This Actor Played Different Characters In All 4 NCIS Chows And Got Away With It
The NCIS franchise has been doing phenomenally for over twenty years, and it seemed like they've already achieved everything — but the last episode of NCIS: Hawai'i unexpectedly made history two days ago.
The thing is, this episode featured Kurt Yaeger as its guest star.
It wouldn't have been anything special were it not for the fact that Kurt previously appeared in the original NCIS, NCIS: Los Angeles, and NCIS: New Orleans. NCIS: Hawai'i was the last Stone in Kurt's NCIS Infinity Gauntlet.
Now, he has them all.
Admittedly, Yaeger is the first actor to have ever played four completely different characters in each of the four NCIS series, and this is quite an achievement — and a new piece of history for the show itself.
According to Claudia Lyon, the CBS talent and casting exec VP, it was only a matter of time before this happened considering how long these series have been airing.
There are quite a few actors who have participated in more than one of the NCIS shows, but Kurt is the record-breaker and the only person who's done them all.
Apart from his most recent role as MSgt. Strand in the Hawai'i version, Kurt also played Kevin Simms in New Orleans, Sullivan in Los Angeles, and Freddie Linn in the original NCIS which was his first-ever appearance in the franchise.
While Yaeger played one-episode characters for the most part (including his most recent Hawai'i role), his Sullivan was a recurring character in NCIS: Los Angeles and took part in five episodes.
But the last role is pretty unique and symbolic, too.
Kurt Yaeger is an actor with a disability: he lost part of his left leg in a motorbike accident many years ago.
This never stopped him from acting, and he uses his success to inspire other actors with disabilities as well as advocate for them in the industry.
What's special about his role in NCIS: Hawai'i is that it was Yaeger's first appearance in the series where he played a character without any disabilities.
It was an important mark for Kurt as it showed everyone that actors with disabilities should not be restrained only to the roles of veterans or post-injury officers (as it was with his previous characters in NCIS).
"It's starting to change where people are like, 'Well, you can play any character.' I've always been able to play any character. 95% of acting is from the chest up!", claims Yaeger.
After he set this curious record, more people's attention has been drawn to Kurt's initiative of helping performers with disabilities and normalizing their presence in the industry.
This makes it an even more important event: both a personal milestone for Yaeger and the show and an opportunity to champion his noble goals.