When you work on the NCIS team, your life is always on the line — and many beloved
characters have paid the ultimate price in pursuit of justice.
Let's take a look at what some of these actors have been up to ever since their NCIS character
went kaput.
Played by Sasha Alexander, former Secret Service Agent Caitlin Todd was fiercely intelligent
and could easily craft detailed psychological profiles of her suspects on the spot.
She was smart, but not immortal: In season 2, she's caught off guard by a terrorist cell
in a warehouse and ultimately assassinated by a sniper.
This grisly development caught viewers completely by surprise, especially since she'd already
been shot once during the episode.
A bulletproof vest saved the day the first time around, but alas, she wasn't so lucky
the second time.
Since leaving NCIS, Alexander landed the plum role of medical examiner Dr. Maura Isles on
another crime drama, Rizzoli & Isles.
She also had a recurring role on Shameless as Helene Runyan, and has appeared in supporting
roles in films like Yes Man and He's Just Not That Into You.
Played by Alan Dale, former NCIS Director Tom Morrow still felt a certain responsibility
towards his old team after retiring from the job but that commitment ultimately cost him
his life.
Still, he really knew his stuff just listen to this:
"She worked at the Russian embassy in Turkey.
The raid went pear-shaped and she was killed!
Not ideal, but mission accomplished."
"Meaning?"
In the Season 13 episode, "Return to Sender," Gibbs visits Morrow's home and finds him very
much dead in his office.
We later find out he was killed by Trent Kort, a former CIA operative who proved to be the
worst kind of traitor.
Once Morrow's time on NCIS was up, Dale joined the cast of the Dynasty reboot in 2007, playing
the role of Carrington family majordomo Joseph Anders.
"I know I'm going to regret asking, but what exactly is going on?"
Dale got his start on the popular Australian soap opera Neighbours beginning in 1985, and
made two subsequent guest appearances on the show in 2018 and 2019.
"Ah, you know, I have a real chance now with Jane."
"AH.
THE LOVELY JANE."
The death of Special Agent Michelle Lee was a shocker.
Played by actress Liza Lapira, Lee served on the Major Case Response Team... and she
was hiding quite the secret.
She was a mole who was constantly leaking classified and sensitive information.
When the truth is discovered, she confesses.
Later on in the episode, Lee sacrifices herself to stop her handler, Ted Bankstan, from escaping.
He uses her as a human shield, and she gives Gibbs the signal to shoot through her.
Lapira has appeared in quite a few films since leaving the show.
She played Sophie Trinh in the 2009 film Fast and Furious and memorably portrayed smart-alecy
Liz in Crazy, Stupid, Love.
More recently, Lapira played Mia in the Netflix series Unbelievable, based on the true story
of two female detectives investigating an assault case.
Played by Muse Watson, Michael Franks is the man who mentored Gibbs and he was an invaluable
member of the NCIS team.
Unfortunately, Franks wound up being brutally stabbed by a serial killer outside of Gibbs
house.
Watson is set to appear in the horror film The Dead Ones, and he's landed a role on the
upcoming miniseries Diary of a Lunatic, a follow-up to the film Diary of a Lunatic:
Trew’s Calling.
In 2005, Lauren Holly joined the cast of NCIS as Jenny Shepard, the new Director of NCIS.
The character is subsequently killed off in the Season 5 episode "Judgement Day: Part
1" after she's cornered by gun-toting assassins in an abandoned diner.
She doesn't survive the encounter… but at least she proves to be exceedingly difficult
to kill.
Following her exit from the show, Holly was cast as Dr. Betty Rogers on the mystery series
Motive a stint that began in 2013 and ended in 2016.
She also plays the troubled Lynn Harper in the third season of Designated Survivor.
Played by Matt Jones, Ned Dorneget's time with the NCIS team didn't last long, but he
was an integral part of the crew for several seasons.
The character died valiantly as he tried to lead hotel guests to safety following a bomb
threat.
Unfortunately, that threat wasn't an empty one.
Dorneget may no longer be with us, but Jones' career is certainly alive and kicking.
Since 2013, he's played the lovable bad boy Baxter on the critically acclaimed series
Mom.
It's safe to say this is much lighter fare than NCIS.
"You don't make a habit of burying money in my backyard, do you?"
"I'm not really sure that's any of your business."
Jones is also featured in the wacky TV show Let's Get Physical, and in 2019, he memorably
reprised his role as Badger in El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie.
In March 2014, Lucas Black made his first appearance as Special Agent Christopher LaSalle
on NCIS.
Then in September of that year, he began his long-running stint on the spin-off series
NCIS: New Orleans and quickly became a fan favorite.
But in Season 6, LaSalle was unceremoniously shot while trying to avenge the death of his
brother.
"Christopher…?
God, no!"
Some fans are worried that NCIS: New Orleans won't feel like the same show without Black:
He was an absolutely essential part of the series.
Some viewers suspected he left because of bad blood behind the scenes, but the truth
is actually far less dramatic than that.
It sounds like Black just wants to spend more time with his family.
"There's a lot of priorities in my life that get sacrificed for me to be here.
But it's time for me to focus on those priorities."
As for what acting gigs are in his future, we'll just have to wait and see.
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