Mark Harmon is one of those actors whose character is almost as well-known as the actor himself. Harmon landed the part of a lifetime as Leroy Jethro Gibbs on NCIS, which he has played for an incredible 18 seasons.
However, it is now time to say goodbye to his character. Harmon has confirmed his departure from the show, ending months of conjecture.
However, according to executive producer and showrunner Steven D. Binder, he may return.
Mark Harmon has spent his whole adult life in the entertainment world.
Though he has a long and illustrious career, the last 20 years have been almost totally concentrated on his role as Leroy Jethro Gibbs on the hit television show NCIS, for which he has received Emmy nominations and other honours.
NCIS legend Mark Harmon:
Harmon went from a football heartthrob to a brilliant actor in a couple of years throughout his youth. At the same time, he’s kept his private life private, always putting his family first.
So, how did Mark Harmon become one of the most famous actors in the world thanks to his role on NCIS? How did he obtain the part, to begin with? And why is he quitting the show after 18 seasons?
Here’s everything you need to know!
Mark Harmon was born in Burbank, California, on September 2, 1951. He looked destined from the start to pursue a career in sports or acting. Tom Harmon, his father, was a former player and broadcaster, and Elyse Know, his mother, was an artist and actress.
Mark Harmon’s childhood:
Harmon claims he had no notion his parents were renowned when he was growing up.
“My parents were honest. “I had no idea they were that renowned,” he admitted to TV Insider.
“In reality, it didn’t hit me until I was in the car with my father in Ann Arbor, Michigan – I was maybe eight and couldn’t see over the dashboard – and we stopped at a crosswalk.
“All of a sudden, we were mobbed by people who recognised my father and were overjoyed to see him. I recall staring at this man I thought I knew and wondering, ‘Who are you?'”
Harmon often accompanied his father when he was broadcasting games as a child. Years later, when his son Mark was a UCLA Bruins quarterback for two years, his father went to watch him play.
Football was a viable career option for Mark Harmon at the time. However, he wished to appear on a larger stage in the theatre or on television. When his sister-in-law married pop singer Ricky Nelson, he began spending time with his family.
Ricky was in the show The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet at the time. Later, while Nelson was working on the spinoff series Ozzie’s Girls, Harmon was asked to step in for an actor who could not attend.
Ricky led Mark around the set to observe how things operated. He remarked that it completely hooked him on the vocation.
“That changed my direction,” he told Parade.
First acting job:
Harmon opted to forego his dream of playing professional football to pursue a career in acting.
While several of his friends went on to play professionally, earning more money in a year than he did in the following 15 combined, the aspiring actor decided to return to school.
He took acting classes and soon landed his first part in films and television programmes. He also worked with performers like Michael Caine and Jaso Robards, who became mentors to him.
“They were all humble; they gave me valuable time, camaraderie, and counsel,” he said.
Following performances on television shows such as 240 Robert, Flamingo Road, and The Love Boat, Mark landed his big break as a series regular on the drama St. Elsewhere.
Harmon started a family at the same time and became a notable acting celebrity.
Mike met actress Pam Dawber at a gathering hosted by a mutual acquaintance. The pair began dating and married in 1987 at the Harvard-Westlake School chapel in Studio City, California.
Mark Harmon and his family:
The couple’s first child, Sean Harmon, was born in 1988, and Ty Christian Harmon arrived in 1992.
Dawber and Harmon were both celebrities when they began dating. As their relationship developed, they decided to keep things as private as possible as a protective approach.
“There isn’t even a choice. “It’s just who we are,” Mark explained years later. “We remain at home—a lot. I’m not a fan of Twitter or Facebook. Our sons aren’t interested either. Pam and I have both made a life in this industry, and there’s still a part that’s simply not natural.”
Mark obtained additional assignments as producers noticed his talent as an actor. However, it all became too much after around 15-20 years in the industry. Harmon made a decision that changed his life’s path at that point.
Mark was famous, but in the end, he was missing out on experiences that he would not be able to have later in life.
“I was in the New Guinean forests producing a bad movie when my firstborn child took his first steps. “No work is worth losing out on life’s most significant moments,” he stated.
‘NCIS’ Leroy Jethro Gibbs:
Harmon opted to step back to spend more time with his family. At the time, he was given the script for NCIS, a show about the Naval Criminal Investigative Service.
Harmon was taken with the screenplay, which was frequently amusing, and the character of Leroy Jethro Gibbs. “For a brief moment when I became interested, the name was changed to Bob Nelson or whatever, and I just said, ‘Eh…please, can you put the name back,'” he remembered.
The first episode of NCIS aired in September 2003. It took time for the show, but it was a huge hit once it did. NCIS became one of the world’s most popular shows, with millions tuning in each week.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, it is now licenced in over 200 countries, with multiple CBS spin-offs, including NCIS: New Orleans, NCIS: Los Angeles, and NCIS: Hawaii.
Throughout its run, the show has been nominated for three Primetime Emmys and has won several additional honours. Harmon was nominated for multiple awards for his performances, including the People’s Choice Award for Favorite TV Crime Drama Actor in 2017.
“It’s difficult to walk through airports”:
Even though NCIS became one of the most popular television shows, Harmon couldn’t believe it.
“I don’t. You simply cannot. “The global reach is incredible,” he told TV Insider in 2017.
“It’s difficult to stroll through airports, even in the most remote locations, without being surrounded by people who adore the show—and that’s nothing to complain about. I’ve done TV shows in which I apologise as I walk through airports.”
Harmon co-starred as “Abby” on NCIS with Pauley Perrette. However, the two had a strained relationship, as she left the show after 15 seasons in 2017.
According to multiple news reports, Perrette and Harmon’s relationship had become strained due to a dog bite on set.
“All the love, fun, and inspiration… “I adore her just as much as you do.”
She tweeted in 2019 that she was “never going back to NCIS” and that she was “terrified” of lead actor Mark Harmon.
Relationship with Pauley Perrette is frosty:
She declined to comment further on her tweets in an interview with USA Today.
“That’s a part of my past now, and there’s nothing I need to talk about except one thing: I’m glad for the opportunity to play that character, and I always will be,” she said.
Harmon has refused to comment on their connection, but a source informed The Wrap that they have never been in the same room since the dog incident. They appeared side by side in her final scene before departing the programme. But, according to The Wrap, that was just “editing magic.”
“She did her sequences on one day and he did his job on other days, and they still put on a terrific performance,” according to the insider. “It was only a coincidence that they didn’t work on the same days.”
Mark has appeared in a total of 418 episodes of NCIS. However, the end has arrived. On Monday, October 9, he made his final appearance as Leroy Jethro Gibbs. CBS Entertainment President Kelly Kahl confirmed the development in a statement to Deadline.
“Mark has always been a part of the show, and Mark will always be a part of the show,” he told Deadline.
‘NCIS’ star Mark Harmon is leaving the show:
Since the debut of Gary Cole as a new series regular as Special Agent Park, there has been speculation concerning Harmon’s departure from the show.
“Our north star has always been keeping true to our characters, and that truth has always guided the stories we write and the places those characters go,” he explained.
“In terms of Gibbs’ future, as long-time viewers of the show may have noticed throughout the years… Never underestimate Leroy Jethro Gibbs.”
Mark Harmon is a fantastic actor who performed an excellent job on NCIS. We hope to see more of his brilliance in the future.
