A graduate of Colorado's Niwot High School, actor Brian Dietzen gravitated to drama at eight years old, when he caught the acting bug from an elementary school play; in time, he extended his stage activities into high-school productions, and attended the University of Colorado at Boulder as a theater major in that institution's B.F.A. program. Under the mentorship of Sean Kelley, Dietzen formally trained in theatrical mainstays -- from Waiting for Godot to Equus; so successful were his efforts in these productions that it prompted him to join the Colorado Shakespeare Festival after graduation, and then to make the big leap to Los Angeles.

Dietzen scored his first major coup in L.A. by signing on for a regular role in the short-lived WB series My Guide to Becoming a Rock Star, and then landed a small part in the American Idol spin-off movie From Justin to Kelly (2003). The actor is best known, however, for his recurring series role as Jimmy Palmer, assistant lab technician to Donald "Ducky" Mallard (David McCallum), on the popular CBS procedural thriller NCIS. On the side, he remained extremely active in stage work.