As the cliche goes, behind (and occasionally in front of) every great man stands a wonderful woman.
In the case of NCIS’s grumpy-but-good hero Special Agent Leroy Jethro Gibbs (Mark Harmon), such woman is his first wife, Shannon (Darby Stanchfield).
Shannon Gibbs appears mainly in flashbacks on NCIS since she and her daughter Kelly (Sam Schuder) were k1lled in a vehicle accident planned by a Mexican drug dealer over a decade before the show’s setting.
So, despite the fact that NCIS seems to be running at all times, Stanchfield’s Shannon isn’t as well-known as some of the other characters.
However, much like the NCIS stars who remained at the forefront of the show and were seen living in real time, Stanchfield is likely to be familiar to you from somewhere else.
The actress has been in some of the most well-known TV episodes over the last two decades, and she is now starring in a Netflix series that hopes to continue the streaming service’s run of fantasy-horror smashes.
Why does Shannon Gibbs from NCIS appear so familiar?
Darby Stanchfield’s resumé is a list of must-see television.
NCIS has frequently ranked as the most watched drama in the United States — but it’s far from Stanchfield’s lone big show.One of her earliest television appearances was in an episode of Angel, a spin-off of Joss Whedon’s popular supernatural drama series Buffy the Vampire Slayer.
Stanchfield also played Mandy’s (Mia Kirshner) ill-fated neighbor Shari in everyone’s favorite boxset of the ’00s, 24. Stanchfield also appeared on That ’80s Show, Monk, It’s All Relative, Strong Medicine, Without a Trace, and Nip/Tuck throughout her early-to-mid-2000s career.
Just before joining NCIS, the actress landed a role on Jericho, CBS’ post-apocalyptic action drama that aired for two seasons (2007–2008) before being cancelled. April Green, a doctor at a medical clinic in the fictional town of Jericho, Kansas, was played by Stanchfield. Her character’s arc ended in d3ath, and her appearance lasted 15 episodes.
Stanchfield then played Amelia Joffe on General Hospital for ten episodes in 2007, before landing a recurring part on the classic drama series Mad Men. She appeared in five episodes of the first two seasons of the show as Helen Bishop, the divorcee who scandalized 1960s suburbia.
Stanchfield had to wait a long for another role who returned for more than one episode, but she worked continuously on several well-known shows. She has appeared in one-off episodes of Bones, Private Practice, The Mentalist, Ghost Whisperer, and even How I Met Your Mother, where she played a snobbish former tenant of Marshall (Jason Segel) and Ted’s (Josh Radnor) apartment.
Stanchfield returned to the cr1me genre after landing roles on CSI: New York and CSI: Miami. You might recognize her as Richard Castle’s (Nathan Fillion) first ex-wife from the cr1me-comedy series Castle.
Darby Stanchfield played pivotal parts in two major television series.
Stanchfield scored her first major recurring role in 2012 after appearing in one or two episodes of multiple hit shows. The actress portrayed Abby Whelan, the outspoken former Press Secretary and Chief of Staff in the White House and the (mostly) faithful best friend and coworker to Kerry Washington’s Olivia Pope on Shonda Rhimes’ political thriller series Scandal.
Off-screen, Stanchfield had the opportunity to alter Olivia Pope’s environment. She devised and directed Scandal: Gladiator Wanted, a promotional web series that debuted a week before the show’s season 6 premiere. She must have impressed the showrunners because she was later given the opportunity to direct the final season’s 15th episode, “The Noise.”
If you prefer mystical demons to attorneys, you might recognize Stanchfield from her most recent job. She portrays Nina Locke in Netflix’s adaptation of the graphic novel series Locke & Key, which will be available on the streaming service on February 7, 2020.Stanchfield plays the mother of three children who return to their d3ad father’s boyhood home.
The adventure/horror begins when they discover mysterious keys that open mystical portals and draw an evil entity. Nina is also an alcoholic, which presented Stanchfield with an emotional new obstacle. Although Netflix hasn’t confirmed anything, the ending of Locke & Key hinted to a second season, which means Stanchfield could return for more spooks and sh0cks.
In any case, Stanchfield’s long-running career does not appear to be winding down anytime soon.
