gibbs proves himself to Parsons—was there ever any doubt?—kickstarting season 11 of NCIS.
Nan Palmero, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
Jamie Lee Curtis
Curtis was born to Hollywood royalty, the daughter of Tony Curtis and scream queen Janet Leigh. She went on to become a scream queen in her own right in the original Halloween and had a fruitful career through the 80s and 90s in films like Trading Places and True Lies. Curtis then appeared in a show-stopping cameo in season 9, playing Dr Samantha Ryan, director of the DoD’s PsyOps division.
What seemed like a one-time appearance ended up turning into a whole character arc as Dr Ryan became involved with Gibbs. Curtis ended up appearing in five episodes of season 9 of
Gage Skidmore, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
Millie Bobby Brown
At the time, most audience members probably didn’t know who the young actor playing a 10-year-old sociopath who kills her mom was—but we’d bet that few people who caught that season 12 episode would forget the creepy character or the disturbing performance. If the character of Rachel Barnes looked familiar, it’s because she was played by Millie Bobby Brown, just two years before she went on the star as Eleven in Stranger Things, which was a huge hit from the very moment it first aired on Netflix in 2016.
Laviru Koruwakankanamge, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
Drew Carey
Is there a bigger get as a guest star then the host of one of America’s most beloved game shows, The Price Is Right? (Spoiler alert: Yes, and she appears later on this list). Carey showed up in season 15, playing a veteran who’d been framed for murder.
Mercy For Animals MFA, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
Lily Tomlin
Tomlin was a successful stand-up comedian before transitioning to acting, netting an Oscar nomination for her turn in Nashville. More recently, she’s stayed in the spotlight thanks to her collaborations with Jane Fonda, like the show Grace and Frankie and the movie 80 For Brady. Tomlin showed up in NCIS season 9—same as Jamie Lee Curtis—in a great part, playing McGee’s grandmother. She brought her characteristic sense of humor to the role.
U.S. Department of State, Wikimedia Commons
Ray Wise
Is that Laura Palmer’s father? Twin Peaks star Ray Wise appeared in season 9 of NCIS, as a scheming real estate developer. Play to your type, Ray!
Michael Koschinski., CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
Glen Powell
Powell shot to fame as the star of Top Gun: Maverick and Twisters—but many people may have seen those movies and found him uncannily familiar. That’s because Powell was out there toiling away in various small roles and TV series before he became a big star. Among those projects was a very early role in NCIS, all the way back in 2012, where he appeared for two episodes as a Marine Sergeant whose brother is under investigation.
Gage Skidmore, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
Jon Cryer
If there’s one guest star who knows long-running shows, it’s Jon Cryer, who starred on Two and a Half Men for a whopping 12 seasons. Cryer was also a huge star in the 80s, after his unforgettable turn as Ducky in Pretty in Pink. On NCIS, he played Dr Cyril Taft for three episodes in season 13. Years earlier, Cryer had confessed that he was an NCIS fan and that it was his dream to appear on the show. Dreams do come true!
Angela George, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
Robert Wagner
Speaking of Two and a Half Men…Hollywood icon Robert Wagner appeared in a recurring role in both that sitcom and NCIS. Long before those hit shows were a twinkle in their respective creators’ eyes, Wagner was a TV mainstay in shows like Switch and Hart to Hart. In 2010, he took on the role of Anthony DiNozzo Sr—Tony’s father—and since then, has appeared in 13 different episodes across nine years. What a run!
notaspringchick3D, CC BY 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
David Eigenberg
While Eigenberg is perhaps most recognizable as Steve from Sex and the City, as well as its movies and revival series, he’s also been an integral part of Chicago Fire since 2012. When he wasn’t busy with those time-consuming projects, he appeared as a former NSA analyst suspected of his wife’s murder in season 6 of NCIS.
Defense Visual Information Distribution Service, Picryl
Zac Efron
Zac Efron appeared on a season 3 episode of NCIS, and since he wasn’t quite the megastar he is today, it was a small part. The episode aired just three days before he found fame as the star of High School Musical. In the same NCIS scene, Fargo star Jesse Plemons played Efron’s classmate—he also hadn’t quite found stardom yet, as he had just got his breakout role on Friday Night Lights.
Featureflash Photo Agency, Flickr
Joe Spano
The name Joe Spano might not jump out at you, but he’s a beloved character actor with the resume to back that up. He was a regular on Hill Street Blues, which, to many people, was the series that kicked off the trend for police procedurals on TV, tracing a line from that show up to 90s hits like Law & Order and then, eventually, to JAG and NCIS. Spano has also appeared in Apollo 13 and Primal Fear.
Spano was one of the first guests on NCIS, appearing in the pilot as FBI Special Agent TC Fornell.
Sam, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
Abigail Breslin
Breslin also appeared on NCIS before she was really a big name, all the way back in 2004 for season 2. At that time, she had already appeared in Signs, from M Night Shyamalan, but had yet to appear in her breakout role in Little Miss Sunshine. In NCIS, she played the blind daughter of a Navy captain.
Gage Skidmore, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
Bob Newhart
Few TV stars have had an impact like Bob Newhart, who had not one, but two namesake shows—The Bob Newhart Show and Newhart—running through the 70s, 80s, and 90s. Newhart didn’t slow down in his old age, either, winning new fans as Papa Elf in Elf. In 2011, during season 8 of NCIS, Newhart appeared as Dr Walter Magnus, Ducky’s mentor and his predecessor as Chief Medical Examiner. He reprised the role 10 seasons later, in season 18 for the series’ 400th episode.
Jim Wallace, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
Josh Holloway
As a spinoff of the hit show JAG, NCIS was able to net some pretty cool guests all the way back in the beginning. One such get was Josh Holloway, who appeared in an episode part way through season 1, who played a local sheriff in West Virginia. Just a few months later,
gageskidmore, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
Terry O’Quinn
Speaking of Lost, Holloway wasn’t the only star to have a turn on NCIS. Terry O’Quinn got his shot playing Colonel William Ryan, also in a first season episode. His character fought in Desert Storm and was Gibbs’ superior. Before that, O’Quinn had a recurring role on JAG as Thomas Boone.
Genevieve, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
Gena Rowlands
Gena Rowlands is considered to be one of the greatest actresses of all time, known for 70s fare like A Woman Under the Influence, as well as the 2000s instant classic The Notebook. In NCIS, she made an appearance as Gibb’s ex-mother-in-law.
Scott Wolf
Season 9 wouldn’t have been the same without 90s heartthrob and Party of Five star Scott Wolf. He showed up as Jonathan Cole (AKA Casey Stratton), a former US Army Special Forces soldier with the rank of Captain, and also a member of the special operations team, Phantom Eight…with quite the body count.
Gage Skidmore, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
Mya
In what seems like an unlikely cameo, R&B/pop star Mya appeared in season 2 of NCIS, fresh off her appearance on the ensemble hit “Lady Marmalade”. Fittingly, she played Samantha King, AKA Jade, a club singer in the episode.
WBLS, CC BY 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
Corey Stoll
What hasn’t Corey Stoll been in? From regular roles in House of Cards to Billions to Law & Order: LA, as well as the Ant-Man series, Stoll has stayed booked and busy. Ever the hard worker, Stoll appeared in three episodes of NCIS during seasons 4 and 5 as Martin Quinn, an arms dealer, and associate of Rene Benoit.
Gage Skidmore, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
Armand Assante
And who played Rene Benoit? None other than screen icon Armand Assante, and off-the-wall presence in the vein of Nicolas Cage or Christopher Walken. Assante brought his unmistakable je-ne-sais-quoi to the character of Rene Benoit, AKA La Grenouille, in five episodes of
Armand Assante, CC0, Wikimedia Commons
Meredith Eaton
Eaton was one of the breakout stars of the long-running drama Boston Legal. After that show wrapped up, Eaton took on the recurring role of Carol Wilson in NCIS, appearing in five different episodes and even crossing over to NCIS: New Orleans during its first season. Wilson is a college friend of Abby’s.
Billy Dee Williams
Even wondered how Gibbs got his name? Well,
Super Festivals, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
Danica McKellar
Wonder Years star McKellar—who you may also know as the crush of every male who grew up in the 90s—was in one episode of NCIS in its second season, where she met a dark end.
Fuzheado, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
Jonathan Frakes
Since his turn as Riker in Star Trek: The Next Generation, Frakes has filled some of his time with directing gigs. Though he’s never appeared on the OG NCIS, Frakes has directed five episodes of NCIS: Los Angeles, and even made an appearance in once.
Super Festivals, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
Michelle Obama
There’s big guest stars, and then there’s the First Lady of the United States. In season 13, Michelle Obama made an appearance, playing herself and promoting the organization she’d started to support vets, active military personnel, and their respective families.
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