‘NCIS’: This Former Star of ‘The Office’ Played One of the Shows First Villains

Actress Melora Hardin is a very familiar face on television and the big screen. Over the last twenty-plus years, Melora Hardin has had some notable roles in some very popular television shows; as well as some memorable film performances. Of course, among Melora Hardin’s most memorable roles is her unforgettable turn as Jan Levinson on The Office.

Hardin’s Office character, Jan Levinson was a perfect – well, not so perfect – combo to Steve Carell’s Michael Scott. In her run as Jan, Hardin went from the buttoned-up Dunder Mifflin manager to a comical mess of a character. A character that viewers hardly recognized, Hardin hit comedy gold in her portrayal of Jan Levinson. It’s no doubt that some of the hit show’s best moments certainly include at least a few memorable “Jan” moments.

Among her many guest-starring roles, Melora Hardin has also had some memorable turns in some primetime procedural drams. Some of these roles include shows such as The Blacklist, Scandal, and CSI: Miami. She has even portrayed one of the first villains the NCIS team has faced on the popular CBS investigator series.

In the fifth season episode of NCIS titled The Curse, the NCIS team reopens a case when new information arises. As the episode begins, a mummified body of a disgraced Navy Lieutentnant is found in a cargo pod. The victim was believed to have run off with millions of dollars that had been stolen from the Navy. However, the discovery of the body leads the team to further investigate the case.
Melora Hardin Takes the ‘NCIS’ Case To A Whole New Level

In this NCIS episode, Melora Hardin portrays Erin Toner, a former Navy Petty Officer. She is known to have worked on the same ship as the deceased lieutenant. Now that the NCIS team has reopened the case, the detectives begin to wonder if there is more to Toner’s story. When the investigators catch up with Erin Toner, she is living well…a little too well, the NCIS team determines. This leads the team to suspect that the former Petty Officer. The team investigates any connection she may have to the lieutenant’s mysterious case.

The NCIS team eventually uncovers the truth; learning that Hardin’s Erin Toner has k****d the officer. She is also behind the robbery, which explains her lavish lifestyle. The episode comes to a major finale as Hardin’s character knows that she has been caught in her scheme. The actress may have had a one-time guest role on NCIS. However, her character is certainly one of the most memorable villains to date.

From portraying Monk’s wife, Trudy in the Tony Shalhoub led series, Monk; to roles on A Million Little Things; The Bold Type; Transparent and Cover Me: Based on the True Life of an FBI Family; as well as her unforgettable time portraying Jan Levinson on The Office, Hardin certainly has a face most of us would recognize.