Leroy Jethro Gibbs

Leroy Jethro Gibbs
NCIS character
Mark Harmon as Leroy Jethro Gibbs
First appearance	"Ice Queen" (JAG)
Portrayed by	Mark Harmon Sean Harmon (teenager) Micah Tayloe Owens (child)
Information
Gender	Male
Occupation	NCIS Special Agent Former Gunnery Sergeant (Marine sniper and military police) (USMC)
Affiliation	Naval Criminal Investigative Service
Family	Jackson Gibbs (father, deceased) Ann Gibbs (mother, deceased)
Spouse(s)	Shannon Gibbs (deceased) Diane Sterling (divorced, deceased) Rebecca Chase (divorced) Stephanie Flynn (divorced)
Children	Kelly Gibbs (deceased)
Nationality	American
Career at NCIS
Position	Supervisory Special Agent Major Case Response Team, Washington DC office Undercover operative, Europe
Rank	Senior field agent
Years of Service	c. 1991–present
Awards	Navy Meritorious Civilian Service Award Purple Heart

Supervisory Special Agent

Leroy Jethro Gibbs is a fictional character of the CBS TV series NCIS, portrayed by Mark Harmon. He is a former U.S Marine Corps Scout Sniper turned special agent who commands a team for the Naval Criminal Investigative Service. Gibbs is the most accomplished marksman on the team and the most skilled at handling violent standoffs; he depends on his other agents heavily for technical forensics and background checks. He is patient but firm with his team and has little patience for bureaucracy; he commands most other main characters — including Caitlin Todd, Anthony DiNozzo, Timothy McGee, Ziva David — and is the backbone of the cast.

Series creator Donald P. Bellisario initially did not think Mark Harmon would fit the role of Gibbs, a "flinty type with a strong sense of honor and respect for the military", but changed his mind after viewing a tape of Harmon's portrayal of a Secret Service agent on The West Wing. Co-executive producer Charles Floyd Johnson recalls, "We all looked at that work. And everybody said, 'He's Gibbs.'" Harmon was cast in 2003, and Bellisario explained, "I said, 'Oh, my God, he's Gibbs.' He had matured. He's good-looking in a totally different way than he was as a young guy." At another point, he said, "I am so lucky to have Mark Harmon as the lead. You have no idea. This cast is gold. Mark Harmon is a Middle American guy, even if he was raised in Southern California. His values are exactly the same as mine."

Harmon said of his character, "I was attracted by [his] flaws. He has lousy taste in women. He's addicted to coffee."

Gibbs was initially written as "not too far removed" from characters like Dr. Robert "Bobby" Caldwell and Dr. Jack McNeil, both previous roles by Harmon. In an early episode, Gibbs "playfully smacked Weatherly's Dinozzo on the back of the head" resulting in the trademark "headslap" that later appeared in many episodes throughout the seasons.