A. J. Chegwidden
| A.J. Chegwidden | |
|---|---|
John M. Jackson as Rear Admiral A.J. Chegwidden
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| First appearance | Smoked (JAG) |
| Portrayed by | John M. Jackson |
| Information | |
| Full name | Albert Jethro Chegwidden |
| Occupation | Judge Advocate General of the Navy (1996-2004) |
| Spouse(s) | Marcella (divorced) |
| Significant other(s) | Meredith Cavanaugh |
| Children | Francesca |
| Rank | Rear Admiral |
Rear Admiral Albert Jethro "A.J." Chegwidden, JAGC, USN (Ret.), is a fictional character played by John M. Jackson on the TV series JAG, as well as its spinoff series NCIS and NCIS: Los Angeles.
Admiral Chegwidden was the Judge Advocate General of the Navy from around March 1996 until his retirement in May 2004. The "Old Man" may be the Navy's top uniformed lawyer, but he is a hands-on manager, never forgetting his roots as a Navy SEAL during the Vietnam War.
Jackson reprised his role as A.J. Chegwidden in the NCIS season 10 finale, "Damned If You Do", after a nine-year absence and again in a recurring capacity during the eighth season of NCIS: Los Angeles.
The family background of Chegwidden himself has never been revealed (although it might be assumed that Chegwidden, due to the Texan English spoken by actor John M. Jackson, hails from that region as well). At age 24, apparently while stationed in Italy, he married Marcella (played by Barbara Carrera), the daughter of the Mayor of Naples, Italy. In 1972 their daughter, Francesca, was born. Sometime in the 1970s, they divorced and his ex-wife received custody of Francesca. Marcella remarried, to an Italian man named Vittorio Parreti, who was later murdered. Francesca ran into problems when she fell in love with mafia member Luciano Antinori.
Chegwidden has had other romances throughout the years (with Judge Laura Delaney and Dr. Sydney Walden) but nothing really came from them. Judge Delaney was killed after stepping on a landmine placed by an old enemy on his porch. His last and longest romance in the series was with Meredith Cavanaugh. They met when she went to JAG headquarters to meet with Lt Col. MacKenzie, but he thought she was another attempt at matchmaking from his subordinates. He later learned that Col. MacKenzie wanted to speak with Meredith about a course she wanted her "little sister" Chloe to attend and he apologized. Chegwidden and Meredith bonded over their common interest for Shakespeare. Although the Admiral and Meredith got engaged near the end of Season 9, he found out she was cheating on him in Season 9 and ended their engagement on the spot.
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