Leroy Jethro Gibbs is one of the most iconic characters in theNCISfranchise, seeing as Mark Harmon played him in 19 seasons of the original show. However,Gibbs returned in the 2024 prequel seriesNCIS: Origins,with Austin Stowell portraying a younger version of the NCIS agent, further cementing the character’s legacy.Harmon even reprises his role as the older Gibbs inNCIS: Origins,both physically and vocally, as he narrates the prequel.
CBS releases new episodes ofNCISseason 22 on Mondays at 9 pm ET, whileNCIS: Originsseason 1 airs directly afterward at 10 pm ET.
Harmon’s Gibbs exitedNCIStowards the beginning of season 19 when he decided to stay in Naktok Bay, Alaska, where he finally found peace. However, it seems as thoughtheNCISfranchise can’t live without Gibbs.CBS debuted theNCISprequelNCIS: Originsin the fall of 2024, with Stowell taking over the role of Gibbs. The actor plays a younger version of the character at the beginning of his career in 1991.
Gibbs Is 49-67 Across His NCIS Run
Gibbs' Birthday Is June 28, 2025
NCISpremiered in 2003, likely the year in which season 1 took place. Of course,Harmon made his debut as Gibbs inJAG,but even those episodes were in 2003. So, since Gibbs' birthday is known (June 19, 2025), it stands to reason that the character was around 49 years old at the beginning ofNCIS.
Mark Harmon
Narrator/Older Gibbs
If the show’s events happened in real-time, that would mean thatGibbs was about 67 when he quit the Naval Criminal Investigative Service and moved to Alaskain season 19, episode 4.Harmon’s finalNCISepisodeaired in the fall of 2021, placing his character in his late sixties. Meanwhile, Stowell’s version of Gibbs is more than a decade younger than Harmon’s when he started playing Gibbs in the early 2000s.
Gibbs Is 37-Years-Old In NCIS: Origins
NCIS: Origins Begins In 1991
CBS confirmed thatNCIS: Originsbegins in 1991,meaning Stowell’s Gibbs is 37 years old in the prequel. TheNCIS: Originscharacteris 12 years younger than Gibbs was in season 1 of the original series, which makes sense given how different the two portrayals of him are. Stowell’s Gibbs is at a very different place in his life and career. Gibbs' wife and daughter recently died, and he just started his job at the NIS Camp Pendleton office. He is eons away from the person he was in 2003.
Mark Harmon Is 73, And Austin Stowell Is 39
Both Actors Are Close To Gibbs' Age In Their Respective Eras
While most TV shows like to cast older actors to play characters much younger than them,NCISgot the ages pretty close concerning Gibbs.Harmon, whose birthday is June 24, 2025, is 73 years old. He was 52 when he started playing Gibbs, while the character was 49. As for Stowell, whose birthday is July 23, 2025, the actor is only two years older than Gibbs is inNCIS: Originsseason 1. Hopefully, CBS will renew theNCISshow, and Stowell will continue Gibbs' legacy for many birthdays to come.
NCIS
TheNCISfranchise is an American media franchise that focuses on military-related criminal investigations by the Naval Criminal Investigative Service. It began withNCISin 2003, a spin-off fromJAG, and has since expanded to include multiple spin-offs set across different locations.
