Mark Harmon knew he had to play the character of NCIS because of one small aspect in the screenplay. The 72-year-old actor stated in a recent interview that he was reading a ton of scripts, but that “the name Leroy Jethro Gibbs hit me” when he reached the one for the crime thriller.
And for a brief period of time over those few days, I believe it changed to Bob Robinson or something similar. He revealed, “And I immediately called up and said, ‘The name has got to change back,'” referring to the role he would go on to play for nearly two decades. “After that, someone told me that I couldn’t play Leroy Jethro Gibbs. I questioned “why not.”
“If that name had not been there, I don’t think I would have been there,” he admitted.
He also thought the premise was unique, as when it came to the Naval Criminal Investigative Services, he had “never heard of it before. There wasn’t much information to be found.”Elsewhere in the interview, the dad-of-two discussed the longevity of his role — which lasted from 2003 to 2021 — noting that one of the reasons he stayed for so long is due to the cast’s camaraderie.
“I think you’re really lucky to find that. At times it’s really rare. I always thought that the show was about characters and it had humor,” the star explained. “And yeah, there was a case and originally the case was based on the real. And then television changes, showrunners change, writers change, actors change, lots of changes. And that changes as well.”
Harmon and actress Pam Dawber married in 1987.
Earlier this year, executive producer Steven D. Binder hinted the St. Elsewhere alum could make a cameo in the future.
“I don’t see how we don’t see him one more time at some point,” he shared. “Gibbs has, in my mind, advanced to a higher plane of existence for now. … We left him smiling on a river happy, and that’s the image I want people to have until we’re really ready to blow that out of the water or truly embrace it in some way.”
Harmon’s departure didn’t come as much of a shock to executive producer Charles Floyd Johnson.
In a another interview, he remarked, “Coming in at 6:30 a.m., five days a week, and being the major character that was the linchpin—that’s pretty tough, and he did it for eighteen seasons.” “We had reached a point where he was approaching his 70th birthday, and he desired to spend time with his children and his wife, Pam Dawson.”
He was essentially setting it up. Johnson continued, “It probably began [with him making suggestions] during the 15th or 16th season. But he was really supportive of the show and devoted to that crew. He remained on longer than he had planned to and was rather proud of it.