Anthony DiNozzo
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Senior Special Agent Anthony "Tony" DiNozzo is an investigator on the television series NCIS on CBS Television. He is portrayed by actor Michael Weatherly.
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[edit] Character
Anthony DiNozzo is a streetwise former homicide detective. He is well known for his constant flirtation with nearly every woman he encounters. Some may consider his behavior to be borderline chauvinistic. He has an expensive taste in clothing evidenced by his love for designer names. Though he is in his early 30s, he typically shows teenage behavior. [1] He is considered to be very loyal to his coworkers at NCIS, particularly his supervisor, Gibbs. Tony delights in quoting movies in everyday life, often finding parallels between them and current situations. He often mimics the original actor when quoting them, such as Sean Connery's James Bond.
Although his often-immature behavior has gotten Tony into his share of hot water, he has also demonstrated himself to be an insightful agent when the need arises, and on more than one occasion has surprised Gibbs and his teammates when an apparently immature action on his part actually causes (more often by design than by accident) new evidence to be uncovered.
Tony himself claims to have 20/10 vision but in an early first season episode he can be seen wearing glasses at his desk before promptly taking them off to talk to Gibbs.
Tony is very fond of Gibbs' odd interrogation technique, placing the suspect in the interrogation room for an extremely long time. Tony has even named the technique, calling it "Rock The Baby"
Tony is extremely compassionate with victims of crimes, even going so far to leave an investigation to comfort the victim. In the Season 4 episode "Sandblast," the victim's son, who should be leaving for Princeton University soon, decides to avenge his father's death by joining the Marine Corps. Tony, while not specifically telling him to go to college, eventually convinces him to go to school because it is what his dad would have wanted.
[edit] Education and Work History
- Prep School - Rhode Island Military Academy
- Ohio State - BA in Physical Education
- Peoria, IL Police Department - 2 years
- Philadelphia, PA Police Department - 18 months
- Baltimore, MD Police Department - 22 months
- Naval Criminal Investigative Service, Washington D.C. - 30 months
[edit] Relationships
Tony is almost constantly talking about his latest girlfriend - or one-night stand. He pursues girls on a regular basis, typically indiscriminately (though he has shown an aversion to women who don't shave). Most of these relationships fail to progress past a certain point (one actually turns out to be a terrorist working with Ari Haswari; another turns out to be a pre-operative transsexual who murdered one of his co-workers).
However, in the Season 4 episode "Sandblast," Tony is seen with a new girl, who specifically asks him why he hasn't looked at 12 other co-eds that have walked past. Ziva also observes that Tony has been acting strangely (for him anyway) around beautiful women recently. Tony seems genuinelly interested in his new girlfriend, a medical student named Jeanne Benoit (played by Scottie Thompson), he has even told her that he is quietly searching for the right woman. In the ninth episode, it is revealed that he and Jeanne have not consummated their relationship, because he wants to take it slow out of fear of this relationship becoming like his earlier ones. He even visits Director Shepherd for advice on his relationship (her final advice is "What's stopping you?" and "Good luck."). Tony and Jeanne subsequently have sex in the episode "Smoked".
His relationships with coworkers vary. He greatly respects Gibbs and claims to have a father/son-type relationship with him, a feeling supported by the "tough love" Gibbs often demonstrates. Gibbs has the tendency to smack Tony on the back of the head whenever he says or does something inappropriate. Although this annoys Tony, it also appears to be something he has come to expect from his boss; when Kate gives him a similar smack in the season 1 finale "Reveille" he reacts with momentary anger indicating only Gibbs is allowed to do that. His relationship with forensics expert Abby Sciuto tends to be brotherly. Tony himself considers his relationship with Timothy McGee to be abusive. Part of this could be considered hazing, as McGee is relatively new to the NCIS team and ranks only as a probationary field agent, hence Tony's favorite nickname for him: Probie. However, in episode 3x10 "Probie", Tony goes out of his way to support McGee and makes an effort to cheer him up, showing that Tony really does care for him on some level. Tony's relationship with Kate was also sisterly, but with a constant undertone of flirtation and the possibility of something more. Tony and Kate constantly competed. His relationship with Kate's successor, Ziva David, has been sort of a cat and mouse relationship with an unspoken attraction between them. The two also often try to outdo each other in verbal and physical competitions.
In the first episode of the 2006-2007 season Ziva learns that Mossad, apparently on her father's orders, has been conducting surveillance on her for several months; the surveillance reveals that Tony has been visiting her at her apartment on an almost nightly basis, leading to suggestions that the two have become intimate. She does not confirm nor deny the implication in the episode and it remains to be seen whether the surveillance portrays the actual circumstances of the visits. The subsequent introduction of Jeanne Benoit indicates no romantic relationship currently exists with Ziva.
In the fourth season, Tony's relationship with Jenny Shepherd appears to have warmed considerably in comparison to the end of the third season, with DiNozzo occasionally being caught referring to her by her first name; this leads Gibbs to openly question DiNozzo's relationship with the director. In "Smoked" it is revealed that Tony is involved in an ongoing operation run by Shepherd, the details of which are being withheld from Gibbs.
[edit] Family
Tony comes from a wealthy family based on Long Island. He is an only child and cut off from his family's fortune. His birth mother is supposedly dead. In episode 2x10 it is insinuated that his father was an alcoholic.
[edit] Trivia
- Tony apparently speaks Spanish, in the episode Marine Down(1×9), Gibbs has Tony read a Spanish language newspaper.
- Tony is known for his love of designer clothing, particularly Ermenegildo Zegna. SWAK, (2×22)
- Tony stated a few times that he was on the varsity basketball team at Ohio State. This team was apparently good, as he stated that they made it to the Final Four at one point before losing to UCLA. (1×19)
- His father was an American Civil War reenactor, and during reenactments Tony carried the "poop bucket", he now is upset by anything to do with the Civil War. Silver War(3×4)
[edit] Notable Episodes
- 1x20 "Missing" While Undercover, Tony drinks a laced drink, and is kidnapped. He wakes up in a cell with a marine who has also been kidnapped. Using a hidden knife and a pair of shoelaces, Tony orchestrates their escape.
- 2x10 "Chained" While undercover, Tony ends up on the run with a serial killer and loses contact with NCIS.
- 2x22 "SWAK" Tony opens an envelope in the NCIS office containing white powder - pneumonic plague. He is admitted to Bethesda Naval Hospital when his blood tests positive for the infection.
- 3x09 "Frame-Up" In which Tony is framed for murder.
- 3x18 "Bait" When Gibbs is held hostage by a student with a bomb at a Naval high school, Tony is left in charge of operations. His leadership ability and tactics in dealing with the hostage situation are showcased.
- 3x24 "Hiatus (2)" Tony takes over leadership of the team when Gibbs resigns.
| NCIS |
|---|
| Main Page | Episode List | Official website Naval Criminal Investigative Service |
| Current Characters |
| Leroy Gibbs | Tony DiNozzo | Ziva David | Timothy McGee | Abby Sciuto | Ducky Mallard | Jenny Shepard |
| Former Characters |
| Caitlin Todd | Ari Haswari | Chip Sterling |
