Before NCIS, Sean Murray Appeared On The Show That Launched The Franchise
Special Agent Timothy McGee certainly earned his stripes on "NCIS" over the years. But Sean Murray's TV cadet training actually stretches back to two different roles on the parent series, "JAG."
Murray's first appearance in "JAG" was in 1998, guest starring in Season 4, Episode 3 as a character named Ensign Terry Guitry. The episode, titled "Innocence," centers on a rape case involving a U.S. Naval officer and a Japanese girl.
Murray then had a recurring role on Season 6 of "JAG," playing Danny Walden — the troubled young son of Dr. Sidney Walden. Murray appeared as Walden in five episodes from 2000 to 2001, including "Florida Straits" (Episode 3), "Flight Risk" (Episode 4), "JAG TV" (Episode 5), "The Princess and the Petty Officer" (Episode 6), and "Past Tense" (Episode 21).
Despite "JAG" getting some initial pushback from the actual Navy, the military courtroom drama had a strong run, with two Season 8 episodes ("Ice Queen" and "Meltdown") serving as a backdoor pilot for "NCIS".
Murray kept it in the family
Though Murray's tenured status on "NCIS" has granted him the designation of longest-serving cast member in series history (regardless of rumors of his departure), his connections with both shows extend beyond the screen.
His father, Craig Harland Murray, served over 30 years in the U.S. Navy. Growing up with a naval officer — in-addition to living on a number of military bases until the age of 15 — no doubt gave Murray a unique way into the character. In a 2017 interview with People, Murray talks about including a picture of his real father on the "NCIS" set early in the series. "So there's a picture of me and my real father together in McGhee's apartment set, which is kind of cool and sort of inspired the rest of the character's story," he recalls.
After his parents' divorce in the early '90s, Murray's mother Vivienne married Donald P. Bellisario, who created "JAG" and "NCIS." Murray's brother Chad W. Murray and his stepsiblings Michael Bellisario and Troian Bellisario have all worked on both shows.