Why NCIS star Austin Stowell (aka young Gibbs) looks familiar

NCIS: Origins has found its leading man. Austin Stowell will star as Leroy Jethro Gibbs in the highly-anticipated spinoff, which will take place during the 1990s and chronicle the character's life before the events of the original NCIS.

Stowell will be the third person to play Gibbs, after Mark Harmon and Sean Harmon, though the previous stars will be involved with the show as producers. Stowell may be a fresh face when it comes to the character, but the actor has actually been accumulating an impressive resume of film and TV appearances over the last decade.

Stowell has been acting since 2009

Stowell made his TV debut in the sitcom The Secret Life of the American Teenager (2009-11), where he was a main cast member during the first two seasons. He then pivoted to more dramatic fare with single episode stints on 90210 (2010) and The White Lotus (2021).

The actor also appeared in a 2010 of NCIS: Los Angeles, which means he's already been a part of the franchise for the last 14 years! You'd be forgiven for forgetting, though, as he played the small role of PFC James Winston. Nothing as notable as, you know, the main character.

Related: Why Gibbs' NCIS return episode 1000 is unlikely

Stowell has already proven to be a capable presence on the big screen. He played a jazz drummer competing with Miles Teller in Whiplash (2014), which was nominated for Best Picture, and a pilot captured by the Soviets in Bridge of Spies (2015), which was also nominated for Best Picture!

Stowell has been in 2 Best Picture nominees

His more recent film credits include the military drama 12 Strong (2018), the horror reboot Fantasy Island (2020), and the romantic comedy The Hating Game (2021).

Stowell has proven to have range in terms of playing supporting and leading roles, and he's been a focal point in several minseries like Catch-22 (2019) and A Friend of the Family (2022).

It was only a matter of time before he landed a huge part, and we'd say Leroy Jethro Gibbs is about as big as it comes with regards to procedural TV.