Joe Spano - wikipedia Joe Spano Joe Spano Joseph Peter Spano ( 1946 - 07 - 07 ) July 7, 1946 ( age 71 ) San Francisco, California, U.S. Occupation Actor Years active 1967 -- present Spouse ( s ) Joan Zerrien ( m. 1980 ) Children Joseph Peter Spano ( born July 7, 1946 ) is an American actor is best known for his role as Lt. Henry Goldblume on Hill Street Blues. Spano is now best known for his work on NCIS as FBI Special Agent Tobias C. Fornell. Contents 1 Career 1.1 NCIS 2 Personal life 3 Filmography 3.1 Film and television 3.2 Other work 4 Awards and nominations 5 References 6 External links Career Joe Spano was a member of the San Francisco improv group The Wing, and in college debuted as Paris in a production of Romeo and Juliet in 1967. In 1968, he helped found the Berkeley Repertory Theatre, appearing in its first production, and stayed with the company for 10 years. He moved to Hollywood in the late 1970s, landing guest shots on TV and bit roles in American Graffiti ( 1973 ) and The Enforcer ( 1976 / I ). In Hill Street Blues he played Henry Goldblume during the entire seven - year run of the series, first as a detective sergeant, later as a lieutenant. Goldblume was one of Hill Street Precinct Captain Frank Furillo 's trusted junior officers, serving at times as a hostage negotiator and gangs relations officer. The character was sympathetic to crime victims, sometimes coming in conflict with his duties as a police officer. Spano was one of many actors appearing through each episode, which typically had several interwoven story lines. After Hill Street Blues ended, Spano won recurring roles in television police shows Murder One ( 1995 ) and NYPD Blue ( 1993 ), again as a detective, and has appeared regularly in 27 television movies and 20 television shows like The X-Files ( episodes Tempus Fugit and Max ), Mercy Point and Amazing Grace. Spano won the Emmy award in 1988 for Best Guest Actor in a Drama Series for a role he played in an episode of Midnight Caller. He has appeared in 27 feature films, including working alongside Tom Hanks in Apollo 13 and Richard Gere and Edward Norton in Primal Fear. His credits are often confused with Australian actor Joseph Spano. They are not related. He is a veteran stage actor on the east and west coasts. Spano made his Broadway debut in 1992 in the Roundabout Theater revival of Arthur Miller 's The Price, with Eli Wallach, which was nominated for a Tony for Best Revival. West coast stage credits include Eduardo Pavlovsky 's Potestad, and David Mamet 's Speed - the - Plow and American Buffalo, for which he was awarded an LA Drama Critics Circle Award. At the Rubicon Theater in Ventura he has played General Burgoyne in Shaw 's The Devil 's Disciple, Greg in A.R. Gurney 's Sylvia and Vladimir in Waiting for Godot. He is a member of the Antaeus Theater Company and a founding member of three other theater companies. He played a seductive vampire in the cult musical Dracula : A Musical Nightmare in a small LA theatre. He also appeared in the TV movie Brotherhood of Justice with Keanu Reeves and Kiefer Sutherland. NCIS Spano has been a recurring character in NCIS since its premiere episode, `` Yankee White '', playing FBI Special Agent Tobias Fornell, the FBI counterpart to NCIS Special Agent Leroy Jethro Gibbs, portrayed by Mark Harmon. In Season 15, Fornell is no longer with the FBI, but is a private investigator. The on - screen rapport between the two actors has made Spano much more visible to viewers than his number of actual screen appearances would suggest. Spano is best known for straight dramatic roles but, in NCIS, has adapted to the comedic / drama style of the show. Spano 's character, Fornell, holds rank in the FBI equivalent to that held by the NCIS main character, Gibbs. Thus Spano is given key lines and comic moments as a foil for Gibbs and, in some episodes, equal screentime with the main lead. The two characters usually address each other by their first names. Two episodes have used the Fornells ' personal life as the main crux of an NCIS episode : one where Fornell 's daughter is imperiled and another where Fornell 's career is imperiled. In each episode, it is the friendship between Gibbs and Fornell which is invoked in order to involve NCIS in the resolution of an FBI agent 's crisis. Further indicating his status on the show, Spano 's Fornell was written into the Gibbs backstory, by having Fornell been married to Gibbs ' first ex-wife, linking their private lives as well as their professional lives and further establishing their equivalence of status. Spano 's character has also been involved in operations run by other agencies, including both Homeland Security and the CIA, as the liaison between those agencies and NCIS. Notable episodes of NCIS, featuring Spano in a prime role, include the Episode 1, Season 1 `` Yankee White '', Episode 2 of Season 4 `` Escaped '', as well as episodes titled `` Seadog '', `` Enigma '', `` Reveille '', `` The Boneyard '', `` Conspiracy Theory '', `` Twilight '', `` Kill Ari : Part 2 '', `` Under Covers '', `` Frame up '', `` Smoked '', `` Brothers in Arms '' and `` Angel of Death '', all of which are available for searching on the NCIS pages. Spano continued to appear in season 5 of NCIS, starting with `` Identity Crisis '' about an FBI operation gone wrong and `` Internal Affairs '' when NCIS is being investigated for murder. In season 6, he appears in the episodes `` Nine Lives '' and `` Semper Fidelis ''. In season 7, he appears in the episodes `` Jack - Knife '' and `` Moonlighting ''. He continues to appear in the following seasons as well, in the episodes `` Short Fuse '' and `` Tell - All '' ( both season 8 ), `` Devil 's Triangle '', and `` Life Before His Eyes '' ( both season 9 ), `` Extreme Prejudice '', `` Devil 's Trifecta '', `` Damned If You Do '' ( all season 10 ), and `` Whiskey Tango Foxtrot '', `` Past, Present, and Future '', `` Devil 's Triad '', `` Crescent City ( Part I ) '', and `` Crescent City ( Part II ) '' ( all season 11 ), `` Cabin Fever '' ( season 12 ), `` Dead Letter '' and `` Family First '' ( season 13 ), `` Privleged Information '' ( season 14 ), and `` Burden of Proof '', `` Keep Your Friends Close '' ( Fornell is no longer with the FBI as of this episode ) and `` Keep Your Enemies Closer '' ( all season 15 ). Personal life Spano was born in San Francisco, California, the son of Virginia Jean ( née Carpenter ) and Vincent Dante Spano, a physician. He graduated from Archbishop Riordan High School in 1963, and he is an honorary member of the House of Russi. Spano and his wife Joan Zerrien, a therapist, were married in 1980. They have two adopted daughters. Filmography Film and television One Is a Lonely Number ( 1972 ) as Earl of Kent American Graffiti ( 1973 ) as Vic Warlock Moon ( 1973 ) as John Devers The Streets of San Francisco ( 1974 ) as Taxi Driver - Witness / Toomey The Enforcer ( 1976 ) as Mitch, Robber ( uncredited ) Northern Lights ( 1978 ) as John Sorensen Lou Grant ( 1979 ) as Jack Ridgeway / Larry Trapper John, M.D. ( 1979 ) as Dr. Gallant Roadie ( 1980 ) as Ace Tenspeed and Brown Shoe ( 1980 ) as Duff McCoy Fighting Back ( 1980 ) as Captain Murphy Insight ( 1981 ) as Karl Rothman The Incredible Shrinking Woman ( 1981 ) as Guard Terminal Choice ( 1985 ) as Dr. Frank Holt Brotherhood of Justice ( 1986 ) as Bob Grootemat Hill Street Blues ( 1981 -- 87 ) as Lt. Henry Goldblume Deep Dark Secrets ( 1987 ) as Eric Lloyd Valerie ( 1987 ) as Mr. Cameron L.A. Law ( 1988 ) as George Ripley Disaster at Silo 7 ( 1988 ) as Sgt. Swofford Midnight Caller ( 1989 ) as John Saringo Cast the First Stone ( 1989 ) as Bill Spencer The Easter Story ( 1990 ) as Jesus ( voice ) Blind Faith ( 1990 ) as Sal Caccaro The Girl Who Came Between Them ( 1990 ) as Jim The Great Los Angeles Earthquake ( 1990 ) as Chad Spaulding American Dreamer ( 1990 ) The Summer My Father Grew Up ( 1991 ) as Louis For the Very First Time ( 1991 ) as Mr. Allen Fever ( 1991 ) as Junkman Civil Wars ( 1992 ) as Carl Sherensky Bloodlines : Murder In the Family ( 1993 ) as Hal Leventhal Reasonable Doubts ( 1993 ) as Jimmy Cooper The Flood : Who Will Save Our Children ? ( 1993 ) as Richard Koons Rave Review ( 1994 ) as Lou Dream On ( 1994 ) as Policeman Apollo 13 ( 1995 ) as NASA Director Amazing Grace ( 1995 ) as Detective Dominick Corso Primal Fear ( 1996 ) as Abel Stenner Murder One ( 1996 ) as Ray Velacek Her Costly Affair ( 1995 - 1996 ) as Carl Weston The X-Files ( 1997 ) as Mike Millar A Call To Remember ( 1997 ) as Dr. Green Profiler ( 1997 -- 1998 ) as Detective Mike Ramdak From the Earth to the Moon ( 1998 ) as George Mueller JAG ( 1998 ) as Captain Jack Murphy Break Up ( 1998 ) as Priest Logan 's War : Bound by Honor ( 1998 ) as Special Agent John Downing L.A. Doctors ( 1998 ) as Don Claybourne Nash Bridges ( 1998 ) as FBI Agent Langdon In Quiet Night ( 1998 ) as Gold Mercy Point ( 1998 -- 1999 ) as Dr. DeMilla A.T.F. ( 1999 ) as Senator at Hearing ( uncredited ) Touched by an Angel ( 1999 ) as James Cooper A Question of Faith ( 2000 ) as Duncan Batman Beyond ( 1999 - 2000 ) as Bennet / Boss / Sniper ( voice ) Strong Medicine ( 2000 ) as Jonathan Freid Batman Beyond : Return of the Joker ( 2000 ) Texas Rangers ( 2001 ) as Mr. Dunnison Providence ( 2001 ) as Dr. Carroll Ticker ( 2001 ) as Captain Spano The Invisible Man ( 2002 ) as Father Tom Moore Hart 's War ( 2002 ) as Col. J.M. Lange Static Shock ( 2002 ) as Mr. Osgood NYPD Blue ( 2002 - 2003 ) as Det. John Clark Sr. Boomtown ( 2003 ) as Henry Stein Fortunate Son ( 2004 ) as Robert L.A. Dragnet ( 2004 ) as Bill Kutler Eyes ( 2005 ) as Judge William Massey Crossing Jordan ( 2006 ) as Captain Innis The Closer ( 2006 ) as Dr. Rose Hollywoodland ( 2006 ) as Howard Strickling Standoff ( 2006 ) as Joe Suser Fracture ( 2007 ) as Judge Joseph Pincus Shark ( 2008 ) as Paul Faber Frost / Nixon ( 2008 ) as Network Executive In Plain Sight ( 2010 ) as Gabe Andrews / Gabe Marion If I Did It ( 2011 ) as Mayor NCIS ( 2003 -- present ) as Senior FBI Agent / Private Investigator Tobias `` T.C. '' Fornell The Mentalist ( 2012 ) as Greg Relin NCIS : New Orleans ( 2014 ) as Senior FBI Agent Tobias `` T.C. '' Fornell Other work Chuck E. Cheese 's - Pasqually the Chef ( voice ; 1977 -- 1983 ) Awards and nominations Ovation Awards 2009 : Nominated for Lead Actor in a Play for the role of George in the Rubicon Theatre Company production of Who 's Afraid of Virginia Woolf ? References ^ Jump up to : Joe Spano ( I ) - Biography Jump up ^ Joe Spano Jump up ^ https://cartermatt.com/286330/ncis-season-15-episode-14-spoilers-joe-spano-returns-fornell/ Jump up ^ `` Joe Spano Biography ( 1946 - ) ''. Retrieved 26 December 2015. Jump up ^ `` Ovation Nominees ''. 20 October 2009. External links Joe Spano on IMDb Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series Patrick McGoohan ( 1975 ) Gordon Jackson ( 1976 ) Louis Gossett Jr. ( 1977 ) Barnard Hughes ( 1978 ) John Lithgow ( 1986 ) Joe Spano ( 1989 ) Patrick McGoohan ( 1990 ) David Opatoshu ( 1991 ) Laurence Fishburne ( 1993 ) Richard Kiley ( 1994 ) Paul Winfield ( 1995 ) Peter Boyle ( 1996 ) Pruitt Taylor Vince ( 1997 ) John Larroquette ( 1998 ) Edward Herrmann ( 1999 ) James Whitmore ( 2000 ) Michael Emerson ( 2001 ) Charles S. Dutton ( 2002 ) Charles S. Dutton ( 2003 ) William Shatner ( 2004 ) Ray Liotta ( 2005 ) Christian Clemenson ( 2006 ) John Goodman ( 2007 ) Glynn Turman ( 2008 ) Michael J. Fox ( 2009 ) John Lithgow ( 2010 ) Paul McCrane ( 2011 ) Jeremy Davies ( 2012 ) Dan Bucatinsky ( 2013 ) Joe Morton ( 2014 ) Reg E. Cathey ( 2015 ) Hank Azaria ( 2016 ) Gerald McRaney ( 2017 ) VIAF : 87261406 ISNI : 0000 0001 0922 2775 BNF : cb14229055x ( data ) Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Joe_Spano&oldid=835261600 '' Categories : 1946 births Living people Male actors from San Francisco American male film actors American male television actors 20th - century American male actors 21st - century American male actors American male stage actors Hidden categories : Articles with hCards Pages using div col without cols and colwidth parameters Wikipedia articles with VIAF identifiers Wikipedia articles with ISNI identifiers Wikipedia articles with BNF identifiers Talk Contents About Wikipedia تۆرکجه Català Deutsch فارسی Français 한국어 Íslenska Italiano 日本 語 Norsk Русский Suomi Svenska 4 more Edit links This page was last edited on 7 April 2018, at 16 : 03. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution - ShareAlike License ; additional terms may apply. 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Question: who is the actor that plays tobias on ncis
Answer: Joseph Peter Spano