While cable TV networks often rehire their trusted stable of performers, New Zealand actor Alan Dale appeared on ABC and CBS’s most popular TV shows in the mid-2000s. After flexing his authority in NCIS as Homeland Security Officer Thomas Morrow, Dale delivered arguably his most famous turn as Charles Widmore in Lost, the ruthless leader of the Others, a native group on the South Pacific island who deeply oppose the plane crash survivors.
Before becoming Lost, Dale was introduced as Tom Morrow in the Naval procedural JAG during one of the show’s famous backdoor pilots. Dale portrayed Morrow from 2003 to 2016, appearing in nearly the same number of episodes (14) as he did in Lost (17). With NCIS’s unprecedented 22nd season concluding on May 5, 2025, highlighting Dale’s two iconic TV performances ahead of his new show, The Assassin, should give fans a greater appreciation of the excellent character actor.
Alan Dale’s Career Before ‘NCIS’
Far from a household name, Alan Dale is an accomplished movie and TV actor from New Zealand who began his career in the late 1970s. With his first significant American TV role in ER in 2000, Dale continued building his resume with popular shows like The X-Files, The Practice, and The West Wing. Dale gave such a convincing turn in The West Wing as Secretary of Commerce Mitch Bryce that it launched a slew of American government and law enforcement roles, including the popular procedurals, JAG and NCIS.
Although he would drastically alter his image in Lost, Dale played various politicians and government officials in CSI: Miami, 24, Flight of the Conchords, Law & Order: SVU, Homeland, The Killing, Secret City, and Graves. Dale has such commanding gravitas that he has continued to excel at portraying high-ranking civic authorities. Yet, it’s hard to imagine his career trajectory without first starring in JAG and NCIS as Homeland Security Chief, Thomas Morrow.
Dale’s ‘NCIS’ Role as Tom Morrow
Introduced in JAG’s two-part backdoor pilot, “Ice Queen” and “Meltdown,” Tom Morrow (Dale) instantly made his presence felt as the NCIS Director until Season 3, Episode 1, “Kill Ari Part 1,” when he resigned following the death of Caitlin Todd. Following his resignation, Morrow became Deputy Director of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), reprising the character in NCIS 14 times between 2003 and 2016, appearing when legal cases called for his attention.
Once Morrow left the Naval Criminal Investigative Service, he was replaced by Jennifer Shepard (Lauren Holly) until she was brutally murdered in 2008. Leon Vance (Rocky Carroll) filled the role after Shepard’s death, leaving Morrow to lead DHS and work with NCIS’s Leroy Jethro Gibbs (Mark Harmon) on sensitive high-profile cases involving international and domestic terrorism. Morrow appeared five times in NCIS’s first season, once in Season 2, and once in Season 3.
Following a seven-season absence, Morrow finally returned in Season 10 and completed his character arc over the next four seasons. During his NCIS hiatus, Dale played Charles Widmore in Lost and dramatically overhauled his image.
NCIS fans said goodbye to Tom Morrow in Season 13, Episode 21, “Return to Sender” in 2016. Morrow was fatally shot in the back of the head by Trent Kort, a rogue CIA agent posing as a sniper. Kort was subsequently killed in a confrontation with various NCIS officers, including Gibbs and his team. While it was difficult for Gibbs to say goodbye to a colleague he had worked with for over a decade, Morrow was avenged, and his death was not in vain.
Dale Soars as Charles Widmore in ‘Lost’
During Alan Dale’s initial hiatus from NCIS in 2005, he was cast to play Charles Widmore in Lost’s Season 2 finale. The landmark mystery TV series that follows 40 plane crash survivors on a South Pacific island captured America’s attention before the streaming era, becoming a must-see weekly event made before binge-watching became a trend. Morrow helped popularize the show with his stirring performance as Widmore, the leader of the native island-dwelling group called the Others.
The Others are a territorial group that fundamentally opposes and feels threatened by the crash survivors. Despite being a tight-knit family at times, Widmore is kicked off the island by the Dharma Initiative for constantly leaving the island and having a child, Penny. Following his banishment, Widmore opposed shipwreck survivor Desmond Hume (Henry Ian Cusick) in marrying Penny (Sonya Walger), obsessing over a return to the island to break the couple up and prevent the main antagonist, The Man in Black’s (a pre-Bosch Titus Welliver), departure.
While his backstory is told in flashbacks, dating to his time on the island in 1954 at age 17, Widmore is revealed to be a heartless industrialist with immense wealth and corporate backing. Widmore became one of Sawyer’s (Josh Holloway) most feared enemies as his role expanded in Lost over the years. Despite appearing in many episodes between 2006 and 2010, Dale made his menacing presence felt from day one. At age 70, Widmore was fatally shot in the stomach by Ben Linus (Michael Emerson).
Far from a one-note, monotonous villain, Widmore became a fan-favorite character due to his moral complexity and glimpses of empathy. Although many fans rightly predicted Widmore was the one who dispatched the Kahana to the island, the multidimensional nuances he shaded the character with as a dutiful father and protective leader remain among the series’ most memorable performances.
If nothing else, Dale made the difficult task of transitioning from hero to villain look effortless after going back and forth between NCIS and Lost from 2003 to 2016. It’s supremely talented character actors like Dale that are the creative glue that enables popular TV shows to flourish and remain on the air for so long. He has the performative power to play a convincing villain and a trusted government leader from role to role, solidifying his authority.
Up next, Dale will appear in the upcoming TV series The Assassin, starring Keeley Hawes and Freddie Highmore. Meanwhile, 15 years after last playing Charles Widmore, a new generation of fans is discovering Lost on Netflix and Hulu. NCIS is available to stream on Paramount+
