[BooRadley]

Welcome to the 1st
Leon Vance/Rocky Carroll
Appreciation Thread!




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Leon Vance is the Director of NCIS and is played by Rocky Carroll. He first appeared in the show in the 14th episode of season 5 ("Internal Affairs") when the NCIS team is investigated by the FBI in relation to the death of La Grenouille (aka The Frog). At this time he was the Assistant NCIS Director, although during the episode he temporarily became the acting Director as he had to ask Director Jenny Shepard to step down during the investigation and would remain in this position for the following episode while she took personal leave. He would then reappear at the end of the season after Director Shepard dies, becoming her replacement as the NCIS Director.

Our first introduction of Leon Vance as a Director was one of shock as he split up the NCIS Major Case Response Team (MCRT) and created a new MCRT. While his motives were unclear, the reasoning behind his actions would soon be revealed during season 6 - to catch the mole within the organisation. They were able to do this during the eighth and ninth episodes ("Cloak" and "Dagger") of the season. At first little was known about Leon's past or about his personality; instead he came across as a secretive suspicious, and private person. His toothpicks, the Muhamed Ali poster, and his comments about making changes within the organization were the only known facts about him. All the team knew for sure was that he was always able to pinpoint their lies and omissions, and be one step before them when dealing with off-the-record cases.

It is not until the eighteenth episode of season six ("Knockout") that we began to learn more about this character and his past. It is in this episode that we learn about his past in Chicago, as well as his passions for boxing. This episode also marks the first appearance of his family: his wife Jackie; daughter Kayla; and son Jared. Leon has always been a family man at heart; constantly thinking about his family and ensuring that they are well-loved. He even went as far to help Jackie's younger brother on number occasion, including helping Jackie to raise him since their father was absent from their lives. The following Christmas (episode: "Homesick") Jackie's father showed up at Vance's house wanting to mend fences with her deceased daughter's family. At first Vance was against him meeting or being in his children's life, but thanks to Abby's pep talk he realized that everyone deserves a second chance, especially on Christmas. It is unclear at this point if his visiting the Vance family was a one time thing or became a yearly tradition.

At the end of the season 10 episode "Shabbat Shalom" he became a widow after the unfortunate death of Jackie after a drive by shooting at their house which was targetting Eli David who had been at the house for dinner. More recently we have seen him dating women, but none of them were able to fill in the void Jackie left. One of his girlfriends was a senator, who wanted to turn him into a politician and renounce his position within NCIS. While his latest girlfriend turned out to be a CIA-spy who was spying on him to check if he could be trusted to help in a CIA investigation.

As the NCIS director Leon is perfect for the position as he always knows what's going on with Gibbs and the rest of the MCRT. He's a great supervisor and friend for them, and is able to ensure that personal doesn't get mixed up (too much) with the cases. Within the team he is closest with Gibbs and Sloan, and appears to consider them to be his equals regardless of their positions within the organization. However he also has a great respect for the other team members, and he is always there to hear them out when the situation calls for it.


"Would you like to sit at my desk while you’re thinking
above your pay grade?" (14x19)


Roscoe Fulton Carroll, known professionally as Rocky Carroll is both a successful actor and director on NCIS, playing Director Leon Vance. He was born on July 8 1963 and shares his birthday with former NCIS co-star Michael Weatherly. He attended the School For Creative & Performing Arts (SCPA) in Cincinnati Ohio (together with Sarah Jessica Parker), before then earning his BFA degree at The Conservatory of Theatre Arts at Webster University in St. Louis. At some point Rocky has learned how to play the trumpet.

Prior to becoming well-known for his television roles he made a name for himself in the theatre world. He was a part of the New York Shakespeare Festival and has appeared in various Broadway plays. His theatre work made him a pioneer when it came to black actors portraying non-traditional roles which allowed him to play a role in changing the theatrical landscape for young actors.

In 1990 he was nominated for a Tony Award in the Best Actor - Featured Role - Play category for his role in August Wilson's "The Piano Lesson." 1990 was also the year when he tried out his luck in television. He had a cameo role in Bellisario's "MacGyver" before landing a recurring role in "Roc". In 1996 he became part of the CBS medical drama "Chicago Hope" which he remained on for four seasons until the show ended. His character also played a part in the crossover between "Chicago Hope" and "Early Edition". This show also provided Rocky with his first opportunity to work with other NCIS stars: Mark Harmon and Lauren Holly. Rocky and Mark's characters were friends on-screen all those years ago, which may influence how well they work together as Leon Vance and LJ Gibbs on NCIS. Besides acting, he has directed thirteen episodes for NCIS so far and one episode for the Magnum PI reboot.

Not much is known about Rocky's private life other than marrying Gabrielle Bullock in 1996, and that they have a daughter named Elissa.

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Rocky Carroll's as a director...

Episodes he's directed:

of NCIS...
- 12x13 "We Build, We Fight" (2015)
- 13x06 "Viral" (2015)
- 13x13 "Déjà Vu" (2016)
- 14x12 "Off the Grid" (2017)
- 15x04 "Skeleton Crew" (2017)
- 15x13 "Family Ties" (2018)
- 15x18 "Death From Above" (2018)
- 16x06 "Beneath the Surface" (2018)
- 16x12 "The Last Link" (2019)
- 16x17 "Silent Service" (2019)
- 17x07 "No Vacancy" (2019)
- 17x11 "In the Wind" (2020)
- 17x19 "Blarney" (2020)

of Magnum P.I....
- 2x19 "May the Best One Win" (2020)



"Bear in mind, Gibbs, when the world is watching, 'No comment'
can only play for so long!" (15x21)



Fans

- florerr
- shinebrighterxx



Future Title Ideas

- "Twisting arms is my speciality"
- "I gave up being an agent so I could lead and protect this agency. That's where I can make a difference. It's where I still can."

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Original post:


Yay, I got to start a thread on the best NCIS director yet!

Is it the toothpick? The Ali photo in his office? The fact that we don't know what he's hiding? Whatever it is, I love Leon. Who else does?

[BooRadley]

I can't be the only Leon lover out there!

[AngelicMouseGirl]

I like Vance, I don't understand why everyone is so horribly suspicous of him, I don't believe he is doing anything bad behind the scenes. ^_^ I can't wait to see where his character goes.

[BooRadley]

Finally, another Vance fan! I don't think he's bad, though he does seem a bit shady. I still think he's a very interesting character, though. In fact, that's what makes him so interesting!

[maplezbear]

^^ I don't not like Vance, but like you said, he is a little shady but interesting.

[BooRadley]

I can't wait to find out what was in that document he shredded.

[Yami]

^ I had forgotten about that. I hope that we get to find out what that paper said.

[~MelBelle~]

I like Vance too. I'll admit I'm one of the few who are suspicious about him, but it only makes me like him more.

[maplezbear]

Oh I completely forgot about the shredded document. I also hope we find out about it.

[BooRadley]

I'm sure we'll find out, eventually. I think the writers said that in an interview, but I can't remember exactly what they said.

[maplezbear]

Awesome. That is one thing I really love about this show is that they tend to keep their storylines consistant with past storylines and eps.

[~MelBelle~]

I wonder if it has something to do with Ziva's family.

[BooRadley]

Originally Posted by MelBelle2 (View Post) I wonder if it has something to do with Ziva's family.

Ooh, maybe. Or maybe it has something to do with that boxer friend of his who was murdered. We never did find out why his having or not having eye surgery was significant.

[maplezbear]

^^ That was what I was originally thinking those papers had to do with... the boxer and the eye thing. But that is a good guess that maybe it has to do with Ziva's family.

So many questions... hopefully we get the answers next season.

[razzlephrat]

I really didn't like Vance at the end of last season and for most of it before that, he seemed, seedy, skeevy, even. But after tonight's episode (i'm only 10 minutes in) and I swear this is none spoilery, I have a new respect for him and can see where his hard-assyness is coming from.