Before he was Dr. Jason Bull on CBS's new show, Bull, Michael Weatherly was stealing our hearts as Anthony DiNozzo on NCIS. For 15 years, we watched as DiNozzo matured and grew into a man on one of television's longest running series. But how much do you know about Weatherly, himself?
1. Music Man
Weatherly has been playing piano and guitar since he was a young child. He used to play the guitar in subway stations when he first moved to Los Angeles as a way to earn money when he was a struggling actor. Weatherly became a legitimate recording artist when he provided the songs "Bitter and Blue" and "Under the Sun" on the two soundtracks for NCIS.
2. Bond, James Bond
In 1979, Weatherly joined the official Bond fan club at the age of 11. He's been openly passionate about his love of the franchise over the years and when Daniel Craig announced he would not be returning as 007, Weatherly's fans started a social media campaign to have him selected as the actor for the vacant role. They were unsuccessful, but their efforts were not unappreciated.
3. We Don't Need No Education
Weatherly grew up in Fairfield, Connecticut, and attended the prestigious Fairfield Country Day School. He then graduated from Brooks School in Massachusetts. Weatherly attended Boston University, Menlo College, and American University, but ultimately decided to drop out and pursue acting full-time. Seems like that worked out for him!
4. Sorry, Who?
Though we know and love him as Anthony DiNozzo, not everyone does. Weatherly recalls a time when he was mistaken for Sean Patrick Flanery (from Boondock Saints) at a restaurant in Vancouver.
"[It was ] in Planet Hollywood, Vancouver, 1998. And they were like, "˜What are you having?' I'm like, "˜hamburger, bottle of wine, french fries, calamari, maybe a salad and, can I have a friend come?' Cause I had feeling it was going to be free, and you know what? Thank you, Sean Patrick Flanery. Free lunch."
5. It's not delivery, it's DiNozzo
Before he made it big, and while he was busking in the subways, Weatherly held many odd jobs to make ends meet. He was a shoe salesman, pizza delivery guy, and worked in the ABC video library where he logged and carted reels of tape.
6. Life Imitating Art
When Weatherly dropped out of college, his dad cut him off financially. His family wasn't happy with his decision and were making it known. This storyline was written into Weatherly's character backstory in NCIS.
"At no point did he ever cut me out," Weatherly clarifies. "He just wanted me to earn my way in the world."
"His father was like, "˜I'm cutting you off!' But I felt he could try it. It's an attitude, and his is so positive," Michael's mother Patricia explained.
7. Saying Goodbye
When Weatherly left NCIS, fans were left devastated. But he made it clear it was time to go.
"Their great dynamic, the badinage and sparring and flirting between Tony and Ziva and how they would swing from siblings to near lovers and back to buddies, that was gone, and then I got to the point where I felt I'd stayed at the party for too long. I would look around the room and other people were really in sync and having fun. The show was a huge success, but I just suddenly realized that I probably had other things that I should be doing. And the wanderlust set in. I directed a documentary. I have a production company. And I wanted to spend time with my family."
8. Flying High
After his first marriage and a broken engagement, Weatherly focused on his career over his love life. Then, he met doctoral student Bojana Jankovic. The couple met in a bar in Vancouver in 2007 and for their first date, Weatherly took Jankovic to Paris. Two years later, they were married. In 2012, they welcomed their first child together, a daughter named Olivia, and then their son, Liam.
9. Net Worth
Weatherly has been steadily acting since the late 90s, with roles on The Cosby Show, Charmed, and Guiding Light. He landed his first lead role as Logan Cale in Dark Angel. After that series was cancelled, Weatherly was cast as Anthony DiNozzo on NCIS. Since then, he has never been out of work. After leaving NCIS, Weatherly was given the lead role on Bull. He has an estimated net worth of $25 million and an annual salary of about $10 million.
