There's a Gary Cole for everyone.

Whether you know him from "The West Wing" or "Veep," "The Good Wife" or "Office Space," "Dodgeball" or "Midnight Caller," you most likely know his face.

For a while he was the "hero of the schoolyard" with his daughter's classmates for appearing in "Cadet Kelly" alongside Hilary Duff. These days, though, it's his role as Alden Parker on the long-running CBS crime procedural "NCIS" that has him stopped in the street.

Centered on the U.S. Navy's investigative unit in Washington, D.C., the show is currently airing Season 23.

"It's pretty powerful, that impact," says Cole of the program's devoted broadcast audience. "So a lot of people have followed the show and they have followed it, some of them, forever," he adds.

Cole's character was brought in during Season 19 to run the team after Leroy Jethro Gibbs (Mark Harmon) left. In a Veterans Day special, a first for the franchise, "NCIS" and "NCIS: Origins" will cross over with back-to-back episodes Tuesday. A historical mystery in "Origins" — featuring a guest appearance from Harmon on the show that follow Gibbs' early career — will find its way to the modern day on "NCIS," which airs directly after.

Cole spoke about the success of the show, the real service members he's met and those classic "NCIS" freeze frames. This conversation has been edited for clarity and brevity.

Q: Was the popularity of "NCIS" a plus or minus when you were thinking about taking the role?

COLE: I didn't really look at the effect of how big or small the audience would be, because today things are much different. I mean, nothing has kind of the large, overwhelming impact that television shows of 25 years did in... Read More