NCIS cast: Who plays Gibbs’ dad in NCIS?
NCIS has featured a multitude of cast members over the years but some fans of the long-running CBS series want to know about the actor behind Leroy Gibbs’ father Jackson.
Leroy Jethro Gibbs (played by Mark Harmon) has led NCIS for most of its run up until fairly recently when the character stepped back from the team. Throughout NCIS, audiences have met various members of Gibbs’ family including his mother Ann (Clare Carey) and his children. However, viewers are eager to know more about Gibbs’ father and the actor behind the part.
Who plays Gibbs’ dad in NCIS?
Jackson Gibbs was played by actor Ralph Waite, who featured in the show across eight episodes.
The character first featured in season six and made small appearances in some of the following runs.
Jackson had served time in the US Army Air Force during World War II before returning home after the conflict.
Following the death of his wife Ann, Jackson became estranged from Gibbs with the two getting into arguments.
The pair later seemed to make it up when Jackson sought out Gibbs for advice after k*-*-**g a robber who was trying to steal from his store.
Waite sadly d*–*d in February 2014 aged 85 and the NCIS season 11 finale was written to him as a tribute to the actor.
In Honor Thy Father, Gibbs learnt Jackson had d*-*-*d from a stroke and the episode d—lt with his loss.
Jackson also appeared in a flashback in the episode where a young Gibbs and his father walked through a forest.
Actor Waite had a lengthy career before he starred on NCIS and was best known for his role as patriarch John Walton Sr in The Waltons, which earned him an Emmy nomination.
Waite was born on June 22, 1928 in White Plains, New York. After graduating from Bucknell University, Waite was uncertain about his career path and worked in various professions before finding acting.
Among his previous jobs, Waite worked as a publicist, book editor, social worker and Presbyterian minister.
He made his professional acting debut in a 1960 production of The Balcony, and later starred in Blues for Mister Charlie on Broadway.
Waite also starred with Faye Dunaway in Hogan’s Goat before moving from the stage to the screen.
Among his big-screen roles were The Bodyguard starring Kevin Costner and Whitey Houston, Cliffhanger, and On the Nickel.
He was part of The Waltons for the show’s entire run from 1972 to 1981, appearing in over 200 episodes.
Once the wholesome show about America’s best-loved family concluded, he went on to feature in the series The Mississippi.
Waite had smaller parts in Murder, She Wrote, The Outer Limits, Grey’s Anatomy, Cold Case, and CSI.
Later in his career, Waite featured in HBO series Carnivàle, Days of Our Lives, Murder One, and Bones.
Waite served as a writer for On The Nickel, a producer on A Good Sport, and directed on The Waltons and The Mississippi.
Along with acting, Waite pursued a political career and ran for Congress twice in 1990 and 1998 but was sadly unsuccessful.
NCIS season 20 will premiere on CBS in America on September 19
