Admiral Kilbride has appeared on many NCIS: Los Angeles episodes this season, giving the office some power with a character that always seems to exude authority.
With Operations Manager Henrietta “Hetty” Lange largely absent from the office this season, it has forced Intelligence Analyst Nell Jones to take on an unfamiliar role to her.
Rather than helping the team through just her tech knowledge, Nell has instead filled the shoes of Hetty, working to lead the NCIS: LA team through some difficult missions.
And while Nell is leading the team, Retired Navy Admiral Hollace Kilbride has been overseeing her decisions. He has also had a lot of advice for Nell, with some heavy foreshadowing that he was preparing her to permanently take over Hetty’s job.
Having Kilbride become more of a recurring character this season was a good choice, especially since the actor that plays Kilbride continues to find a way to steal scenes.
Who plays the admiral on NCIS: Los Angeles?
Actor Gerald McRaney has become a recognizable part of the NCIS: Los Angeles cast as Admiral Kilbride. Not only is he able to hold his own with all of the other actors and actresses on the show, but he is also a powerful presence that fits the role perfectly.
Over the years, McRaney has played quite a few recognizable roles in films and on television. He starred on the long-running show Major Dad, he was one-half of Simon & Simon, he played the dad of Bastian in The NeverEnding Story, and he was even recently seen as General Morrison in the new A-Team movie.
McRaney also played George Hearst on Deadwood, Johnston Green on Jericho, and Barlow Connally on Longmire. They are all very memorable TV roles that helped the shows he was on.
McRaney has actually been a part of the NCIS: Los Angeles cast for several years, stretching back to his first episode in 2014 called The 3rd Choir. He only appeared every now and then, though, until the current season, where he has become a prominent figure on the show.
NCIS: Los Angeles Season 12 coming to an end
Ahead of the NCIS: LA Season 12 finale, star Chris O’Donnell did an interview where he stated that fans would “be pleased” with the final episode. That’s good news because there are a lot of storylines that need to get wrapped up before the long summer hiatus.
And speaking of that finale episode, we have some NCIS: LA spoilers about something that will occur. It looks to be a really intriguing finale to Season 12, which should serve as a good reward to fans that stuck with what turned out to be a bit of a disjointed year for the show.
On top of everything we have to look forward to in regard to this season, there is also some great news out there about the fall. CBS ordered NCIS: Los Angeles Season 13, meaning the show is coming back for more episodes next year. That answers some questions fans had about this season, but we are going to have to tune in to the upcoming episodes to see if anyone is leaving the show.
NCIS: Los Angeles airs Sundays at 9/8c on CBS.