A former star of the television series “NCIS,” he co-wrote a new book about actual NCIS officers. Throughout his career, Mark Harmon has had a variety of positions, including quarterback for UCLA, actor in TV and film, producer, executive producer, and director. Now that his first book, “Ghosts of Honolulu,” has been out, Harmon, 72, is able to add “author” to his portfolio.
Co-written by Harmon and Leon Carroll, Jr., the book tells the true story of Takeo Yoshikawa, a Japanese spy who was dispatched to Pearl Harbor to gather intelligence on the U.S. fleet, and Douglas Wada, the only Japanese American agent in naval intelligence.
“For me, writing this story is a way of giving back to “NCIS” and those who have been serving our country with little recognition.”
In an interview with Next Avenue, Harmon said, “I didn’t ever have a plan to co-write a book, but it was a story I felt needed to be told. For me, writing this story is a way of giving back to “NCIS” and those who have been serving our country with little recognition.”
Learning About the NCIS
In his acting career, Harmon has played a wide range of characters. Whatever the role, Harmon’s process is to do a deep dive and find out everything he can about the character he is portraying.
“At the start of my career, I was in a Western, so I learned how to ride a horse,” explained Harmon. “Later, I did a cop show so I researched how to be a cop. Same when I was a doctor on ‘Chicago Hope.’”
But when Harmon was cast as Leroy Jethro Gibbs in a then-new series titled NCIS (NCIS stands for Naval Criminal Investigative Service), figuring out what an NCIS agent did proved difficult. Harmon explained, “Initially when I began researching naval intelligence, it was hard to find information. That is intentional since much of their work relies on them being undercover.”
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“These cases and the agents, their stories really intrigued me.”
Prior to the show’s filming, Harmon had the opportunity to meet with an agent. “As an actor, it’s crucial to me to convey things accurately. I spent time in Alabama shadowing an active agent, getting to know him, and meeting his pals before we started filming,” he stated. “I was interested in learning everything I could, not only about his work as an agent but also about his personal style choices for clothing and hairstyles.”
Carroll, a former NCIS agent brought on as a technical advisor for the program, taught Harmon a lot as well. According to Harmon, “Leon helped us in keeping the show authentic.” “He and I became close friends after working together for so many years.”
Stories to Tell
The show’s original premise was to base storylines on real-life NCIS cases. “These cases and the agents, their stories really intrigued me,” said Harmon.
But after so many years on television (the show will enter its 21st season next year), the focus shifted and branched out into different types of dramatic storylines, which “is typical for a long-running show,” Harmon said.