Real-Life Partners Of The NCIS Cast Expose A Side Fans Haven’t Previously Seen

Wilder Valderrama joined the cast of NCIS in Season 14, after becoming famous for playing Fez on That 70’s Show. In the police procedural he portrays Special Agent Nick Torres. But Valderrama has become as well-known for his personal life as his acting. He famously dated the likes of Mandy Moore, Lindsay Lohan and Demi Lovato before finding the one.

That person is Amanda Pacheco, a model and scuba diving instructor. The couple appear to be smitten, despite Valderrama admitting to website Parents.com that neither were seeking a relationship at the time they met. Still, the actor said he felt “a gravitational pull” toward her. Pacheco’s Instagram is full of PDA with Valderrama, and they have a daughter together. Pacheco definitely brings out a softer side in Valderrama than his on-screen character.

LL Cool J first made his name via music in the ’80s and ’90s, but the rapper has made a hugely successful crossover into film and TV. One notable role was detective Sam Hanna in NCIS: Los Angeles. Yet while there has been a lot of change in his career, Cool J’s most intimate relationship has kept him grounded long-term.

Cool J tied the knot with his wife Simone Smith in 1995 after eight years together. He once told Jimmy Kimmel about how he met Smith back in 1987 aged 19. Cool J stopped the car he was driving to speak to a friend, who asked him if he wanted to meet his cousin. The rapper tried to make excuses to leave, until he caught a glimpse of her, and quickly changed his tune!

Michael Weatherly portrayed Special Agent Anthony DiNozzo in the first 13 seasons of the main NCIS show, and was a hit with viewers. Since 2009, Weatherly — who was previously wed to actress Amelia Heinle and dated Jessica Alba — has been married to Bojana Jankovic. But what is known about their relationship?

Well, we know that Serbian-born Jankovic is a medical doctor as well as a writer. Also that the couple — who now have two children together — met in 2007 in a bar in Vancouver, and brief eye-contact was all the spark needed. In an interview with People magazine, Weatherly revealed, “My kids and my marriage are the things I’m proudest of.” Aww.

As the charismatic Dr. Donald “Ducky” Mallard, David McCallum has been a mainstay of the original NCIS series. The veteran Scottish actor has appeared in over 420 episodes of the show to date. And his remarkable longevity on it is matched by his personal life, specifically with regard to his wife, Katherine Carpenter.

McCallum has been married to Carpenter since 1967. At that time she worked as a model, but would later go on to work in interior design. McCallum remarked on their often long-distance marriage — which has produced two children — to newspaper the Belfast Telegraph. He said, “We do it instinctively, but I think the rule is you should find out what the other person wants in life and make sure they get it.” Very true.

Marty Deeks may have some marital issues in NCIS: Los Angeles, but the man who plays him couldn’t be more different. No, Eric Christian Olsen has a really strong marriage with actress Sarah Wright. They first crossed paths on the set of sitcom The Loop. But their relationship didn’t get off to a great start!

The couple revealed to Entertainment Tonight what went down. Olsen admitted he thought Wright only landed the part because she was “super-gorgeous.” He admitted being mean to her too, and Wright said he was “a big jerk” initially. Still, the actress was won over at the first table read, stating, “you laughed at my jokes, and came up to me afterwards and apologized.” It worked, as the couple have three children and a solid marriage. Bravo!

Agent Christopher LaSalle was sadly eliminated from NCIS: New Orleans in an epic Season Six storyline. But one thing that hasn’t been killed off is the love the actor who portrays him has for his wife. Indeed, Lucas Black left the show to spend more time with her. So who is she?

Her name is Maggie O’Brien, and she is a lawyer. Black married her back in 2010 and the loved-up couple have three kids together. On his NCIS departure, Black said: “The show has been so good to me over the years, but this job isn’t easy for me. There’s a lot of priorities in my life that get sacrificed for me to be here. It’s time for me to focus on those.”

Brian Dietzen found lasting fame by playing Medical Examiner Dr. Jimmy Palmer on NCIS. The Illinois-born actor has also found something lasting away from the screen, too: love. Dietzen bumped into his future wife Kelly at a party in 2000 and they began going on dates not long after.

Dietzen and Kelly’s growing love for one another culminated in a 2004 wedding. Not too much is known about Dietzen’s wife, other than that she works as a midwife. The couple have two children together. Dietzen occasionally shows his softer side on Instagram with heartwarming selfies with wifey out hiking or something. Aww.

Maria Bello played Jacqueline “Jack” Sloane for several seasons on NCIS, after joining the cast in 2017. The actress formed a strong partnership with Harmon’s Leroy Jeffrey Biggs until she announced she was leaving the show in 2021. But who is her partner off-screen, and how did they wind up together?

Well, Bello is in a relationship with Dominique Crenn, a French chef with three Michelin stars. In a 2020 Haute Living article, the loved-up pair revealed how they met after Bello messaged Crenn to try to get a restaurant reservation. They became friends, before stepping out as a couple — but not before Crenn told Bello about her breast cancer. The actress, though, said she was “really fun around sick people” and Crenn said she “kept her word.” Lovely.

The feisty NCIS agent Caitlin Todd is portrayed by Sasha Alexander. But did you know the American actress is married to the son of Sophia Lauren? Well, you do now, reader! His name is Edoardo Ponti, and he is Italian and a film director by trade. The couple first ran into each other at film school, but started dating several years after.

Alexander revealed to magazine TV Guide how she felt about him at film school. She said, “He was always lovely: he had a smile that gave me enormous comfort, even though I didn’t know him.” Ponti plucked up the courage to ask her out at a restaurant she was dining in years later, and they hooked up. The pair wed in 2007 and have two children together. Plus Alexander inherited Loren as her mother-in-law!

The outright star of the original NCIS series, Mark Harmon appeared on TV as Leroy Jethro Gibbs for almost two decades. Maybe the veteran actor covets longevity, because in his private life he has acquired it too. Yes, Harmon has been wed to actress Pam Dawber since 1987. You most likely know her from her time starring alongside the late Robin Williams on Mork and Mindy.

So, what’s the secret to Harmon and Dawber’s longevity? Well, the actor told People, “We were both in our 30s when we got married, so hopefully the stupid stuff we did earlier. That’s probably the closest I have to what the key is.” Dawber would quit showbiz to have and raise their two sons — one of whom played dad’s younger self on NCIS. But she has since returned to acting, including appearing in an episode of NCIS herself!

NCIS Agent Bishop famously takes no prisoners in the hit show. But off-screen she is much more chilled out it seems. Perhaps this difference is down to her long-term partner, the actor James Badge Dale? You might have seen him in Martin Scorsese’s The Departed, or the TV show 24.

Wickersham and Dale began their courtship in 2019 and have been together ever since. The pair aren’t ones to overshare about their relationship online, but Wickersham did inform fans on Instagram of the news of their baby boy Cassius being born in late December 2021. She captioned the post, “You are more than James Badge Dale and I could ever have imagined. We are so in love with you.” Sweet!

Sean Murray has over 400 episodes of playing Special Agent Timothy McGee under his belt. That’s a lot of show time, and a couple of decades’ commitment to the NCIS cause. Another thing to whom Murray has proved committed is his wife, Carrie James. She is a former teacher turned businesswoman.

James formed the Business Relationship Alliance in an effort to connect and aid entrepreneuses. She and Murray met in 2004 and they wed just a year later. They have two kids named Caitlyn “Cay” Ryan Murray and River Murray. In fact, their daughter Cay is a budding actress herself, and also appeared on NCIS alongside her dad in May 2022. Murray often praises Cay and his wife on Instagram.

Hollywood veteran Robert Wagner appeared in the original NCIS as Anthony DiNozzo Sr., the father of Michael Weatherly’s Field Agent DiNozzo. The now-nonagenarian actor is a father himself, to two children. He has had a colorful personal life to say the least, but since 1990, Jill St. John has been his wife and companion.

St. John proved to be a shoulder to lean on, when Wagner’s previous wife Natalie Wood died in unexplained circumstances on a boat off Catalina Island in 1981. St John had also lost a partner and been married three times, so the pair had a lot of common ground. She was also friends with the late Wood, whose strange death is still under investigation.

Gary Cole entered the NCIS world in Season 19, playing FBI Special Agent Alden Parker. He effectively replaced the departing lead Mark Harmon when he did so. The veteran Chicagoan actor is clearly not keen on retiring yet, and he has a new marriage to celebrate too, that might be the secret to keeping young.

Cole’s second wife is a woman named Michelle Knapp. She is an interior designer by trade, whilst also a keen artist and occasional model. So, clearly the creative juices flow in this household. Also, the loved-up couple have recently moved into a trendy Bel Air mansion, which Cole purchased for a cool $2.5 million. Young at heart, and all that.

For almost a decade, Scott Bakula portrayed Dwayne Pride on NCIS: New Orleans. In 2021 the show ended, but his second marriage is still going strong at least. Bakula met the woman who would be his second wife, Chelsea Field, on the set of 1994 movie A Passion to Kill. An ironic title, given they were unable to kill the growing passion they had for one another, despite Bakula being married at the time.

Anyway, Bakula and Field have been together ever since, and welcomed two children in 1995 and 1999. Field would work again with her husband on NCIS: New Orleans, appearing in 21 episodes as Rita Devereaux, who even marries Pride! Bakula told magazine Country Living, “I love working with her. We’ve worked together a bunch before. She makes me a better actor because she works more intensely and more deeply than I tend to work.”

Here’s a cute love story for you: NCIS: Los Angeles star Daniela Ruah was introduced to her future husband by her co-star Eric Christian Olsen. What’s more, it was his brother with whom Olsen set her up! Yes, Ruah — who plays Kensi Blye — has been married to David Paul Olsen since 2014 and her co-star is now her brother-in-law!

Olsen certainly brings out Ruah’s reflective side, that’s if a wedding anniversary post is anything to go by. Alongside a picture of her husband looking at her lovingly, Ruah captioned the Instagram Post: “After seven years of marriage, ten years together, two amazing kiddos, and a year of constantly being home together, I’m thrilled that you still look at me this way.” Aww.

As the ex-FBI agent T.C. Fornell, Joe Spano has really made his mark on NCIS. The talented actor also made his mark, so to speak, on the heart of a woman named Joan Zerrien. Yes, Spano met Zerrien whilst he was working at the Berkeley Repertory Theatre, when she was working as a manager of the box office.

Spano’s caring side was evidently brought out by Zerrien, as they have two children together; both of whom were adopted from China. Spano told website At This Stage, “We were in a place in our lives, well off, living in a great house and we said to ourselves what is this for? We should have kids and take advantage of our great school district.” How kind!

Jennifer Esposito appeared on NCIS as Alex Quinn for a total of 24 episodes from 2016 to 2017. The American actress — who was very briefly married to Bradley Cooper — went on to work with Tom Selleck in rival procedural drama Blue Bloods. But her personal life is less chaotic these days, as Esposito is happily married to fitness guru Jesper Vesterstrøm.

Esposito and Vesterstrøm got hitched in September 2020, and the actress shared some heartwarming shots of their wedding on Instagram. Vesterstrøm clearly brings out Esposito’s playful side, as he arrived at the wedding by windsurfing to the beach! Fortunately, he removed his wetsuit and put something more suitable on. In another post, Esposito hailed Vesterstrøm for giving her fireworks “every day.” Okay, Jennifer, that’s TMI!

In NCIS Diona Reasonover plays the goofy Kasie Hines, a forensic scientist for the Major Case Response Team. Interestingly, her other half, Patricia Villetto, is also an actress and a writer. The pair married in 2018 and have a heartwarming romance, which includes Villetto telling Reasonover to shut up during NCIS!

Indeed, Reasonover — who is now a regular on the procedural drama — told the New York Post that Villetto “won’t let me talk during NCIS.” She told the newspaper, “I try to tell her funny stories, like, ‘Oh, you know what’s funny about this scene?’ And she’s like, ‘Shush, shush, shush, shush, shush. Don’t talk to me; I’m watching my show.’” How funny!

NCIS: Los Angeles star Chris O’ Donnell is probably best-known for playing Robin in the 1997 movie Batman & Robin. But though his partner in fighting crime was George Clooney’s caped crusader, his real-life partner in love is Caroline Fentress. The pair have been married since the year of that ill-fated movie, meeting through her brother Andrew, who lived in the same apartment building. And Fentress brings out O’Donnell’s romantic side.

O’Donnell revealed that he kissed Fentress the first time they met, and felt a spark. The actor told magazine Redbook, “I knew there was something special about her from that moment, but we didn’t see each other again for three years.” But O’Donnell never forgot Fentress. He eventually called, but she wondered why he’d left it so long! Still, they began dating and O’Donnell added, “I would think to myself, ‘Could I imagine not marrying her?’ And there was just no way.”