Leroy Jethro Gibbs

Leroy Jethro Gibbs (born November 21, 1954) is a fictional character and the original protagonist of the CBS TV series NCIS, portrayed by Mark Harmon in the original series and by Austin Stowell in the prequel series NCIS: Origins. He is a former U.S. Marine Corps Scout Sniper turned special agent who commands a team for the Naval Criminal Investigative Service.

Gibbs is the most accomplished marksman on the team and the most skilled at handling violent standoffs; he depends on his other agents heavily for technical forensics and background checks. He is patient but firm with his team and has little patience for bureaucracy; he commands most other main characters—including his current staff Timothy McGee, Nick Torres and, briefly, Jessica Knight and previous staff Caitlin Todd (killed in the line of duty), Anthony DiNozzo (left to look after his newly found daughter), Ziva David (presumed as killed after leaving NCIS; later revealed to have gone into hiding), Alexandra Quinn (left to look after her sick mother), Clayton Reeves (killed while defending Abby Sciuto), Ellie Bishop (left presumably for a CIA undercover mission with Odette Malone) and Jacqueline Sloane (left to pursue humanitarian work in Afghanistan). Having found peace in Alaska for the first time since his family's death, Gibbs leaves NCIS in the 2021 episode "Great Wide Open" in search of adventure.

Since 2024, Austin Stowell has starred as a younger Gibbs in the prequel series NCIS: Origins.