Brian Dietzen had reason to celebrate with his fans recently when he announced that the beloved police procedural drama, NCIS, had retained its title as the most-watched script show on TV.
The long-running CBS program recently aired its season 20 finale and an impressive 9.86 million viewers tuned in to watch the action unfold.
Brian has played the role of Dr. Jimmy Palmer in NCIS for many years. He joined as a supporting cast member in 2004 and was made a series regular in 2012 – so it's safe to say he's a huge part of the NCIS family. But when the actor isn't busy on set filming dramatic scenes for the show, he can be found at home with his IRL family.
The 45-year-old generally keeps his personal life out of the spotlight but has occasionally opened up about life with his wife Kelly and their two children, a son, and a daughter. Here's everything the NCIS star has said about his loved ones.
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Brian has been married to Kelly Dietzen since 2004 and, although the actor mostly shares photos of work on social media, he has at times shown fans a glimpse at his personal life on Instagram.
In November 2022, the proud dad, who lives in Los Angeles with his family, shared a photo of a heartwarming gift he had received from his kids. Posting a photo of some golf personalised golf wedges, he wrote: "Shout out to my guy @anthony.taranto for decorating some amazing new Callaway wedges for me. Kiddos names! Musical notes for my daughter, and an Overwatch logo for my son!"
He added: "These bad boys are pretty great. (Loving the stopping power of the new grooves!) Also, if you get a chance to play @koolinagolf, do it."
Earlier that year, Brian took the opportunity to pay a lovely tribute to Kelly to mark Mother's Day. The Jimmy Palmer actor uploaded a photo of the beaming mother-of-two looked relaxed and happy in a baseball cap with gorgeous scenery behind her.
Brian wrote in the caption: "Happy Mother's Day to you all. Today, our family is celebrating this woman right here. You're the best, Kel. Our kids lucked out by getting you as their mom. Hope you all have a great Sunday."
Meanwhile, also away from his career, Brian had a health scare in 2020 when he suffered a massive stroke while at home alone. Fortunately, the actor was able to use his smartwatch to call his wife, before he was then rushed to the hospital.
The actor recalled the ordeal to Outsider and revealed that his Apple Watch "saved his life" as he was able to use the Siri function to call Kelly. "The Apple Watch saved my life. I was on the floor of my bathroom, throwing up, and I pulled out my phone and I was like, 'Oh —, I can't use my fingers.' And so I said, 'Hey, Siri, call Kelly,' and called my wife and I said, 'I need help'."
Fortunately, the father-of-two recovered and was able to return to work. The health scare also inspired him to write more. He added to Outsider: "I realized there's no reason why I can't tell really great stories and branch out and still do what I love on this thing, and be surrounded by these people that have supported me and that I support and love."
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