Early in the 2000s, Brian Dietzen began his acting career, and it didn’t take him long to land his biggest role: Jimmy Palmer on NCIS.
Currently, Dietzsen has been in over 330 episodes of the well-liked television program, and there will undoubtedly be more. The Barrington, Illinois native has produced and directed a number of episodes in addition to acting. But even as Brian grew to become a big star, he was also dealing with some seriously concerning health problems.
How did Brian get his job on NCIS, then? How does his personal life appear? You can learn everything about him right here!
On paper, acting certainly seems like a terrific profession. You get to work with incredibly creative individuals, take on a variety of tasks, and experience the thrill of being on set, sometimes in different places all over the world. Simply said, actors get to take on the roles of people from many walks of life, including those they may have pictured themselves as as children.
Of course, we are all aware of how challenging the acting industry can be. Successful people must put in a lot of effort to fulfill their dreams, just like those in any other field of employment.
more challenging than most of the time. When it comes to getting the position you really want in the entertainment industry, it can take years, if not decades.
Naturally, this has less to do with an actor’s abilities and more to do with their being in the right location at the right moment than anything else.
However, for other people, their dream job might come sooner rather than later. Just ask Brian Dietzen, who, after only a few years in the industry, landed the most important assignment of his career.
Since 2003, Dietzen has played Jimmy Palmer, the assistant to the medical examiner. Even though he had a serious health issue that might have ended everything, he is still going strong today.
Here is all the information you require on the well-known NCIS actor.
On November 14, 1977, Brian Dietzen was born in Barrington, Illinois. He was already a small child when he decided he wanted to grow up to be an actor.
Dietzen’s father advised him to “find out something you love, and then figure out how to be compensated for it.”
When Dietzen was in primary school, she participated in school plays. In second grade, he appeared in Christmas plays, and his enthusiasm continued to grow until high school. It was immediately apparent that Brian had discovered his true calling in life.
In his high school and college years, Dietzen also sang in a number of punk rock bands. He later attended the University of Colorado Boulder to study acting. Received the UROP grant for Outstanding Achievements in the Creative Arts after receiving a BFA in acting and starting to perform with the Colorado Shakespeare Festival.
Brian Dietzen discovered a passion for writing in addition to performing.
It kind of carries acting into the future. It moves forward while developing a narrative and conveying some kind of aesthetic vision. Even when attending CU Boulder for my undergraduate degree, Brian Dietzen confessed, “I loved reading scripts.
“I loved learning about the masters, the classics, and other stuff like that. And once I moved here, my buddy Abby Miller and I started writing together, creating a feature musical.
We soon realized that producing that feature would cost millions of dollars, so we decided to try our hand at writing something on a lot more manageable topic, and we came up with Congratulations, he continued.
Congratulations was chosen by more than a dozen film festivals before it was released in 2012. Additionally, it received Best Feature honors from New Filmmakers and the United Film Festival. However, by that time, Dietzen had already established himself as a major star on a different program.
Following his eventual relocation to Los Angeles, Dietzen’s role as a drummer in the television series My Guide to Becoming a Rockstar gave him his first significant break. Sadly, the show was short-lived, and Dietzen went on to star with Kelly Clarkson in the 2003 movie From Justin to Kelly.
Similar to many actors in their early years, Brian primarily received supporting or roles in lesser productions.
Then, in 2004, a cameo appearance developed into his most important role to date. In the popular television program NCIS, Brian played Jimmy Palmer, a medical examiner’s assistant. David McCallum, who plays Donald Mallard on the program, was a close collaborator of his.
Dietzen was supposed to appear in more than one episode, as we now know. Despite the fact that he has been a part of the show for a long time, he claimed that his first day on set was one of his most treasured memories.
“My first scene here is one of the significant, memorable days. And one day, I was hired to appear in a single scene with David McCallum,” he recalled.
“And I went in there, where I was anxious and working on a tape recorder, and we had a good meaty scene with David. We had a great time playing together.
He said, “It was very, very fun.” “I also recall thinking that this was a lot of fun for my reel. Goodbye. Thankfully, they took me back, and I still work here, which is fantastic, but that was one of my most unforgettable moments.
Dietzen initially didn’t anticipate coming back after making a cameo in an NCIS episode. The actor had been contracted to appear as a guest, but it didn’t take long for them to ask him back to do more.
This may have been due in part to the way he approached the NCIS project. In a 2014 interview with writer Paul Semel, Dietzen disclosed that he made some “very risky” decisions for his audition that paid well.
And they enjoyed it so much that they stayed with it for ten years. I would have had to audition for the network if it had been for a starring role, and I’m sure I would have chosen differently if I had. And I doubt I would have been hired,” said Brian.
Dietzen ended up being tapped for an increasing number of episodes. Naturally, being a part of a popular television show and recording every episode meant forfeiting the chance to work on other endeavors.
But Brian never turned around. He thought he had ultimately made the proper decision.
Although it is a fantastic employment opportunity, the more time you devote to one show, the less time you have for other activities. So that way of thinking undoubtedly influences it, he continued.
But it was a no-brainer because of how much I enjoy working on this show, with this cast, the writers, and the crew.
Eight years after making his television debut on NCIS, in 2012, Brian was elevated to series regular. NCIS was entering its tenth season at the time, and at that point, it had established itself as one of the most popular shows on television.
In fact, millions of people watch NCIS every week, making it one of the most popular shows in the world.
With multiple CBS spin-offs, including NCIS: New Orleans, NCIS: Los Angeles, and NCIS: Hawaii, it is currently licensed in more than 200 nations.
Three Primetime Emmy nominations and numerous other honors have been bestowed upon the program during the course of its run.
In his recent guest roles, Dietzen has collaborated with celebrities including Mark Harmon, Pauley Perrette, and Sean Murray in addition to David McCallum. Dietzen has a personal net worth of almost $2 million, claims Celebrity Net Worth.
Most importantly, Brian Dietzen could unwind after signing a significant contract for the show. Additionally, he will now be featured in the opening titles, much to the delight of longstanding NCIS viewers.
At the time, Dietzen told Entertainment Weekly, “I’m quite excited.
“I got a deal with CBS after eight years with the program, and I couldn’t be happier about it… as far as I know, I’m safe, and a contract is a nice thing to imply that,” the actor said.
Coming on the set every day to work on a television show must get rather monotonous after a while. Despite this, Dietzen still retains his passion despite having appeared in over 330 episodes of NCIS.
‘I enjoy going to work,’ Jimmy Palmer is a man who says, “I’m ready to go, and I’m excited to be here.” Of course, we all have our bad days. It’s not a nativity story. In 2019, he stated, “It’s about hope and a self-fulfilled contentment.
However, despite his success with NCIS, Dietzen has regrettably recently experienced health problems. Dietzen suffered a stroke just months prior to the COVID-19 epidemic, which irreversibly altered his life.
The following statement may sound like an advertising, but it isn’t: “The Apple Watch saved my life. When I pulled out my phone while vomiting on the bathroom floor, I thought, “Oh sh*t, I can’t use my fingers,” Brian Dietzen remembered in an interview with Variety.
“So I told Siri to contact Kelly and then I called my wife. “I need help,” I cried out. You sound like you have marbles in your mouth, she remarked.
With the aid of his voice command, Brian was able to dial 911 and was then taken directly to the hospital. He evaluated his life in the MRI tube.
“I don’t believe there is much that I have neglected because everyone I love is aware of my love for them,” and similar statements. But after that, I was like, “Whoa, no, I can’t start thinking that way,” so I immediately began attempting to refocus my thoughts, said Brian.
And I could sense that something was happening in my brain, but all of a sudden, I was able to move my hands and start moving my tongue. I began making up tongue twisters. They say, “Please remain still.” But the brain clot disappeared. And I counted myself extremely fortunate to have maintained excellent cardiovascular and general health.
Dietzen was sent to UCLA after gaining stability because a test there revealed a hole between his atrial chambers that required closure. He immediately underwent surgery. The NCIS actor watched the entire surgery on an overhead screen so that he could see how they closed up the hole in his heart because doctors told him it would be dangerous for him to take any anesthesia.
Fortunately, he survived and was able to go back to work. The most important thing was that he got to see his wife, Kelly, and their two kids again.
“And then, over the course of the following six months, as everyone—including myself—sat at home, I began to ask myself how I wanted to impact the world. And which tales do I wish to share? You run through every possibility, asking yourself, “Should I still be on this show?” Should I change course or do something else? What will make me happy?” he continued.
And I realized there’s no reason why I can’t spread out and continue to do what I love on this thing while being surrounded by these individuals who have supported me and whom I love and support.
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