Tobias C. Fornell is a former FBI Special Agent who occasionally works with the NCIS Major Case Response Team and who is also one of best friends of the team's former leader, Leroy Jethro Gibbs. He is also the ex-husband of Diane Sterling and father of Emily Fornell.
Following a case concerning Gabriel Hicks in November 2017, Fornell resigned from the FBI and now works as a Private Investigator.
Biography
Pre-Series
Tobias C. Fornell was born on July 15th, 1956.
Much of Fornell's past is unknown but be has three brothers.
After graduating from high school, at some point he graduated from FLETC and he joined/hired by FBI. He assigned to San Diego Office and worked under FBI Supervisory Special Agent Noah Oakley.
NCIS: Origins
In "Incognito", in November of 1991 he and his boss Noah Oakley go to meet in Mexican restaurant Oakley's old colleague NIS Special Agent in Charge of Camp Pendleton Office Cliff Wheeler and Wheeler's subordinate Special Agent Michael Franks to share information about potential buyer for Tomahawk missiles's intel. When Wheeler and Franks show up, Tobias was enjoying some tacos at the restaurant and later when Oakley hail him to share an update on one of their suspects, he told them about Samuel Rhodes, who was a high roller and gets his rocks off selling intel to the highest bidder. Tobias revealed them that Rhodes, who put out feelers on the black market three months back for Tomahawk intel, he flew into town two days ago, but FBI got him on a yacht in Newport Beach at the time of murder of Petty Officer Second Class Greg Piccolo. Then Franks asked Tobias where can they find him. But Tobias repeat him that Rhodes got an alibi and he's not their killer. But Franks stated that he could be buying intel from the killer, that can be lead them to him and said Fornell to forget it & get his tacos out of his face. After that Oakley get Rhodes couriered over to Camp Pendleton Office.
Interim Years
Alt some point on some case he meet NIS/NCIS Special Agent Leroy Jethro Gibbs, later they become best friends over years onward.
At some point, Fornell rose up through the ranks from being a Junior Agent to Senior Agent. Later he gets transferred to FBI Headquarters.
At some point, he met and married Diane Sterling against the advice of her ex-husband, Leroy Jethro Gibbs. Diane and Tobias had a daughter named Emily Fornell together around 2000.
Unfortunately, they later divorced, parting on bitter terms. And just as she had done to Gibbs, she took him for all he was worth in the divorce.
NCIS Season 1
NCIS Season 2
NCIS Season 3
NCIS Season 4
NCIS Season 5
NCIS Season 6
NCIS Season 7
NCIS Season 8
NCIS Season 9
NCIS Season 10
NCIS Season 11
NCIS Season 12
NCIS: New Orleans Season 1
Fornell in the NCIS: New Orleans Season 1 episode, "It Happened Last Night".
NCIS Season 13
NCIS Season 14
NCIS Season 15
NCIS Season 16
NCIS Season 17
NCIS Season 18
NCIS Season 19
NCIS Season 20
NCIS Season 21
Personality
Physical Appearance
Abilities
Interrogation
Trivia
- In the Season 1 premiere episode, "Yankee White", William Baer was heard calling Fornell "Tom" which hinted that it was "Tom Fornell" although the NCIS writers presumably later changed it to "Tobias" to avoid confusion between Fornell and Thomas Morrow who was NCIS Director at the time.
- Also in the season 1 premiere "Yankee White" he seemingly has no knowledge of Leroy Jethro Gibbs (as seen when he fakes being Ducky's assistant and he had no clue who he really was) while at some later point they retcon it so that they had known each other for years even having the same ex-wife.
- At 56 episodes, Fornell is the longest-running recurring character associated with the main NCIS series itself to have appeared in various episodes across NCIS Seasons 1 to 16 and 18-21. In addition to this, Fornell is the only recurring character to appear in every season of the main NCIS series, except for Seasons 17 and 22. He is, however, mentioned in Gone, Musical Chairs and Lonely Hearts.
- He is the only recurring character to appear in more episodes than series regulars. Appearing in more episodes than Alexandra Quinn, Clayton Reeves, Caitlin Todd, and so far, Jessica Knight and Alden Parker.
- His birthday is revealed to be 7-15-1956, as shown on his driver's license in Keep Your Enemies Closer.
Appearances
For a more detailed list, see Tobias Fornell/List of Appearances.
| NCIS | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | # | |
| Season 1 | X | - | X | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | X | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | X | 4 | ||
| Season 2 | - | - | - | - | X | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | X | - | - | - | X | 3 | ||
| Season 3 | - | X | - | - | - | - | - | X | X | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 3 | |
| Season 4 | - | X | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | X | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | X | - | - | X | 4 | |
| Season 5 | - | - | - | X | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | X | - | - | - | - | - | 2 | ||||||
| Season 6 | - | - | - | - | X | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | X | - | 2 |
| Season 7 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | X | - | - | - | - | X | - | - | - | - | 2 | |
| Season 8 | - | - | X | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | X | - | - | - | - | - | 2 | |
| Season 9 | - | - | - | - | - | - | X | - | - | - | - | - | - | X | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 2 | |
| Season 10 | X | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | X | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | X | 3 | |
| Season 11 | X | X | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | X | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | X | X | - | - | - | - | - | 5 | |
| Season 12 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | X | - | - | X | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 2 | |
| Season 13 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | X | - | - | - | - | X | - | - | - | - | - | X | X | X | X | 6 | |
| Season 14 | X | - | X | - | - | - | - | - | - | X | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 3 | |
| Season 15 | - | - | - | - | - | - | X | - | - | - | - | - | - | X | X | - | - | - | - | - | - | X | - | - | 4 | |
| Season 16 | - | - | - | X | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | X | 2 | |
| Season 18 | X | - | X | - | X | - | - | - | X | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 4 | |||||||||
| Season 19 | - | X | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | X | - | - | - | - | 2 | ||||
| Season 20 | X | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 1 | |||
| Season 21 | - | - | - | - | - | - | X | - | - | - | 1 | |||||||||||||||
| Total | 56 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||