Leon Vance is a supporting character on two shows: NCIS and its spinoff NCIS: Los Angeles.

He's the director of both units.

Formerly Assistant Director, Vance was named NCIS Director after the death of Jenny Shepard.

He attended the Naval War College and was commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant in the U.S. Marine Corps, but was forced to take a medical discharge before serving due to having undergone surgery to repair a detached retina suffered during his short-lived, ill-fated boxing career.

After joining NCIS, Vance was assigned on a protection detail for a Serbian politician at a UN Summit in Prague.

The politician and Vance's partner, Neil Wilson, were killed by North Korean operative Lee Wuan Kai and he was wounded.

He spent several years chasing her down.

Leon Vance has a wife, Jackie, and two children, Kayla and Jared. He met his wife while at a University of Maryland basketball game while Len Bias was playing.