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‘NCIS’: Remember When ‘Modern Family’s Eric Stonestreet Appeared on the Show?

We all adored Eric Stonestreet as Cam on Modern Family. But a year before he earned that role, Stonestreet played the exact opposite on NCIS.

The crime procedural usually features a bevy of guest stars, some known, others are character actors who easily can play any part. That was Stonestreet in the year 2008.

He was a bad guy in the NCIS Christmas episode called “Silent Night.” How bad? Like a thief and then double murderer kind of guy. You can hear Cam squeal in horror at the idea of playing a private security guard who stole from a married couple, then killed them.

On NCIS, Stonestreet’s name was Harvey Ames. He worked security, patrolling the streets of an affluent neighborhood. Here’s the official plot synopsis for the NCIS episode: “A Metro detective investigates a burglary and double homicide at Christmas in Washington; the suspect is a former Navy petty officer who supposedly died 17 years ago; the Gibbs gang take an interest, find the pieces, and put them together.”

Nearly 20 million viewers watched this episode, making it the biggest NCIS audience through the show’s first six seasons. NCIS was starting to dominate the airwaves. The record then was surpassed in the season seven premiere.

Remember when we mentioned that NCIS showrunners loved to use guest stars. This one was full of them. One of the most notable only could be heard. But you probably recognized the voice of Jackson Gibbs, the father of Leroy Jethro Gibbs. Ralph Waite played him. And Waite was known from his work as the patriarch of The Waltons, the classic family drama from the 1970s.

Waite became a recurring character in season six. Earlier in the season, Gibbs brought Ziva (Cote de Pablo) to his hometown, Stillwater, Pa. Father and son repaired their frayed relationship and got close again. Gibbs called Jackson to wish him a Merry Christmas at the end of “Silent Night.” Waite appeared in seven NCIS episodes. The last was in 2014, three months before he died.

And there was another notable NCIS guest star in this episode. Peter Coyote played the Naval petty officer. He turned down a chance to go to med school and enlisted. Coyote’s Ned Quinn was thought to have died in a fire. But cops discover his fingerprints at the scene of the double homicide.

NCIS returns with a new episode next week.

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Stonestreet Was So Good as Cam He Won Two Emmys

Stonestreet was months away from earning the role of Cam on Modern Family. But in 2008, it wasn’t a surprise to see him playing serious roles in dramas. He guest-starred in such shows as ER, The West Wing, Nip/Tuck, The Mentalist, Bones, and CSI.

Then he got the part in Modern Family, playing Cam Tucker, the scene-stealing husband of Mitchell Pritchett (Jesse Tyler Ferguson). Stonestreet earned three Emmy nominations, winning twice (2010 and 2012) for portraying Cam.

Emmy voters loved all things Modern Family. The comedy won five straight Emmys for Best Comedy as it explored modern versions of a traditional family.

The show ended its run in 2020. And, who knows, maybe a creepy role on NCIS helped Stonestreet play the lovable Cam.