‘NCIS’ Star Gary Cole Turns 70 After Finding Love Again Following Estranged Wife’s Death

Season 24 of NCIS, starring Gary Cole, Wilder Valderrama, Sean Murray, and the return of Michael Weatherly, premieres on Tuesday, October 6. Ahead of the show’s big premiere, Cole will be celebrating a milestone birthday. The actor turns 70 on September 20, and all signs point to the actor being in a great place in life right now.

Early in his career, Cole was married to fellow entertainer Theodora “Teddi” Siddall. The two met on the set of Midnight Caller, a television series that aired from 1988 to 1991.

Cole and Siddall hit it off, and after dating for several years, they wed in March 1992. In 1993, their daughter Mary was born, and Cole’s career blossomed.

Siddall had roles in shows such as Happy Days, St. Elsewhere, and L.A. Law, according to a 1997 interview with the University of Cincinnati publication Horizons. However, when Mary arrived, she stepped back from acting to focus on her daughter.

While Siddall focused on their daughter, Cole landed roles in movies such as In the Line of Fire, A Simple Plan, and Office Space. He transitioned into doing more television roles after Office Space, appearing in Family Law, The West Wing, The Good Wife, and VEEP.

In June 2017, TMZ reported that Siddall had filed for divorce from Cole, listing the date of their separation as February 8, 2015. Sadly, according to Hello! in 2023, Siddall died in February 2018, before her divorce from Cole was finalized. Siddall died in Studio City, California, at the age of 64, and no cause of death has ever been made pubic.

It doesn’t appear that Cole ever spoke publicly about Siddall’s divorce filing or her death. He quietly began dating again and fell in love with interior designer Michelle Knapp. Details regarding how they met or when they started dating have not been made public. However, it appears he first popped up on her Instagram page in April 2018.

Beginning in May 2018, Knapp’s Instagram posts began to include Cole regularly. In August 2021, she revealed via Instagram that she and Cole had married. She wrote, “Married my best friend #garycole and it was Nothing but Family, Friends, Love, Joy, Laughter and Fun.”

Cole and Knapp live a fairly quiet life out of the spotlight, although she regularly attends public events with him. As he celebrates both his 70th birthday and the upcoming season 24 premiere of NCIS, it appears that Cole has found great success in both his professional career and personal life.