NCIS and its descendants NCIS: Los Angeles, which was recently canceled, and NCIS: Hawai’i have amassed cult followings over the years, and viewers are captivated by the characters’ intriguing love stories. But when the cameras aren’t rolling, a lot of the adored cast members—including Eric Christian Olsen, Mark Harmon, and Vanessa Lachey—go home to their famous real-life partners. See them down below.
Eric Christian Olsen
In NCIS: Los Angeles, Eric Christian Olsen’s character Marty Deeks is married to Kensi Blye, played by Daniela Ruah. But in real life, the actor has been married to actress Sarah Wright since 2012. The couple met in 2006 on the set of the Fox sitcom The Loop. After dating for five years, the two got engaged during a vacation in Mexico in 2011, later tying the knot in 2012 in Wyoming’s idyllic Jackson Hole.
Sarah has starred in hit movies like The House Bunny with Anna Faris – in which she played a sorority mean girl – and 2017’s American Made, in which she starred opposite Tom Cruise.
LL Cool J
Since the early 2000s, LL Cool J has played Sam Hanna in NCIS: Los Angeles. He has been blissfully married to his wife Simone Smith since 1995 when the cameras weren’t around. Before getting married, the two dated for eight years after meeting when LL was still a teenage artist. After seeing a knot in her leg in 2004, Simone received a stage 3 chondrosarcoma diagnosis. LL supported Simone throughout her entire rehabilitation. Simone has been cancer-free for 15 years after a 15-hour procedure and a two-year recuperation period during which she had to relearn how to walk.
Speaking of their long-lasting marriage, Simone once told Oprah Winfrey the secret to their success. She said: “Putting God first, we both come from a spiritual background. And compromise, a lot of compromise. Picking your battles; respecting each other.”
Daniela Ruah
Daniela’s alter-ego Kensi Blye may be married to Eric Christian Olsen’s character on NCIS: Los Angeles, but in real life, she’s married to Eric’s brother, David Paul Olsen – and he was a huge factor in setting the two up.
“[Daniela] was dating this guy that was awful, and [David] was dating this girl that was awful, and they weren’t themselves,” Eric explained on The Queen Latifah Show in 2014.
After David began work on the show as Eric’s stunt double, he set the wheels in motion to bring his on-screen wife and real-life brother together.
“I would say something nice about her to him and then say something to him about her, and they’re both like, ‘Really? Really? Really?’ And that was enough to kinda get them started in conversation, and it became this wonderful relationship,” he added. Daniela and David married in June 2014, with the actress posting on Twitter at the time: “Just lived the best week of my life; I married my best friend.”
Chris O’Donnell
Since 2009, Chris O’Donnell has starred in NCIS: Los Angeles as G. Callen. While his character isn’t exactly known for being a family man, the actor has been married for over 20 years!
In the early 1990s, Chris and Caroline Fentress first connected through Caroline’s brother Andrew, who occupied the same apartment building as Chris. But he wouldn’t see her again for three years. Following their subsequent encounter, the couple dated for three years before getting married. He previously told Redbook, “I was at the proper spot earlier than I thought. “I’d ask myself, ‘Could I imagine not marrying her?’ There simply was no way.
Caroline is a school teacher but has dabbled in acting. In fact, she appeared alongside her husband in season seven, episode four of NCIS: Los Angeles.
Vanessa Lachey
NCIS: Hawai’i star Vanessa Lachey has been married to singer Nick Lachey since 2011. The couple met in 2006, shortly after Nick’s public divorce from Jessica Simpson, when Vanessa starred in his What’s Left Of Me music video. Before they tied the knot, Vanessa revealed that they temporarily split and dated other people, before they realized they were better together. They wed on Richard Branson’s private island, Necker Island, in the British Virgin Islands with 35 of their closest friends and family as guests.
Alex Tarrant
Alex Tarrant plays Kai Holman on NCIS: Hawai’i but he’s not the only famous face in his household. The New Zealand actor is married to actress Luci Hare, who has starred in Auckward Love, The Cure, and Same But Different: A True New Zealand Love Story. The couple welcomed their son, Beaumont ‘Beau’ Tarrant in 2018.
Tori Anderson
Tori Anderson stars as FBI Agent Kate Whistler in NCIS: Hawai’i and is in a relationship with NCIS Agent Lucy Tara, but in real life, she’s married to a man, her husband, Mitch Myers. The couple wed in a stunning Caribbean ceremony in January 2018 but have been together since 2010. Mitch has also dabbled in the arts and met Tori on the set of the TV movie You May Kiss the Bridesmaid. He’s also appeared in a few shorts, Help Yourself, which he directed, The Day I Killed Him, and Go On and Bleed.
Mark Harmon
Former NCIS star Mark Harmon has been married to actress Pam Dawber since 1987. They met via mutual friends in the early eighties before tying the knot in an intimate wedding ceremony attended by just a few friends and family members. Pam had a guest-starring role on NCIS during seasons 18 and 19, playing investigative journalist Marcie Warren, who reached out to Mark’s character Agent Gibbs after learning about the events that led to his suspension. She also helped him track down a disturbing serial killer.
Pam’s four-episode arc on NCIS marked the first time that she and her husband worked together on television. Pam is best known for her roles in eighties comedies Mork & Mindy and My Sister Sam.
Sean Murray
Sean Murray, who plays NCIS Special Agent Timothy McGee, married his wife, Carrie James in November 2005 – 11 months after they first met at a friend’s Halloween party. Opening up about their whirlwind romance on the Wedding Dish Podcast, Carrie said: “We got engaged in August, well I kind of put the heat on him in June, I was like, ‘What are we doing? What’s going on?’”
The couple decided to marry over Thanksgiving at Lakeside country club so they would always be able to spend their anniversary together over the holiday weekend.
Katrina Law
Katrina Law was welcomed to the NCIS cast at the end of season 18 and brought back as a series regular portraying Agent Jessica Knight in 2021. In real life, Katrina is married to former actor Keith Andreen, who she met on the set of the TV show The Resistance in 2010. The couple dated for three years before they married at a small ceremony in 2013 attended by close friends and family. Keith has also starred in The Surrogate, Snow Bride and the television shows Sam & Cat. He is also a director, writer, and producer and worked on the 2018 miniseries Caught.
Brian Dietzen
Brian Dietzen plays Dr. Jimmy Palmer on NCIS. While his character has experienced some family tragedy, in real-life Brian has been happily married to his wife Kelly for the last 20 years. Brian and Kelly, who is reportedly a midwife, first met at a party in 2000 and soon started dating before marrying in 2004. Not much is known about the couple’s relationship as they prefer to keep themselves out of the spotlight.
Wilmer Valderrama
Wilmer Valderrama joined the NCIS cast as agent Nicholas Torres in 2016. The actor has had several high-profile relationships over the years, notably with Lindsey Lohan and Demi Lovato. In 2020, he announced his engagement to his girlfriend of eight months, Amanda Pacheco, and on February 15, 2021, they welcomed their daughter, Nakano Oceana. As of yet, they have not revealed a wedding date. According to her Instagram page, Amanda is a PADI divemaster, an individual licensed to lead recreational scuba diving excursions, and a model.
David McCallum
David McCallum is probably best known for his role as NCIS medical examiner Dr. Donald ‘Ducky’ Mallard – and he’s no stranger to tying the knot. David’s first wife was actor and singer Jill Ireland, who starred in Hell Drivers, The Man from U.N.C.L.E., Love and Bullets, and Carry on Nurse. His current wife, Katherine Carpenter, was a successful model in the 1960s and starred in campaigns for Good Housekeeping and Glamour.
Michael Weatherly
Before deciding to retire in 2016, Michael Weatherly portrayed Special Agent Anthony DiNozzo on NCIS for 16 years. He never received any recognition for his role on the show, but his wife did. Since 2009, Michael has been wed to the honorable doctor Bojana Jankovic. Bojana has an impressive background and is board-certified in both internal medicine and integrative medicine. She is also a fellow of the American College of Physicians. She has additional training in nutrition, mindfulness, and functional medicine.
Bojana has received various awards for her work, including several patient satisfaction awards at Cedars-Sinai, Southern California Super Doctors Rising Star in 2016 and 2017, and Top Doctor and Super Doctors recognitions in New York between 2018 and 2022. Before she met her actor husband and became a doctor, Bojana dabbled in TV and film and worked as a writer and assistant director in her native Serbia on projects including the 2009 Serbian TV series TVWWW and the 2007 short film Do Not Leave Me with Strangers.
Bojana now often appears in front of the camera as a health consultant and has enjoyed TV stints on Today, MSNBC, and Racheal Ray.