List of ''NCIS: Los Angeles'' characters

This is an overview of regular and recurring characters on the TV series NCIS: Los Angeles.

Main characters

Main cast

Actor	Character	Seasons
		1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8
Chris O'Donnell	G. Callen	Main
Peter Cambor	Nate Getz	Main	Recurring
Daniela Ruah	Kensi Blye	Main
Adam Jamal Craig[lower-alpha 1]	Dominic Vail	Main	N/A
LL Cool J	Sam Hanna	Main
Linda Hunt	Hetty Lange	Main
Barrett Foa	Eric Beale	Main
Eric Christian Olsen	Marty Deeks	Recurring	Main
Renée Felice Smith	Nell Jones	N/A	Main
Miguel Ferrer	Owen Granger	N/A		Recurring		Main

Notes

G. Callen

G. Callen (portrayed by Chris O'Donnell) is a Special Agent in Charge assigned to the NCIS Office of Special Projects.

Nate "Doc" Getz

Nate "Doc" Getz
First appearance	"Legend (Part 1)" (NCIS episode)
Last appearance	Kulinda
Portrayed by	Peter Cambor
Information
Nickname(s)	Nate, Doc
Gender	Male
Occupation	Operational Psychologist
Title	Operational Liaison in the Middle East
Nationality	American

Dr. Nate Getz (portrayed by Peter Cambor) is an operational psychologist working with NCIS, stationed in Los Angeles, introduced in the series' backdoor pilot, "Legend" from NCIS. Nate's specialty is psychology, and he holds both a master's degree and Ph.D. in the field. He states in the episode "Callen, G" that he was abducted by aliens as a child.

He observes surveillance tapes and watches/handles interrogations in order to make a psychological profile. He is also responsible for performing periodic psychological evaluations of the NCIS OSP personnel and to provide ongoing monitoring of their mental health. He is afraid of disobeying orders from Hetty Lange and finds her scary. The team often fails to get his humor, for example, in "The Only Easy Day" when he states: "What has the world come to when drug dealers aren't even safe within the comfort of their own fortified homes?". He also knows how to play banjo and harmonica, and enjoys listening to jazz music.

In the episode "Chinatown", Nate expresses his interest in becoming a field agent which is highly discouraged by the team members because of his inept field skills. He asks Hetty if she can think of any operational psychologist who has become a field agent; however, when she shares that the only known such person died on his second week of field work, Nate gets a little iffy about his choice. Despite this, Nate has received training in both fieldcraft and hand-to-hand combat, as demonstrated on several occasions in the episodes "Lockup" and "Harm's Way".

Nate and recurring character Rose Shwartz share an unconsummated mutual attraction. This has not been explored further as Peter Cambor is no longer a member of the main cast. Cambor's departure as a main cast member coincides with Nate's reassignment to the Middle East to investigate an Islamic militant group based in Yemen. With the conclusion of that mission in the episode "Harm's Way", Nate's current assignment is undisclosed, although it is known that he is remaining in the Middle East for the time being.

Nate returned to Los Angeles in "Patriot Acts" where he helped the team locate a domestic terrorist responsible for planting a bomb somewhere in the city. In "The 3rd Choir" he helps Nell to cope with her first kill.

Peter Cambor was credited as a main cast member during season one, but his character was downgraded to recurring at the start of season two. In his future appearances, Cambor was credited as a Special Guest Star.

Kensi Blye

Kensi Blye (portrayed by Daniela Ruah) is a Special Agent assigned to the NCIS Office of Special Projects.

Dominic Vail

Dominic Vail
First appearance	"Identity"
Last appearance	"Found"
Portrayed by	Adam Jamal Craig
Information
Nickname(s)	Dom
Gender	Male
Occupation	Junior Field Special Agent (NCIS)
Title	Special Agent
Nationality	American

Dominic "Dom" Vail (portrayed by Adam Jamal Craig) was introduced in the episode "Identity" as the team's rookie agent. He was originally partnered with Kensi Blye. Dom is not a native of Los Angeles. An MIT alumnus, Dom moved straight to LA after he was recruited by NCIS following graduation.

Dom's field of study has not been disclosed, although he has demonstrated on several occasions advanced skills with computers and electronics, and it has been stated that he "makes a pretty good geek for a field agent". As of season one, both of Dom's parents are still alive. Dom is an uncle, as evidenced by crayon drawings stuck to his refrigerator door.

Dom disappeared in the episode "Past Lives" (although his team does not realize this until the following episode "Missing"), and was finally found in the episode "Found". It was revealed that he had been captured by professional kidnappers hired by Islamic militants and held hostage in the hope of facilitating a prisoner exchange. Although Callen, Kensi and Sam eventually found him, they later found themselves caught up in a major gunfight with the terrorists. While pinned down on the rooftop, Dom took fire that was originally intended to hit Sam with the bullets piercing his body, essentially sacrificing himself to save Sam's life. Despite Sam's efforts to stop the bleeding, Dom died almost immediately with his death leaving the OSP team completely shell-shocked and grief-stricken. The team (particularly Kensi Blye) is shown to be heartbroken and devastated the following episode.

His role in the team was later taken over by Detective Marty Deeks. The season one episode "Past Lives" was the last to credit Adam Jamal Craig as a main cast member. He was later credited as a guest star in the season one episode "Found", also his final appearance on the show.

Henrietta "Hetty" Lange

Henrietta Lange
Linda Hunt as Henrietta "Hetty" Lange in a promotional photo for NCIS: Los Angeles season one.
First appearance	"Identity"
Portrayed by	Linda Hunt
Information
Nickname(s)	Hetty, "Duchess of deception"
Aliases	Sylvia Cole Sylvia Martin Gloria Edwards,
Gender	Female
Occupation	Operations manager (NCIS)
Title	Operations Manager, Office of Special Projects, NCIS
Nationality	American

Henrietta "Hetty" Lange (portrayed by Linda Hunt) is the Operations Manager at NCIS in Los Angeles. She was introduced in "Identity", the first episode of NCIS: Los Angeles as a stand-alone series.

In spite of her small stature, the other characters find her intimidating, not least of all because of her colorful past; she has had many encounters, liaisons, and relationships with past agents (referenced in "Missing") and such Hollywood greats as George Hamilton and Frank Sinatra. She is a fan of Lady Gaga, stating that she "will always love the Gaga".^[2] Hetty's favorite beverage is tea, to such an extent that in "Bounty" she approved a mission to Afghanistan after Callen and Sam promised to bring her back a bag of tea leaves. It was revealed in the episode "Disorder" that she had been assigned to the Los Angeles office since before December 2008.

According to Hetty's NCIS Personnel File, which is accessed by Nell and appears on-screen in the Season 2 finale, "Familia",^[3] Hetty:

• currently holds the position of OSP Operations Manager;
• attended the Defense Language Institute and is fluent in Russian, German, Mandarin, Spanish, Czech, Romanian, Hebrew, Arabic, Hungarian, and Pashto;
• earned a Master of Fine Arts degree from the Sorbonne;
• is a graduate of the Ecole de la Chambre Syndicale de la Couture Parisienne;
• is skilled in Hapkido, Wushu, and Eskrima;
• won a Bronze Medal competing in the Small-Bore Rifle event at the 1964 Summer Olympics, held in Tokyo, Japan (NOTE: In real life, this event was not held at the 1964 Olympics);
• is a recipient of the Defense Intelligence Agency Award of Merit and a CIA Intelligence Star;
• is a member of the Order of Orange Nassau;
• had a prior career in motion picture and stage costuming;
• is a published novelist;
• is a pilot;
• holds the Women's Senior Division record for the ascent of K2; and
• was born on February 29, 1948.^[4]

One of the last surviving Cold Warriors, Hetty has unparalleled access to contacts throughout the intelligence and defense communities, which she does not hesitate to exploit when required for the success of a mission or to protect the lives of her agents. Her reputation has taken on an almost legendary aspect; it is such that the mere mention of her name is often enough to strike fear into those who have heard of, but never met, her.^[5] She has an extensive list of aliases, as evidenced by multiple driver's licenses seen in a locked drawer of her desk and several passports hidden in a private safe deposit box.

She also subscribes to an older unwritten Code of Conduct, evidenced by her disgust at the new generation of Russian agents who have "broken all the rules" by killing innocents (Season 2 episode "Deliverance").

Hetty sometimes exhibits a maternal instinct towards her agents. When her agents were in serious danger in the episodes "Ambush" and "Found", she used her considerable political capital and aforementioned contacts to pull out all the stops in rescuing them (such as convincing SecAF to authorize a F-22 Raptor fly-over of the militia camp).

Like Eric Beale, she is fond of Abby Sciuto; and, when the latter visited the OSP Operations Center, Hetty points out to the other agents Abby's ability to "be functional and stylish at the same time".^[6] When Deeks was shot and there was no one to call, Hetty told him to put her down as his next of kin for the future.

Hetty is deeply affected by the line-of-duty death of an agent and has twice resigned (albeit unsuccessfully) from NCIS. The first was in 1999, when a promising young NCIS Agent (Sullivan) she had personally recruited was killed when attempting to infiltrate a militia group.^[7] The second time was following the death of Agent Dominic Vail in the Season 1 episode "Found". Although she delivers her letter of resignation to Director Vance personally, it is later returned to her by Callen, who had picked the Director's pocket to recover the letter.^[8] Hetty does eventually resign in the penultimate episode of Season 2 and is replaced by Senior Agent Lauren Hunter as the new Operations Manager.

In the Season 2 finale, it is revealed that Hetty has familial ties to the Comescu family and possesses the same tattoo as the mysterious man who gave a toy soldier to Callen as a child.^[9]

In the season three opening episode "Lange, H", it was revealed that Hetty is not a member of the Comescu family but, in fact, had spent decades trying to infiltrate their ranks to protect Callen. At the end of the episode, it was shown that she had been shot and had then fallen to the ground, ending the episode in a cliffhanger, leaving her fate unknown.

In "Backstopped", having survived the shooting and taken time off to recover, Hetty officially returned to work. She also revealed to Callen that she knew his mother when she was a CIA agent and Hetty was her handler. However, during an operation in Romania, Clara Callen disappeared and reappeared only six years later with two children and no trace of his father. She contacted Hetty, saying that she had to get out of Romania. Although the CIA told Hetty not to bother, she decided to do it anyway. However, Clara was killed by the Comescus before Hetty arrived. Callen and his sister somehow arrived in the U.S. and Hetty found them, arranging for Callen to get out of foster care; however, she was too late for Amy, who was already dead.

In the season three finale, Hetty resigns from the Operations Manager positions after Callen is arrested and Lauren Hunter and Mike Renko are both murdered. However, it's revealed that the whole operation involving the Chameleon's death was actually staged, and Hetty eventually returns to her original position as Operations Manager.

Hetty made an appearance in Scorpion in late October 2014.^[10]

Sam Hanna

Sam Hanna (portrayed by LL Cool J) is a Senior NCIS Field Agent assigned to the Office of Special Projects.

Eric Beale

Eric Beale
First appearance	"Legend (Part 1)" (NCIS episode)
Portrayed by	Barrett Foa
Information
Gender	Male
Occupation	Tech operator (NCIS)
Nationality	American

Eric Bartholomew Beale III (portrayed by Barrett Foa) is an NCIS technical operator and intelligence analyst stationed in Los Angeles with the Office of Special Projects. He often takes calls from Director Leon Vance (Rocky Carroll) at NCIS Headquarters in Washington, D.C.

He is a geek and, like Detective Marty Deeks (Eric Christian Olsen), enjoys surfing (twice standing his surfboard too closely to Hetty's car) and internet social networks. He, like Nate, often fails at attempts at humor. Hetty also disapproves of his attire (typically Bermuda shorts and flip-flops and, on occasion, pajamas) but tolerates it because of his skills. In the episode "Absolution", he is revealed to be German American and takes at least partial offense at the team's remarks about Germans in the episode. Other than Hetty, he is the only team member shown to wear corrective eyewear.

He is the main connection between agents in the field and OSP headquarters, often manipulating traffic cameras and hacking into networks and satellites to gain an advantage for the agents. And, in the season two episode "Empty Quiver", he managed to shut down the entire Internet for a couple minutes. Although not as often as he likes to be, he is also seen being in the field carrying a service weapon. He has worked with Abby Sciuto, a main character from the original NCIS, and has grown quite fond of her with the two having a strong friendship. The two even went on a "date" together during "Random on Purpose", but it ended abruptly when Abby was kidnapped by a serial killer named The Phantom.

In the same episode, Eric, like Abby, is shown to be skilled in sign language, beginning to learn it when he was seven years old. Near the episode's end, Eric signs to Abby that his best friend growing up was deaf. Like G. Callen, Sam Hanna, Kensi Blye and Nate Getz, he was introduced in the back-door pilot "Legend". In the opening episode of season seven, "Active Measures", Eric asks Sam to show him how to fire a weapon and how to fight, leaving open the possibility that he may want to try his hand as a field agent in the future. In season 8, Eric shows his ability as an excellent marksman during an undercover work with Nell.

He is partnered with Nell Jones in season two, whom he originally disliked because of her taking over some of his technical duties and, at least once, whistling the other team members to attention, something he usually does. He seemingly has put that behind him and warmed up to her and clearly has feelings towards her, although it's assumed that Nell doesn't exactly share Eric's feelings. This, however, may be changing, as Nell is accused by Nate Getz of having feelings for Eric in the episode "Patriot Acts" and her reaction in the season three episode "Cyber Threat" when she is clearly jealous of Eric's new partner. They shared a kiss under the mistletoe during the season four Christmas episode "Free Ride" as well as Eric going home with Nell to spend Christmas with her family (with Nell throwing out Boyfriend as a possible cover for why he is joining her). In season 8, their relationship progresses, after telling the (heavily implied true) story of when he realized he was in love with her (they were undercover as a couple at a retreat for tech oriented couples), they share a kiss after Eric shoots a suspect's car in "Getaway".

Marty Deeks

Marty Deeks
First appearance	"Hand-to-Hand"
Portrayed by	Eric Christian Olsen
Information
Nickname(s)	Marty
Aliases	Max Gentry
Gender	Male
Occupation	LAPD senior detective / former lawyer
Title	LAPD-NCIS liaison officer
Family	Gordon John Brandel (father; deceased) Roberta Deeks (mother)
Significant other(s)	Kensi Blye (fiancée)
Nationality	American

Martin A. "Marty" Deeks (Eric Christian Olsen) is a member of the Los Angeles Police Department who went to law school and passed the California Bar Examination and was previously a Public Defender.^[11] He accepts the position of NCIS/LAPD Liaison Officer at the end of the episode "Hand-to-Hand", in which he co-operated with the team when their investigation overlapped with his undercover operation. However, his position as Liaison Officer is not always effective given his less-than-warm relationship with other LAPD Officers, being brushed off on multiple occasions and stating, in the episode Fame, "You know how it is with undercover cops. I've pissed off more than my fair share of shields".^[12]

At the end of his second appearance, "Fame", he tells Kensi that he will be going on a long-term undercover assignment and Kensi seemed disappointed by this. In the same episode, it is revealed through conversations between Hetty and Callen that they do not actually need a liaison officer, but that Hetty has been watching Deeks for some time and her true intention is to recruit him for NCIS. This is eventually revealed to him in the season two episode "Imposters" when Hetty presents him with a set of completed and approved NCIS application forms, which he declines. In the same episode, it is revealed that Marty's given name is Martin A. Brandel and that he was born January 8, 1979.^[13] Deeks is a native of California.

He becomes a series regular in season two, during which he reveals that he has never lived more than two miles away from where he grew up. He is revealed to be a lawyer in the season premiere. He is partnered with Kensi Blye and frequently flirts with her, although he is not above attempting to use her as a wingman to meet other women. Deeks has a vintage comic book collection.

When Deeks is shot in "Personal", he is asked to provide a list of possible suspects. He includes a man named Gordon John Brandel; and it is later revealed that Brandel is his father, who frequently abused Deeks and his mother until Deeks shot him (non-fatally) when he was 11 years old. When Hetty asks her to find Brandel, Nell discovers that he died in an auto accident in 1998 after being released from prison. This, however, contradicts statements made in the earlier episode "Borderline", in which Deeks told Kensi that, at Thanksgiving dinner only six years earlier, his father fired a shotgun at him. He also said that the last thing his father said to him was, "Marty, I hate you". The contradiction brings into question whether Deeks' father is really dead. When Deeks asks Hetty who he should list as his next of kin, Hetty gives him her name.

Deeks is extremely personal about his choice of firearm, preferring the LAPD Beretta 92FS over the NCIS standard-issue SIG Sauer P229.^[14] As stated in the episode "Bounty", this is because the 92FS's "manual safety saved [his] ass one time during a gun snatch attempt by a junkie".^[15] In this episode, Deeks revealed that his father moved to Iowa. He also managed to make a connection with a child whose father was killed.

In the episode "Plan B", Deeks' best friend, Ray, tells him that he knows Deeks has "a thing" for Kensi; he knows this by observing numerous interactions between them. Though Deeks denies that he has "a thing" for Kensi, he blushes and cannot stop smiling while telling Ray that he does not have a thing. This leads some people to believe that Deeks may have feelings for Kensi. Ray tells Deeks to call him as soon "as things work out with Wikipedia" (Kensi). Near the end of the episode, Kensi asks Deeks if he is ever going to call Ray anytime soon. He walks close to her, then pulls back to look at her, then he smiles and says, "Why do you ask?" She said she was just wondering and that, when he does tell Ray that "things are working out", mention that Kensi says "Hi", he laughs; and then Kensi says that she is glad that their "thing" is working out. Deeks once again denies any feelings he has for Kensi. In the next episode "Imposters", a waitress asks Deeks if he and Kensi are a couple, Deeks says they are but Kensi is surprised and denies that they are together.

In the season two finale, Deeks proves his loyalty to the team. When Callen, Sam, and Kensi resign to rescue Hetty in Prague, Deeks tells Director Vance that he would resign if he was an NCIS agent, before leaving with the team to find Hetty.

In the season three episode "Touch of Death", a crossover episode with Hawaii Five-0, Deeks, like the rest of the OSP team, meets Detective Sergeant Danny Williams (Scott Caan) and Detective Lieutenant Chin Ho Kelly (Daniel Dae Kim) as the two teams form a temporary partnership to stop a possible smallpox outbreak. During the episode, Deeks and Danny regularly butt heads, exchanging insults while Deeks jokingly regards Danny's hair as being bulletproof. This episode also reveals that Deeks is afraid of needles; and, when Hetty gives him a smallpox vaccination, Deeks can be heard screaming in agony before fainting, causing an amused Sam to remark, "Man down".

In "Neighborhood Watch", Kensi and Deeks go undercover as a married couple. Hetty has a talk with both of them about feelings that arise when two agents go undercover as a couple. The two laugh at the idea of having any kind of romantic feelings for each other, but their reactions are different. They play up the role, as their usual bickering goes very well with their current assignment together. They refer to each other as husband and wife, while in private they use their undercover names. This is unusual because throughout the episode they are shown talking to OPS inside their cover house. Deeks and Kensi have an awkward, yet enjoyable, confrontation with each other inside the cover house. Deeks walks in on Kensi in the bathroom, he in a velour jogging suit and Kensi in a towel. After a brief conversation about her making him worry about her, they stand awkwardly. Kensi tells Deeks to take off his fanny pack (he calls it his "bro-sack") because it looks ridiculous. Deeks, not understanding what Kensi was referring to, starts to take off his pants. Kensi freaks, and Deeks enjoys the situation. Also, when Kensi talks about starting a family, he says that he could do that for her since he was her "husband". It is uncertain if he was talking about this through his cover or if he was actually talking to Kensi.

In the episode "The Recruit", Deeks said that he has Norwegian ancestry.

After many tender and caring moments in season four, Deeks finally makes his feelings known in the season finale. Kensi accuses him of poor communication skills and "never saying what he means"; but Deeks cuts off her complaint with a kiss and then says, "How's that for communication?" The kiss leaves Kensi dumbfounded, and she drives away. Deeks is eventually paired with Sam and the two are eventually captured with the episode ending with Deeks being tortured as Sam helplessly looks on.

In the season five premiere, Kensi and Granger found Sam and Deeks, who were severely beaten and tortured. Deeks revealed that even under severe torture, he did not give up Michelle's identity, earning Sam's respect. Together with Kensi and Sam, Deeks helped take down Sidorov. At the end of the episode, Deeks tells Kensi that she was the person he thought of through the ordeal and it saved his life by keeping him going, leaving her deeply emotional. In the next episode, Deeks struggles with insomnia and the trauma he dealt with, but he has been avoiding Kensi's phone calls. However, at the end of the episode, Kensi visits Deeks and he manages to get to sleep with her help.

In the episode "Recovery", it's implied that Deeks and Kensi had become intimate after he told her he wanted to be with her at his apartment and she walked off with him following her. However, in the following episode "Frozen Lake", things have become full of tension when their emotions begin to impact their jobs. When Deeks doesn't take a needed shot, Kensi becomes mad at him for not taking it and he apologizes, only that while Kensi wants this relationship more than anything else, she thinks their relationship may not work. However, at the end of the episode, Kensi tells Deeks that they will find a way to make things work and to be patient with her. Deeks soon discovers that Kensi has been reassigned on a new classified mission, much to his disappointment. Hetty pointed out that the knife that Kensi entrusted to him during the case was her father's, meaning she has a great deal of trust in him. In 'Merry Invasion', Hetty gives both Kensi and Deeks secure satellite phones, under the guise of Christmas gifts, giving them a means to communicate while Kensi is on her mission. In season six, Deeks and Kensi agree to make their relationship official.

In season seven, Deeks and Kensi move in together.

Nell Jones

Nell Jones
Nell Jones promotional photo
First appearance	"Special Delivery"
Portrayed by	Renée Felice Smith
Information
Gender	Female
Occupation	Intelligence analyst
Title	NCIS intelligence analyst
Nationality	American

Nell Jones (portrayed by Renée Felice Smith) is Eric's partner as an NCIS analyst. Introduced as a recurring character in the season two episode "Special Delivery", Nell joined the main cast as of episode 2.11 "Disorder". She has a red pixie cut hairstyle and is of small-medium stature (being able to wear a Hetty-sized sweater—just barely—in the episode "Disorder"). In the episode "Harm's Way" she demonstrates at least a functional knowledge of written Arabic when she is called upon to translate the contents of a terrorist laptop. In the episode "The Fifth Man" Hetty states that Nell has the highest I.Q. of anyone currently serving in NCIS but the actual number is never stated. In the episode "Cyber Attack" Sam, seeing Nell running things around the office, asks Callen if Hetty is grooming her for higher things? In the episode "Merry Evasion" Callen asks the same question of Hetty directly when Hetty states that she intends to keep Nell in the field a bit longer.

Although Nell is a recent college graduate she is frequently shown as very helpful to the others. She and Eric originally had an antagonistic relationship early on due to Nell taking over some of Eric's duties, being new and once getting the others upstairs for briefing, a task Eric normally does. As their working relationship has progressed, they seem to have warmed up to each other and it is implied there are growing feelings between the two. Nell also has a habit of finishing other people's sentences. In "Special Delivery" she reveals that this is because she is a "type A with borderline ADD, and control issues with men [she] admires"^[16] (such as Eric).

In the episode "Lockup", it is shown that Nell and Nate have met previously, but the nature of their relationship—if any—remains unknown. She also seems to have a good relationship with Hetty, and has been called by her first name or as "Dear" by Hetty occasionally. She seems to be friends or at least on good terms with Kensi who invites her to join the others for drinks in the episode "Absolution". Nell is fluent in Spanish and an expert of South America (Enemy Within). She likes to receive flowers; in the episode "Greed", she sends flowers to herself and reveals to Eric only after his never ending pestering. The flowers are noticed at first by Sam who comments, "Looks like somebody has a secret admirer." When Eric notices it, he stops mid-sentence and says, "Nice flowers".

Eric more than obviously has feelings towards Nell, although it often appears that she doesn't exactly return them. This is often up for debate though, since in the season three episode "Patriot Acts", Nell flirts with Nate (who immediately picks up on her true intentions) in order to get Eric's attention and in "Greed", she avoids the subject of who sent her flowers. One of the bigger signs is when she shows significant signs of jealousy when a new woman has some type of significant relationship with him. This is shown in the episode "Cyber Threat", when she is jealous of Eric's new partner and feels threatened by their relationship, also showing her dislike towards the young woman herself. Also in the episode "Blaze of Glory", when a new college student named Blaze comes to help with an undercover mission and she and Eric show an interest in each other, Nell is seen clearly jealous of the two's growing relationship throughout the episode. She is also visibly disappointed when learning, after the mission, that Eric has made plans to meet up with Blaze and some of her friends in a suite later on.

In addition to going into the field, Nell has been seen carrying and is proficient with her standard NCIS issue side arm in the episodes "Blye, K.", "Blye, K Part 2", and "Unwritten Rule" as well as having one tucked into her waistband in "Standoff" and telling Eric she is carrying one in "Recruit". Nell has also been seen apprehending suspects in season five. After Kensi's reassignment to the Middle East, Hetty makes Nell her replacement as a field agent and as Deeks' partner. Despite initial surprise at the new assignment, Nell and Deeks find that they work well together and Hetty hints that she intends to keep her in the field longer. However, Nell suffered a setback with regards to her field work in "Praesidium", when she shot and killed an assailant who was working for Matthias Draeger. In the episode "War Cries" Nell defends herself in the boat shed with a knife pulled from her boot, after the suspect gets her weapon away from her, dealing enough damage to send him to the hospital while she receives only a small cut above the right eye causing Granger to quip, "Not bad for an analyst". In the episode "The Queen's Gambit" and "Black Market", Nell shows her proficiency in hand-to-hand combat in apprehending suspects and is nicknamed "Give Them Hell, Nell!" by Deeks, who gave her the nickname Nellasaurus in the episode "Merry Evasion". In "Queen's Gambit" after Nell takes a suspect down Sam tells him he should "Never mess with the Nellverine." In the episode "Ghost Gun", as she is partnered with Granger, she introduces herself as Special Agent during an investigation. However she states to Kensi in "Windfall" and to Granger in "Black Market" that all though she does want to become an Agent she does not want to do it by way of dead-man's-boots, i.e. replacing Kensi.

Eric and Nell shared a kiss under the green mistletoe during the season four Christmas episode "Free Ride", this was at the end of the episode and when no one was around. In the season six Christmas episode "Humbug" Nell invites Eric to come with her to visit her family for the holidays, suggesting when he is trying to think of a cover story that he could say he is her boyfriend. At the end of "Blaze of Glory" when Nell is alone in OPS, Eric returns from his meeting with Blaze and apologizes for the way he has been acting. They then share an intimate moment as they fly the quadcopter together around OPS. In the episode "Tidings We Bring" when Eric becomes upset that Nell has to cancel on their plans to attend the Dickens Fair together because she got into a mentoring program to which he didn't know she was applying and becomes afraid they are beginning to grow apart, she gives him as a Christmas present a pendulum clock telling him that when two such clocks hang on the same wall the pendulums begin to swing together, meaning she and Eric will always be in rhythm with each other, thus implying that if they are not already a couple they are certainly best friends who will one day become a couple.

Owen Granger

Owen Granger
First appearance	"The Watchers"
Last appearance	"Payback"
Portrayed by	Miguel Ferrer
Information
Gender	Male
Occupation	Assistant Director (NCIS)
Title	Assistant Director, Office of Special Projects, NCIS
Nationality	American

Owen Granger (portrayed by Miguel Ferrer) is the new Assistant Director of NCIS, filling the position that was held by Leon Vance before he became the new NCIS Director.

He first appeared in "The Watchers" where he questioned Hetty's ability to lead the OSP team and has been a recurring character ever since then. Granger's original motives are unknown though it seemed like he was trying to bring down Hetty's team in order to score points in Washington and enhance his own authority over NCIS.

He revealed at the end of "Crimeleon" that he had arrived in Los Angeles to catch a killer, which also showed him glancing out at Kensi who was in the shooting range, suggesting that he might be involved in the investigation of her father's death.

It was revealed in the episode "Blye, K., Part 2" that he also belonged to the same sniper unit as Kensi's deceased father Donald Blye, and he also helped the team track down the real killer, Peter Clairmont. He also shot Clairmont when the other man attempted to kill Kensi in revenge for her having beaten him in hand-to-hand combat.

As a result, Granger was assigned to stay in Los Angeles on a temporary basis and in the season three finale, helped the team tackle the case of "The Chameleon", a serial killer responsible for the deaths of Agent Mike Renko and former Operations Manager Lauren Hunter.

Granger has most recently been heavily involved in the effort to apprehend Isaak Sidorov and the Cold War-era nuclear weapons he stole, proving a strong support to the team when he learns that the only agent to have been able to maintain a deep cover with him was Michelle, Sam Hanna's wife. He was also appointed to head the "White Ghost" operation, during which he became Kensi's handler when she is reassigned to the Middle-East to conduct an assassination.

In "Granger, O.", it is revealed that Jennifer Kim (Malese Jow), a North Korean spy captured by the OSP in "Cancel Christmas", is his illegitimate daughter (which was heavily implied in the former episode).

In the season 8 episode "Black Market", he tells Nell Jones to call him Granger not assistant director, showing him eventually getting closer to the team. When she tells him, "That would be awkward Sir" he answers with, "Too bad cause it's an order." In "Ghost Gun" he tells Marty Deeks to call him Granger and says that it is "what his friends call him".

In the season 8 episode "Crazy Train", he reveals that he was dying from a form of cancer which he admits could have been caused by any of his actions, including being exposed to Agent Orange from while he was in the Triangle prior to being extracted from Laos. He later ends up stabbed in "Hot Water" while being escorted to a jail cell and left in critical condition. In "Payback", he was nearly the target of a hit by an agent of the CIA, although he managed to kill the assassin before she could inject a poison into his IV.

Owen Granger was written out of the series in the season 8 episode "Old Tricks". Hetty tells her colleagues that the process of his recovery will be longer than expected, and plans to visit him in the hospital later, but upon doing so in the final scene of the episode, she discovers his bed is empty. After asking his nurse of his whereabouts, she learns Owen quietly fled the hospital and abandoned further treatment despite not being fully recovered, leaving behind a compassionate farewell note to Hetty.

In Granger's written good-bye, he expresses his thanks to Henrietta, explaining that he has had enough bullets and hospitals for one lifetime and has decided to put his last affairs in order, effectively parting ways with the team without subjecting them to his impending death from cancer. His one wish is for her to break the news to them gracefully, and if she can't figure out how, that he trusts her to eventually come up with a way, knowing that is who she is. The episode ended with a tribute to Owen Granger's actor, Miguel Ferrer, who died a few weeks before this episode premiered. Ferrer had exhibited noticeable hoarseness and pronounced difficulty speaking in the episodes filmed shortly before his death. His deteriorating voice and failing heath were justified through his character's development of terminal cancer, which reflected Ferrer's worsening cancer. The character's abrupt departure was posthumous, and designed to write around his actor's demise.

Although Granger himself does not actually appear in "Battle Scars", he was frequently mentioned throughout the episode, namely regarding his abrupt departure from NCIS and his presumed death, as well as his time in Laos where Hetty rescued him being elaborated on regarding a clandestine mission to rescue non-official agents still stuck in Southeast Asia during the aftermath of American withdrawal from Vietnam, and also appeared in the "Previously on NCIS: Los Angeles" portion of the episode calling back to Granger's acknowledgement that he has terminal cancer.

Like in "Battle Scars", Granger, owing to his heavily implied death, does not physically appear in "Golden Days", but he is alluded to several times. In the ending Hetty, AJ Chegwidden and their fellow Vietnam friends raise a glass to him in honour and memory.

Recurring characters

Leon Vance

Leon Vance (portrayed by Rocky Carroll) is the Director of NCIS and also the person responsible for setting up the Office of Special Projects. He lives in Washington, D.C., and is a regular character on NCIS while also making regular guest appearances on NCIS: Los Angeles usually through video-conferences as well as making a few personal appearances at the OSP.

Mike Renko

Mike Renko (portrayed by Brian Avers) is an NCIS agent introduced in the back-door pilot from NCIS. He first appeared in NCIS: Los Angeles as a recurring character in the episode "Ambush", in which he assisted the team with information on a dangerous militia group. He also appeared in the episode "The Bank Job". His next appearance was on the episode "Burned", when Hetty called for help as they had a shortage of agents since Callen went off the radar and the server was hacked. He was shot as he, Sam, and Kensi ambushed an alleged terrorist, but it hit his bulletproof vest and he escaped with minor injuries. It was assumed that Renko was still in an undercover assignment outside of the United States.

In the season three finale, "Sans Voir", Renko, after being shot in the upper jaw by a sniper, suffered cardiac arrest after surgery, which resulted in his death.

Kensi later called Hetty on the telephone and told her what had happened. Seconds later, Hetty, who was seen crying, managed to pull herself together and later told the OSP team what had happened, leaving them, especially Kensi, personally devastated.

Abby Sciuto

Abby Sciuto, portrayed by Pauley Perrette, is a regular from NCIS who has appeared in two episodes of NCIS: Los Angeles ("Killshot" and "Random on Purpose"). Abby is complimented by Hetty as "the first NCIS employee [she] has ever met with a sense of style".^[17]

Rose Schwartz

Rose Schwartz (portrayed by Kathleen Rose Perkins) is a coroner in Los Angeles. She first appeared in season one, ep. 2 "The Only Easy Day". She has also appeared in the season one episode "Breach", the season two episode "Overwatch", and the season four episodes "Skin Deep" and "Paper Soldiers". Rose and Nate share a mutual attraction, which they've never acted upon. This has not been explored further as Peter Cambor is no longer a member of the regular cast.

Arkady Kolcheck

An old "friend" and longtime ally of G. Callen, Arkady Kolcheck (Russian: Аркадий Kolcheck) (Vyto Ruginis) is a retired KGB agent who now owns and operates a private security company out of Los Angeles. He immigrated to the United States in 2002 and became a citizen in 2007; he lives in Studio City.

Like Henrietta Lange, Arkady is one of the last surviving Cold Warriors. It is believed that his new life in America came about because "he knows where the bodies are buried...probably because he's the one who buried them".^[18]

In "Kolcheck, A.", Callen and the Office of Special Projects learn that Arkady has a Russian-American daughter, Anastasia Kolcheck (Bar Paly).

As of Season 8, Arkady is the only recurring character to appear in every season.

Moe Dusa

Mowahd^[19] (variant spelling Mowadh^[20]) "Moe" Dusa (portrayed by Ronald Auguste) is a Sudanese national who was brought to the USA as a child by Sam Hanna (who was still serving as a Navy SEAL at the time). Sam was on a mission in Chad rescuing foreign aid workers, and killed Moe's father who was one of their kidnappers.

Although Sam maintains close contact with Moe, he has not adopted him, and Moe instead lives with foster parents.

Introduced in the episode "Breach", Moe later joins an Islamic militant group after finding out that Sam was the one responsible for his father's death, resulting in young Moe becoming an orphan. He is later seen in the episode "Found" as one of the Islamic militants holding Agent Vail hostage.

In the episode "Lockup", after being sent to jail for his involvement in the Dominic Vail kidnapping case which ended with Vail dying, Moe is convinced by NCIS to infiltrate an Islamic gang in the prison in order to get close to a suspected terrorist leader. Moe was tortured for information and executed by the terrorist leader at the end of that episode with Sam eventually discovering Moe's body. His death left Sam deeply devastated and hellbent on seeking revenge but Hetty promised him that he would get the opportunity to do so some day.

In "Harm's Way", the concluding episode and months after Moe's death, Sam soon caught up with the terrorist responsible and successfully received clearance from Vance to get his own justice for Moe. He did so by having a UAV launch a missile at the fleeing car with the terrorist leader.

The missile hit its target, resulting in the leader's death and Moe's passing being avenged.

Lauren Hunter

Senior Agent^[21] Lauren Hunter (portrayed by Claire Forlani) is the new Operations Manager, assuming charge after Hetty resigns in the second season episode "Imposters". She was recommended for the position by Hetty herself, a claim corroborated by Director Vance.^[22] Hunter is an expert marksman, but deliberately conceals this from Callen when she notices him watching her practice on the firearms range.^[23] Hunter is a linguistics expert and in addition to English is fluent in at least six other languages, i.e. Polish, Russian, German, Italian, French, and Romani.^[24]

Prior to her introduction to the series, Hunter had spent two years undercover. She adopted the identity of Ilena Vadim, a minor member of the Comescu family, a crime syndicate based in Romania. Ilena had left Romania and settled in Argentina, wanting nothing more to do with her family and prompting Hunter to play on the family's belief that their niece would one day come back to them. She became Ilena, gathering information on the family for NCIS.

While the Special Projects team is in Romania trying to find the Comescu family, they discover that Hunter has infiltrated their ranks, and believe her to be a traitor. Hunter reveals her allegiance to the team when she shoots and kills Alexa Comescu, the head of the Comescu family. Hunter's cover within the Comescu family is so deep that not even Hetty—who was in the room when Alexa was shot—knew where her loyalties lay.

She was on a deep undercover assignment in an undisclosed country, until the Chameleon who rigged her car with a bomb, killing her. Her ghost was later seen talking to Hetty in the morgue, revealing that like Callen, Hetty had taken care of Hunter when she was seven while also stating that the first time she'd held onto Hetty's hand, Hunter hadn't been able to let go for three days.

Michelle Hanna (a.k.a. Quinn)

Michelle Hanna (portrayed by Aunjanue Ellis) is Sam's wife. She is a former CIA agent, and she has a history with Sidorov (a known terrorist and arms dealer). She often goes undercover as his girlfriend/assassin. She remained dormant for a period of time after she and Sam got married and had their daughter Kamran, but she has recently gotten back into the game. Sam is extremely protective of her, although she has been shown to be more than capable of protecting herself. She has even been thrown out of a high rise (end of season four), and saves herself while Kensi is fighting other opponents. In the episode "Humbug" she surprised her husband by bringing their son Aiden home for Christmas. Unfortunately, in the two-part finale to Season Eight, she is abducted by terrorists working for Tahir Khaled (the warlord brother of Jada Khaled, a Sudanese woman Sam once employed as an intelligence asset). Tragically dying of suffocation.

Joelle Taylor

Joelle Taylor (portrayed by Elizabeth Bogush) was G. Callen's girlfriend in 2014-2016. Introduced in "War Cries", they met on a blind date arranged by Sam and Michelle, who knew her from teaching their daughter in kindergarten. She is mentioned sporadically until "Humbug". After a malware robbery Joelle's life was put in danger and Callen had to put his life in danger to save her and at the same time revealing his true identity of being an NCIS agent. She was initially hurt by this revelation, pointing out that "humbug" refers to deception, then asking Callen to leave. She later opens the door to possibly continuing their relationship if she can get to know who Callen really is.

In "Black Wind", Sam confirms that Callen and Joelle are still together. Callen also tells Deeks that Joelle is fine in "Fighting Shadows". In "Cancel Christmas" Callen reveals that he and Joelle have broken up, but they are still going to spend Christmas together to avoid being lonely.

In "Payback", Joelle is revealed to be an undercover CIA agent assigned to spy on Callen, and that she is married with two children. Despite having genuine feelings for Callen, their relationship is completely severed.

Anna Kolcheck

The estranged daughter of Arkady Kolcheck (Vyto Ruginis), Anastasia "Anna" Kolcheck (Bar Paly) was born in Moscow, but grew up in Champaign, Illinois and holds dual Russian and American citizenship. She joined the Chicago Police Department, where she worked as a homicide detective, before leaving the force and going to work in the private sector, specializing in security, surveillance, kidnap and ransom, and working predominantly for Russian corporate interests.^[25]

Anna was kidnapped in Moscow in order to force her father's hand. She was rescued by the NCIS Office of Special Projects and returned to the United States (although Arkady, who was also on the rescue mission, went MIA). Some months later, Anna returned the favor by joining up with the OSP in order to rescue her father, who was being held in a Russian prison along with a suspected CIA operative. During the mission, she and Callen are implied to have become romantically involved.^[26]

Jennifer Kim

Born Yujin Kim (Korean: 유진 김), Jennifer Kim (Malese Jow) is the illegitimate daughter of NCIS Assistant Director Owen Granger and works as a spy for North Korea. While in Los Angeles, her assignment was to kill other North Korean operatives in the area. She was captured by the Office of Special Projects and held in various secured facilities.

According to her, Jennifer grew up knowing that her mother worked for the government as an intelligence operative and her father was an American spy (much to the dismay of Granger, who had always assumed that her mom never told her who he was). She herself volunteered for "spy school" at the age of 12, where she was trained as an operative.

Other characters

Lara Macy

Special Agent Lara Macy (portrayed by Louise Lombard) does not appear on NCIS: Los Angeles, but was introduced as Hetty's predecessor as OSP Operations Manager in the back-door pilot "Legend" on NCIS.

She was a former USMC Lieutenant working as a military police officer, and almost two decades earlier had investigated then-USMC Gunnery Sergeant Leroy Jethro Gibbs' role in the murder of Mexican drug lord Pedro Hernandez. Due to the past investigation, their relationship was volatile until the OSP's operational psychologist Nate Getz revealed to Gibbs that Macy had been protecting him for eighteen years by covering up the evidence. Since Hernandez was responsible for the slaying of Gibbs' wife and daughter, Macy felt that his actions against Hernandez were justified, a move that would later end up costing Macy her own life years later.

In the episode "Ambush", Hetty remarks to Director Vance that the last she'd heard, as the result of a political "witch-hunt", Macy was "working out of a quonset hut in Djibouti".^[27] This was contradicted on a subsequent episode of NCIS, where Macy's personnel file states that she never worked in Djibouti but was instead reassigned to Marseille, to head up an NCIS undercover team there. While there, she also began working on a rape case involving a Petty Officer Second Class before Macy later returned to the United States.

In the NCIS episode "Patriot Down", badly burnt remains were discovered in Annapolis with NCIS Special Agent Timothy McGee confirming that the remains were those of Macy, leaving the NCIS team and agency itself devastated. It was later revealed that Macy had been brutally murdered and her body set alight with her killer being revealed as Jason Paul Dean, a mercenary and former U.S. Army Ranger, as part of a plot to get to Gibbs in relation to the Hernandez case.^[28]

References