NCIS Origins is making its UK debut with actor Austin Stowell taking fans back in time to tell the tale of when Gibbs first became an agent
NCIS Origins’ leading man is actor Austin Stowell, but what is there to know about the man behind the younger version of the iconic Agent Gibbs?
NCIS Origins was first released in the US back in October 2024 and now its UK fans’ turn to find out how the prequel plays out with the first two episodes dropping on Thursday, 13th March, on Paramount+.
Set in 1991, Gibbs (played by Stowell) is starting a new career as an agent at NIS, which later became NCIS, following the murder of his wife Shannon and daughter Kelly.
With no nonsense Special Agent Mike Franks (Kyle Schmid) as the team’s leader, Gibbs must quickly find his footing while continuing to deal with the trauma of losing his family.
As the prequel finally lands in the UK, here’s everything there is to know about Gibbs star Austin Stowell.
Starting Out
The youngest of three sons born in Kensington, Connecticut, Stowell was raised by his retired steelworker dad Robert and teacher mum Elizabeth.
He attended Berlin High School and then the University of Connecticut which he graduated from in 2007 and, the following year, Stowell decided to move to Los Angeles to pursue his dream of acting.
In the early days, Stowell was sleeping on his agents’ floor, while taking on odd jobs like working in a bar for two years as well as caddying for actor and comedian Bill Murray, according to Variety.
He had minor parts in shows like Secret Girlfriend, NCIS LA and 90210 but his breakthrough role was as Jesse in The Secret Life of the American Teenager which he played for two years.
Stowell has since starred in Dolphin Tale with Morgan Freeman, Whiplash, Bridge of Spies, Battle of the Sexes, The Hating Game and Three Women, just to list a few.
Vampire Diaries romance
The NCIS Origins’ star most high profile romance was back in 2015 when he was dating Vampire Diaries actress Nina Dobrev.
They were first spotted together in June but it wasn’t until months later at the premiere of Bridge of Spies that the couple made their red carpet debut.
Sadly, their relationship wasn’t to last with a source telling People at the time that they called things off as “it started to get hard with both of their schedules”, while adding that the stars were “still on good terms”.
Dobrev is now engaged to Olympic gold medallist Shaun White but Stowell remains single, instead choosing to focus on his current passion, NCIS Origins.
He joked with People: “I’m in a relationship with a TV show. I am here Monday through Friday …
“Remember those 300 people that I was telling you about? They are all my boyfriends and girlfriends.”
Loss
Tragedy struck for the 40-year-old actor’s family in 2020 when his dad took his own life after years of mental health issues.
In a heartfelt post at the time, the star wrote: “Dad, I love you and miss you but I know how hard you tried to express your deep well of love to almost anyone you met.
“I am all the best parts of you and now I have you with me every step of my journey through life.
“I will do my best to be the man you taught me to be: open and willing to bare myself and my love to the world. Save a barstool for me…someday we’ll cheers and I’ll tell you all about it.”
Last year, Stowell opened up again on losing his dad to Us Weekly, explaining that he channelled his “personal trauma” while playing Gibbs.
“I get to tap into that all the time and I get to exercise those emotions.
“I get to revisit them in some ways that four years ago would’ve been too fresh, too much and too emotional for me to touch upon.
“I think because I’ve had some time and space, I was more prepared to play this character than I would’ve been four years ago.
“It informs me because I have gone through what the stages of grief are like. Certainly through the first 10 episodes that we’ve filmed now, the audience is getting the full gamut of emotion [with Gibbs].”
What’s next
Apart from plans to return for a second season of NCIS Origins, the actor behind young Gibbs has other work in the pipeline.
He is currently working on the thriller This Tempting Madness, which is now in post-production, which he will star alongside Bridgerton’s Simone Ashley.
Another drama which has now been completed is The Long Home which sees a young contractor who is hired to build a “honky-tonk in Tennessee by the man who killed his father”.
As well as Stowell, there are a plethora of stars in The Long Home, including James Franco, Josh Hartnett, Lip Tipton and Giancarlo Esposito.
NCIS Origins is available to watch on Paramount+ UK.