Actor Mark Harmon has been a dependable TV presence since the 1970s. The blue-eyed actor, who is best known for his appearances in shows like St. Elsewhere, Reasonable Doubts, Chicago Hope, and NCIS, has evolved over the years from a handsome lad to a silver fox. His spectacular 19-season career as NCIS special agent Leroy Jethro Gibbs came to an end in 2021.
The now 72-year-old actor’s most well-known character may have come from the adored military police procedural, but by the time he was cast in 2003, he had already had experience on small screens. Since Gibbs is no longer gracing our televisions, we are longingly remembering Mark Harmon’s early years. and discovering his upcoming plans!
Mark Harmon young: From football player to TV hunk
Harmon had a star in his future. His parents, actress Elyse Knox and football player Tom Harmon, were both well-known celebrities when he was born in California in 1951. His older sisters, actresses Kristin and Kelly, also had well-known husbands; Kristin was married to actor and musician/actor Ricky Nelson for 19 years, while Kelly had a brief relationship with auto executive John DeLorean.
Growing up in the spotlight, as a young Harmon explained in a 1977 newspaper interview, gave him the confidence he needed to pursue acting: “I’ve always looked on the camera as a friend. Since someone was constantly snapping photos of my parents or the family, it doesn’t scare me.
In college in the early ’70s, Harmon followed in his father’s football footsteps, playing as a UCLA quarterback. Shortly after that he started acting, with appearances in shows like Adam-12, Laverne & Shirley, Police Woman and Police Story. He started earning more attention with his Emmy-nominated supporting role in the 1977 TV movie Eleanor and Franklin: The White House Years, and made the leap into theatrical movies the next year, with a role in the 1978 Western Comes a Horseman, alongside stars Jane Fonda, James Caan and Jason Robards. He was working steadily, appearing in the action movie sequel Beyond the Poseidon Adventure and the short-lived cop show 240-Robert.
Mark Harmon in the ’80s
In the ’80s, Harmon became a household name. He started the decade playing the fabulously named Fielding Carlyle on the prime time soap opera Flamingo Road. Following the show’s cancellation, he joined the cast of the popular medical drama St. Elsewhere from 1983 to 1986. As Dr. Robert Caldwell, he was a womanizing plastic surgeon who made the news when he became one of the first TV characters to contract AIDS.
The same year he left St. Elsewhere, he was named People magazine’s second-ever Sexiest Man Alive. He never let the accolade go to his head, though, saying, “I’m not about to take it seriously. And let’s just say I think maybe a few too many people have.”
Harmon spent the rest of the ’80s starring in movies like Let’s Get Harry, Summer School, The Presidio, Stealing Home and Worth Winning. He acted in TV movies, most notably Sweet Bird of Youth, opposite Elizabeth Taylor, and the mini series The Deliberate Stranger, in which he played the infamous serial killer Ted Bundy. He also briefly played Cybill Shepherd’s love interest on Moonlighting and appeared in commercials for Coors Beer.
While he began acting in more movies in the ’80s, Harmon didn’t quite become a movie star. Rather, he’s always been known as one of the handsomest small-screen stars, which is still quite the acheivement!
Short-lived series and a major comeback
Mark Harmon continued to dominate television in the 1990s, costarring with Marlee Matlin from 1991 to 1993 in the series Reasonable Doubts. Charlie Grace, his upcoming program, was canceled after only nine episodes. Harmon returned to the role of a doctor ten years after leaving St. Elsewhere for Chicago Hope. He appeared on the program from 1996 to 2000, and the actor’s career saw a revival in the early 2000s.
After receiving his second Emmy nomination for his four-episode arc as a Secret Service agent on The West Wing in 2002, Harmon scored the role of a lifetime with NCIS, appearing in over 400 episodes from 2003 to 2021. As Leroy Jethro Gibbs, Harmon was the heart of the show, and the character served as his crowning achievement in many decades of playing law enforcement officials in procedurals.
Mark Harmon’s long marriage
In 1987, Harmon married Mork and Mindy actress Pam Dawber, and the stars remain happily paired some 36 years later. They have two sons, and have kept their private life out of the spotlight. In a 2019 People interview, Harmon enthused, “I’m proud to be married, and I’m proud of who I’m married to.” In 2021, husband and wife shared the screen for the first time when Dawber appeared on seven episodes of NCIS.
What is Mark Harmon doing now
In the past year, Harmon has revealed his first endeavor since leaving the show: a book he co-wrote with NCIS technical advisor Leon Carroll Jr. titled Ghosts of Honolulu: A Japanese Spy, A Japanese American Spy Hunter, and the Untold Story of Pearl Harbor.
The book, which will be published on November 14, 2023, is a historical narrative of the Japanese and American intelligence agents in World War II and was inspired by Harmon and Carroll Jr.’s experiences on NCIS. In June 2023, Harmon told People, “These are the real stories from those who were there.” “It’s real and it’s part of our history.” Additionally, according to the book’s publisher, it is a nonfiction piece that emphasizes “the incredible high stakes game of naval intelligence.”