The Real Life Partners Of The Cast Of NCIS: LA
"NCIS: Los Angeles" is the first spinoff of the popular CBS drama "NCIS." First airing in 2009, the show has been renewed for a 13th season, per TV Insider. "NCIS: Los Angeles" follows the exploits of the Naval Criminal Investigative Services' Office of Special Projects in Los Angeles, and a team of special agents who specialize in going undercover. The show centers around G. Callen (Chris O'Donnell) and Sam Hanna (LL Cool J), though over the years it has expanded to include Special Agent Kensi Blye (Daniela Ruah) and former LAPD officer Marty Deeks (Eric Christian Olsen). The team is headed by the incomparable Hetty Lange (Linda Hunt) and has been rounded out by Eric Beale (Barrett Foa) and Nell Jones (Renée Felice Smith). Foa and Smith officially departed the show at the end of Season 12, however.
Season 12 saw the additions of Special Agent Fatima Namazi (Medalion Rahimi) and Special Agent Devin Roundtree (Caleb Castille). Season 13 will also see Gerald McRaney's character, retired Admiral Hollace Kilbride, become a full-time cast member. While individually these characters are incredible to watch, like any ensemble show, it is the relationships between each of the actors that makes "NCIS: Los Angeles" so special and successful. These fantastic character relationships extend off screen as well, as most of the main cast has their own dedicated partner waiting for them at home. But just who are they? Keep reading to find out exactly who the real-life partners of the cast of "NCIS: Los Angeles" are.
Chris O'Donnell's wife is a teacher
Chris O'Donnell stars on "NCIS: Los Angeles" as Special Agent G. Callen, a specialist in undercover work. O'Donnell himself first gained fame when he starred opposite Al Pacino in "Scent of a Woman" and played Robin in "Batman: Forever." He was then offered the role of Agent J in "Men in Black" (per Redbook), but ultimately turned it down to concentrate on his family. "I was being offered these huge films that would have taken my career to a different level," he told the publication, "and I decided to put on the brakes. I knew if I continued on that track, I probably wouldn't have gotten married."
But, as family was incredibly important to O'Donnell, (he told Redbook he always wanted the "traditional family life"), O'Donnell put his career on hold to marry Caroline Fentress. According to The Baltimore Sun, Fentress is an elementary school teacher. The two married in 1997 and are still together as of this writing. Fentress was the little sister of one of O'Donnell's friends. He told Redbook that the two kissed when they first met, but it took him three years to officially ask her out. It seems the wait was worth it, though, as the couple has five kids and seem to still be enjoying life. In fact, according to Fentress' IMDb page, she even guest-starred on one episode of "NCIS: Los Angeles." The couple also told Redbook their relationship has succeeded because they share the same values.
LL Cool J's wife designs jewelry
LL Cool J plays Special Agent Sam Hanna on "NCIS: Los Angeles," a former Navy SEAL whose skills lie in West Asian culture. LL Cool J made a name for himself as a rapper, dominating the '90s with a series of hits and becoming the first rap artist to be honored by the Kennedy Center, per NPR. While his music career made him a household name, LL Cool J has tried his hand at acting as well, though he didn't find true success until he joined "NCIS: Los Angeles." He's also found success in love.
Simone I Smith started dating LL Cool J in 1987, per an interview she gave to Oprah, and has been with the actor ever since. They married in 1995 and, though they've had their ups and downs, seem to be in solid place as of this writing. Smith told Oprah that her battle with bone cancer really helped them realize what's important in life. Smith had surgery to remove a piece of her tibia and had to learn how to walk again, and LL Cool J was by her side the whole time. Since her remission, she started a jewelry line, creating statement pieces that have been worn by Rihanna and the Kardashian-Jenners, Blavity reported. She has also partnered with the American Cancer Society for her Beat Cancer Like a Boss movement, which consists of a charity-based jewelry line devoted to "boss"-styled pieces, per her official website.
Daniela Ruah shares a special connection with her husband
Daniela Ruah portrays Special Agent Kensi Blye on "NCIS: Los Angeles," her breakout role on American television. Though born in the United States, Ruah grew up in Portugal (per her IMDb biography) and got her start acting on Portuguese-language television series. She made her mark as Agent Blye, though, and her time on "NCIS: Los Angeles" can be said to have changed her life. While Kensi is married to her partner, Marty Deeks (Eric Christian Olsen), on the show, in reality, Ruah is married to Eric's brother, David Paul Olsen. In fact, Eric told Queen Latifah that he played matchmaker for the two.
David is also involved in "NCIS: Los Angeles," though he spends time on set in a bit of a different way than Ruah: he's Eric's stunt double. According to his IMDb, David is a prolific stunt worker, having done stunts for numerous productions, like "The Nun," "Star Trek: Picard," and "Big Little Lies." Eric told Queen Latifah that his brother and Ruah were both in terrible relationships, so he subtly would tell one person good things about the other. Eventually, David and Ruah started dating and welcomed their first child together in 2014, reported People. The couple also tied the knot that same year in Portugal, according to Ruah's Twitter. Distractify wrote the two have since added a second child to their brood, and the couple seem to be still happily together as of this writing.
Eric Christian Olsen married a fellow actor
While Eric Christian Olsen had been getting some decent acting work prior to his casting on "NCIS: Los Angeles," his turn as LAPD officer-turned-NCIS Special Agent Marty Deeks has catapulted him to stardom. Olsen's character of Deeks started out as an LAPD liaison working with NCIS, but eventually became a special agent. Though Olsen probably doesn't share many skills with his onscreen character, there is one thing the two of them have in common: they are both happily married. And just like Deeks married a fellow special agent, Olsen married a fellow actor, Sarah Wright.
As reported in Country Living, the two met on the set of "The Loop" in 2006 and dated for five years before tying the knot in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, in 2012. And though the couple has two children, Wright has continued to work, having roles on "Parks and Recreation," "Marry Me," and "Spinning Out," per her IMDb. However, Wright isn't just a wife, mother, and actor. She is also an entrepreneur. She co-founded a motherhood lifestyle blog, Your Zen Mama, and in 2018 helped found baeo, an organic skincare line. Though she and Olsen seem to be keeping a hectic and busy life, it appears as if the two are still happily married as of this writing. In fact, Wright and Olsen don't seem to mind sharing work and play; Olsen's co-worker and sister-in-law Daniela Ruah often shows up in Wright's Instagram photos.
Linda Hunt's wife is retired
Linda Hunt has seen a career resurgence as the head of NCIS' Los Angeles Office of Special Projects, Hetty Lange. However, prior to her time on "NCIS: Los Angeles," Hunt was an award-winning character actor, having won an Oscar for her portrayal of Billy Kwan in "The Year of Living Dangerously," per USA Today. Following that breakout role, she continued working in a series of movies and television roles, most notably in "Kindergarten Cop" and the voice of Grandmother Willow in "Pocahontas," according to her IMDb. Even though she has received notoriety for her acting, however, she has kept fairly quiet about her personal life, not going into much detail about her partner of over 30 years, Karen Kline, reported Express.
Express wrote that Hunt and Kline have been a couple since 1987, though the two didn't officially get married until it was legalized in California, which was 2008. When talking about her marriage, she said via the New York Post that she wasn't sure what their wedding meant legally, as it was only officially recognized at that time in California. Kline is a retired therapist, Express wrote, and the two lived in a bungalow in Los Angeles as of 2014 (it is unclear if they still live there as of this writing) though all accounts seem to point to the fact that they do and that Hunt and Kline are still happily together.
Nia Long's longtime partner is an NBA coach
Nia Long joined "NCIS: Los Angeles" for its ninth and tenth seasons, portraying Executive Assistant Director Shay Mosley, a successor to the deceased Owen Granger (Miguel Ferrer). Long, well known for her work in "The Best Man," "Big Momma's Mouse" and on "Third Watch," left the show when EAD Mosley had to go on the run and into hiding when a cartel ordered a hit on her.
According to Essence, Long publicly revealed that she was in a relationship with Ime Udoka in 2010, and the following year she gave birth to their son, Kez Sunday, per Us Weekly. The years of 2010 and 2011 also mark the last year that Udoka played in the NBA, after seven seasons as a guard and forward, which included stints with the Los Angeles Lakers, New York Knicks, Portland Trail Blazers, San Antonio Spurs, and Sacramento Kings. Udoka played for a year in Spain, whereupon he came back to the U.S. in 2012 and rejoined the Spurs organization as an assistant coach. There, he was pivotal in helping the team ink a deal with star power forward LaMarcus Aldridge, not to mention bring home an NBA title. Udoka jumped to the Philadelphia 76ers in 2019, then to the Brooklyn Nets briefly in 2020, before landing his first head coaching job with the Boston Celtics in June 2021, according to USA Today. As of 2015, Long and Udoka are engaged, but have no immediate plans to marry.
Gerald McRaney has been married to Delta Burke for 30-plus years
Gerald McRaney is a TV legend at this point, with integral roles on several beloved TV shows. Before his recurring role as Retired Navy Admiral Hollace Kilbride on "NCIS: Los Angeles" arrived in 2014, he played the warm and kindly Dr. Nathan Katowski on "This Is Us," a wicked George Hearst on "Deadwood," the titular character of "Major Dad," and rough-and-tumble private investigator Rick Simon on the hit '80s action comedy "Simon and Simon."
In 1987, "Designing Women" star Delta Burke, who played the wildly conceited Southern ex-beauty queen Suzanne Sugarbarker on the CBS ensemble sitcom, guest starred on an episode of "Simon and Simon." McRaney was instantly smitten. "I wasn't going to let her get away," he told Country Living, with Burke telling People that he proposed "on the second date." They got married in 1989.
Burke continued to act regularly through the '90s, leaving a tense on-set atmosphere at "Designing Women" behind in 1991 and starring in a string of flops including "Delta," "Women of the House," and "DAG." After publicly detailing her battles with depression and hoarding, per ABC, Burke essentially retired. "Everything is fine, I'm just not very exciting right now," she told the Daily Mail.
Bar Paly split up with her horror filmmaker husband
Since 2015, Bar Paly has popped up a few times each season on "NCIS: Los Angeles" as Anna Kolcheck, a love interest for Chris O'Donnell's character, G. Callen, and the daughter of ex-KGB officer Arkady Kolcheck. Before her stint on "NCIS," the Russian-born Paly, who grew up in Israel, was a model as well as a character actress, appearing on "The Starter Wife" and "Jean-Claude Van Johnson."
Paly never appeared in any of the projects made by Canadian filmmaker Ian Kessner, even though he was right there in the house. The actor and the director married in 2007, with Paly filing for divorce in 2018, on account of irreconcilable differences.
The principal mind behind production company Dark Spark Films, Kessner is also the creator of the TV series "Twisted Puppet Theater." His first feature film, "Lost After Dark," was a low-budget horror movie that's also an homage to and gentle parody of '80s teen slasher movies, which massively influenced his career. Kessner told Scream about his love of the genre, saying his fascination with "horror, fantasy and sci-fi" was a way to escape his "wonderful, but boring" suburban childhood. He told the same outlet that Quentin Tarantino once gave him a great bit of wisdom on how to glean magic within the constraints of an indie film production: "You also get a lot of happy accidents on set that translate to amazing moments you never planned for," Kessner claims the legendary director told him "in an elevator."
Renée Felice Smith and Chris Gabriel have been together since their school days
Renée Felice Smith joined "NCIS: Los Angeles" in Season 2, and remained on the series all the way through the end of Season 12 in 2021. Her character, the highly likable, Nell Jones, was a special agent and intelligence analyst who nearly became her agency's operations manager if she hadn't turned down the job in order to join the tech world in Tokyo.
According to Express, Smith and her long-time partner, Chris Gabriel, first met decades ago, in elementary school. The longtime friends-turned-lovers collaborated on many projects, including the 2017 indie flick "The Relationtrip." Smith and Gabriel wrote, directed, and produced the film together, in which Smith stars, while Gabriel also performed and composed the music. Gabriel also wrote music for Smith's short films, including "Pivot," "Go Fish," and "Young(ish)." The personal and professional partners don't have children, but they do have a dog named Hugo, according to a LinkedIn interview, whose recovery from a severe sickness inspired their 2021 children's book, "Hugo and the Impossible Thing."
In a ranging profile with Behind The Audio, Gabriel shared that enjoys composing music for commercials, plays, and charitable projects as well. He also revealed that driving force behind all of his work is to "help somebody have a positive experience or feel joy or excitement." He continued, "There is just something really special about adding to somebody's experience in an uplifting way or helping make somebody laugh."