The former member of NCIS departed the CBS program in 2021, and this month she is releasing a new endeavor. Even though Mark Harmon won’t be seen on NCIS screens for a while, he is still very much in the public eye.
Don’t refer to him as a retiree, even though he spent nearly 20 years as Leroy Jethro Gibbs on the popular CBS procedural until leaving two years ago.
Mark, 72, has continued to serve as executive producer on NCIS since departing, and he has also been considering other possibilities. What’s next for him? Writer!
Come November, fans of the star will get to see his writerly side, with the release of his first historical nonfiction book, Ghosts of Honolulu: A Japanese Spy, a Japanese American Spy Hunter, and the Untold Story of Pearl Harbor.
In a conversation with People about his new venture, he declared: “I left the show, I didn’t retire,” and mused over his latest passion project, saying: “I’ve always thought you can learn from history… Things tend to repeat themselves.”
In his most recent work, Mark delves into the real-life narrative of Douglas Wada, a Japanese American born in Hawaii who joined the U.S. Navy as a spy, and his conflict with fellow spy Takeo Yoshikawa. Regarding his protagonist, Mark remarked, “He was a very specific guy in a very specific time.”
Plus, his new endeavor is still connected to NCIS even though he is no longer acting. About the Naval Criminal Investigative Service, Mark said, “This is the first story (leading to the birth of what became (the real) NCIS]; these agents are really a different breed.” I hope a tale that you are unaware of is disclosed here. Nobody was aware of the significant work they were undertaking.
He even brought along NCIS’ technical advisor Leon Carroll Jr. as his co-writer, who spent 20 years as an actual NCIS special agent.
Mark explained: “I was always asking him about the right way to do something or the way he would do something. There wasn’t any interrogation I ever was part of on this show that I didn’t talk to him about. So when this idea came to me, I wanted it to be real. I said I wouldn’t touch this without him.”
Plus, while he may no longer hold the role of Gibbs on NCIS, he credits the character for his interest in naval spy history.
“I tried to look into it, but there wasn’t a lot of information about this organization,” he stated. “It was really just meeting people and asking questions, and it developed from there.”
Even though he insisted that he is not nearing retirement, his renewed focus has provided much-needed relief from the demanding workload that NCIS demands. He gave an update on his life after the show, saying, “I have time to do anything I want to.” I can arrange for the boys and I to go out to dinner. I never wake up without thinking how lucky I am.
Mark lives in California with his wife of 36 years, actress Pam Dawber. The longtime couple share two sons, Sean, 35, and Ty Christian, 31.