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"Billy Dee Williams has been cast in a guest starring role on NCIS. The 75-year-old actor will portray a World War II veteran named Leroy Jethro, who is also a close friend of the Gibbs clan, reports TV Guide. The war vet is the man that Mark Harmon&amp;#039;s Leroy Jethro Gibbs was named after.  Executive producer Gary Glasberg shared: &amp;quot;This is a very rich, emotional story and we couldn&amp;#039;t be happier to have Billy Dee Williams bringing this character to life. &amp;quot;Mr Williams appeared in some of my favorite films from Lady Sings the Blues and Brian&amp;#039;s Song to the Star Wars saga [The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi]. Watching him work with Mark Harmon and Ralph Waite will be a real treat.&amp;quot; Waite plays Gibbs&amp;#039;s father Jackson Gibbs. Williams&amp;#039;s other TV credits include White Collar, General Hospital and Gideon&amp;#039;s Crossing. NCIS will return for its tenth season on Tuesday, September 25 at 8pm ET on CBS. Watch a clip from season nine of NCIS below:      "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.digitalspy.com/tv/ncis/news/a399183/ncis-casts-star-wars-actor-billy-dee-williams-as-a-war-veteran/>