Pointers to Emily Wickersham’s Acting Success and Why Her Marriage Packed Up 

When Emily Wickersham got cast as the new female lead in the long-running CBS series NCIS, she was expecting things to get sour pretty quick. Wickersham’s character, NSA Analyst Eleanor ‘Ellie’ Bishop, replaces Ziva David after actress Cote de Pablo left the series in its eleventh season.

However, that did not stop her from taking the role of Bishop as her own. Originally cast for a three-episode arc, Wickersham was promoted to a series regular. The 5 feet 7 inches, brown-haired beauty has so far has owned the role every step of the way, and NCIS fans have warmed up quite well to Ellie Bishop on screen. There’s a lot more than meets the eye when it comes to Wickersham, and NCIS isn’t her only success story.

Emily Wickersham Bio and Profile Summary

Age/Date of Birth:	38 years old (26 April 1984)
Height:	5 feet, 7 inches (1.7 m)
Ethnicity/Race:	Austrian and Swedish (Värmland) ancestry
Nationality:	American
Husband or Boyfriend:	Blake Hanley ​(m. 2010; div. 2018)
Parents:	Father: John Wickersham Mother: Amy Wickersham
Net Worth:	$2 million

How Did Emily Wickersham Kick Start Her Acting Career?

Before Emily Wickersham became a confident actress with a wide range of acting chops, she used to be quite shy and had little confidence in front of cameras. Having problems speaking in front of crowds, Wickersham enrolled in a speaking course and acting class at The New School, NYC. She used what she learned at acting school and began auditioning for parts.

Emily Wickersham began her acting career in 2006 when she appeared as Jules on an episode of Late Show with David Letterman. She also got a minor role in the reality TV series Parco P.I. the same year.

After getting approached by an agent in a restaurant, Wickersham was able to audition for and get a part in the acclaimed crime drama TV series, The Sopranos. She played the role of A.J.’s girlfriend, Rhiannon Flammer, appearing for four episodes in the series’ final season.

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Emily Wickersham followed this up by scoring her first movie role with the 2007 comedy-drama, Gardener of Eden. The same year, she appeared in two other TV series. She appeared as Suzy Steinbrenner in an episode of the ESPN miniseries; The Bronx is Burning.

She was also The Girl in the MTV one-hour special, The Gamekillers. Wickersham added another acting credit to her resume when she was cast in TV film For One More Day as Maria Benetto Lang.

In 2008, Wickersham got cast in a minor role in the romantic comedy-drama movie Definitely, Maybe. The movie also starred big acts like Ryan Reynolds, Elizabeth Banks, Rachel Weisz, Kevin Kline, and Abigail Breslin.

She also got a part in the 2009 indie film, How I Got Lost. The same year, she appeared in the historical drama TV film Taking Chance as Kelley Phelps. She was cast in minor roles for the HBO comedy series Bored to Death, the NBC police procedural series Law & Order: Criminal Intent, and NBC’s medical drama, Trauma.

Wickersham’s next big-screen appearance was in a minor role for the romantic drama movie, Remember Me. Released in 2010, the movie also stars Robert Pattinson, Emilie de Ravin, and Pierce Brosnan. She was in the teen sci-fi movie I Am Number Four in 2011.

Her first leading role on the big screen came when she was cast as Molly Conway in 2012’s mystery thriller, Gone. Directed by Heitor Dhalia, the movie also stars Amanda Seyfried as Jill, Molly’s sister. The movie grossed $18,100,189 in the box office.

No doubt Emily Wickersham’s most prominent role is that of NSA Analyst Ellie Bishop. Making her debut on November 19, 2013, Wickersham went from a minor role to a series regular. She has appeared in over one hundred NCIS episodes since her debut and is slated to appear in more to come. NCIS was renewed for a seventh season on April 11, 2019. The season’s first episode aired on September 24, 2019.

What Happened to Her Marriage To Blake Hanley?

In 2010, Emily Wickersham got married to rock band Ghost Lion’s frontman and musician, Blake Anderson Hanley. The couple got wedded in a small ceremony that was held at the Little Palm Island Resort & Spa in Little Torch Key, Florida.

The ceremony, held on November 23, 2010, was officiated by the groom’s brother, Pastor Drew Hanley. The wedding reception was done four days later at the Bath and Tennis Club, Palm Beach, Florida. This was attended by family and friends, with numbers reported at 150.

The couple seemed inseparable and were together for all of eight years, however, in December 2018, the couple divorced. Neither party has given any reason for the divorce, and it seems both Emily Wickersham and Blake Hanley have moved on from the divorce.

Why Did Emily Wickersham Leave NCIS?

Emily Wickersham hasn’t provided any official reason for why she left NCIS. While she didn’t get into the specifics of why she was leaving, the most likely explanation is that, like Lauren Holly, the decision to move on was one she’d made herself, and that she just wanted to pursue other opportunities out there after playing the same character across eight seasons and 172 episodes.

“This business is finicky and weird and consistency is a rarity,” As she mentions on Instagram, “I’ve been lucky enough to be a part of a show where I got to show up and act and laugh and learn with wonderful people. A moment in time I surely won’t forget. Thank you CBS and ‘NCIS’ for including me in a part of television history.”

As you read the post and comments that follow, you get the impression that the show left the door open for Ellie Bishop to return one day in the future, but for now, Emily Wickersham has called it quits.