
Photo: Angela George / CC BY-SA 3.0 (source: Wikimedia Commons)
My Take
Rocky Carroll is the kind of dependable, authoritative actor who anchors a show without ever showboating, which is exactly why his Leon Vance has been a steadying presence on NCIS for years. People forget he came up through serious theater, earning a Theatre World Award for August Wilson's The Piano Lesson, and that stage discipline shows in his measured, commanding delivery. He has also moved smoothly behind the camera as a director on the same series, which I respect, plenty of actors talk about directing but he actually does it. He brings gravitas and warmth in equal measure, a true ensemble pro.
Overview
Rocky Carroll (born July 8, 1963) is an American actor and television director from Cincinnati, Ohio. A graduate of Webster University, he won a Theatre World Award in 1990 for his Broadway work in The Piano Lesson. He is widely known for his television roles as Joey Emerson on Chicago Hope and as NCIS Director Leon Vance in the long-running series NCIS, which he has also directed.
1. Profile
- Name (English)
- Rocky Carroll
- Name (Japanese)
- ロッキー・キャロル
- Reading
- ろっきー・きゃろる
- Born
- July 8, 1963 (age 62)
- Zodiac / Chinese zodiac
- Cancer / Rabbit
- Origin
- Cincinnati, Ohio, United States
- Blood type
- Private
- Height
- Private
- Agency
- Private
- Occupation
- Comedian / Television actor / Film actor / Stage actor / Television director
2. Background
- Elementary school
- Private
- Junior high
- Private
- High school
- Private
- University
- Webster University
Awards & achievements
- 1990 Theatre World Award
3. Relationships
- Spouse
- Private
- Children
- Private
- Parents
- Private
- Siblings
- Private
4. Personality
Motto
Private
6. Links
Comedian — see all → · Television actor — see all → · More people from United States →
7. About this entry
Tags
- Last updated
- 2026-06-02
Facts are limited to publicly available information up to 2024; non-public items are marked "Private / Unknown". English text is machine-assisted (facts translated by Sonnet, "My Take" written by Opus 4.8). The Japanese page is the source of record.