Farewell Abby: Pauley Perrette, NCIS Star, Dies at 56 md20

Over the years, the series has been a starting platform for many rising stars while also drawing in established names for surprise cameos. Its appeal and long history make it a unique show for both new and familiar faces. With another season on the horizon, NCIS may continue its tradition of spotlighting future stars.

10. Julie Benz

Season 1, Episode 22

A post-Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel Julie Benz popped up early in NCIS‘s run, appearing in the penultimate episode of season 1 in 2004, as a woman named Denise Johnson, whose husband dies under suspicious circumstances while rock climbing. It was a new type of role for Benz, who was already something of a cult icon for her role as sultry vampire Darla on Buffy. However, her career really exploded two years later with her award-winning role as Rita Bennett in Dexter. Most recently, she had a guest role as Sadie on 9-1-1: Lone Star.

9. Abigail Breslin

Season 2, Episode 1

Before she melted the hearts – and scooped an Oscar nomination – for her role as would-be beauty queen Olive Hoover in the movie Little Miss Sunshine, Abigail Breslin appeared in an early guest role in the NCIS season 2 premiere episode. She played the role of Sandy Watson, an eight-year-old blind girl who is kidnapped along with her mother as part of a blackmail plot. Of course, Breslin would go on to have a prominent film career, also starring in Little Miss Sunshine, Zombieland, Definitely, Maybe, and My Sister’s Keeper, as well as having a starring role in the Scream Queens.

8. Zac Efron

Season 3, Episode 13

In 2006, a largely unknown Zac Efron played the role of Daniel Austin in a season 3 episode of NCIS titled “Deception.” A few weeks later, he was cast in a leading role in the High School Musical film series, cementing his status as a teen idol. Since then, Efron has had a diverse career, pivoting into more serious roles as he’s gotten older, and the movies The Iron Claw, Ricky Stanicky, and A Family Affair rank among his most recent projects.

7. Sean Astin

Season 9, Episode 18

Sean Astin has enjoyed a rich and varied body of work ever since starring as Mikey Walsh in the children’s adventure classic The Goonies. After prominent roles in The Lord of the Rings trilogy and 24 season 5, Astin guest-starred as strong-willed investigator Tyler Elliott in NCIS season 9, episode 18, “The Tell.” The episode saw him guest star alongside another Hollywood legend, Jamie Lee Curtis (more on her later), and after five years, he would star as Bob Newby in Stranger Things season 2.

6. Corey Stoll

Season 4, Episodes 10, 11, & 14

Corey Stoll can most recently be seen in the role of Adam Macintosh in Prime Video’s sleek thriller The Better Sister, and the diverse actor had a three-episode arc in the back-middle of NCIS season 4, playing the role of international arms dealer Martin Quinn in one of the show’s most exhilarating storylines. Following his appearances on the show, Stoll went on to have a season-long stint on Law & Order: Los Angeles from 2010-2011, and two years later, would secure his iconic role as Peter Russo in the Netflix original House of Cards.

5. Jamie Lee Curtis

Season 9, Episodes 16, 18, 20, 23 & 24

Hollywood legend and scream queen icon Jamie Lee Curtis needs no introduction; the Halloween and True Lies star was already a huge star when she had a fun and memorable five-episode arc in NCIS season 9 in 2012, playing the role of Dr. Samantha Ryan. The character was the then-girlfriend of Gibbs, who left when her abusive ex-husband was released from prison. Curtis has continued to be a prominent force in film and TV since her guest role in the procedural and won a long-overdue Academy Award in 2023 for Everything, Everywhere All At Once.

4. Glen Powell

Season 10, Episodes 6 & 7

He might be the flavor of the month right now, following roles in prominent recent movies, including box-office-saving Top Gun: Maverick, Hit Man, Anyone But You, and Twisters, but it wasn’t always the case. Back in 2012, when Glen Powell was a relative unknown, he had a two-episode arc in NCIS season 10 as Evan Westcott, the brother of a veteran suffering from PTSD. Powell’s next TV role after NCIS was his 16-episode breakout role as Chad Radwell in Fox’s satirical dark-comedy slasher series Scream Queens alongside Emma Roberts.

3. Colin Hanks

Season 10, Episodes 23 & 24, Season 11, Episode 1

Colin Hanks was already a well-known star when he took a three-episode guest-starring role in NCIS seasons 10 and 11, appearing as DOD Inspector Richard Parsons in the final two episodes of season 10 and the season 11 premiere. Parsons was a by-the-book jerk who had Gibbs arrested, causing the rest of the team to resign. The following year, Hanks would play Officer Gus Grimly, one of the leading characters inFargo seasons 1 and 2, before starring in the sitcom Life in Pieces for four years.

2. Millie Bobby Brown

Season 12, Episode 6

Before she shot to global fame as Eleven in Netflix’s ratings juggernaut Stranger Things, Millie Bobby Brown was a relatively unknown child actor who appeared in an episode of NCIS in 2014. She made an appearance as Rachel Barnes in the season 12 episode, “Parental Guidance Suggested,” an 11-year-old psychopath who is discovered to have murdered her mother. The character remains one of the most terrifying villains in NCIS, and is the youngest murderer in the franchise to date. Her performance was memorable and proved a springboard for the young actress’s career trajectory.

1. Michelle Obama

Season 13, Episode 22

Yes, you read that right. Former First Lady of the United States Michelle Obama made a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it appearance as herself in NCIS. Obama played herself in the episode “Homefront” in a fun and meta move by the show, and one of her first-ever appearances on a scripted TV show. It seems that the experience was an enjoyable one, as she has since gone on to make guest appearances in Nashville, Parks and Recreation, and iCarly as herself. While it’s unlikely she will make any future guest appearances in NCIS, don’t rule it out.