Mark Harmon (born September 2, 1951) is an American actor who has been starring in U.S. television programs and films since the mid-1970s. Since 2003, Harmon has starred as Leroy Jethro Gibbs in the popular CBS series NCIS.
Harmon has spent much of his career portraying law enforcement and medical personnel. His first acting credits were from guest-starring on episodes of Adam-12 and Emergency! in mid-1975 (the Emergency! episode that Harmon starred in, “905-Wild”, centered on two L.A. County Animal
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Control Officers, and was a pilot episode for a possible new series, which did not sell). Producer/creator Jack Webb, who was the packager of both series, later cast Harmon in the very short-lived Sam, about an LAPD officer and his K-9 partner, in 1978. In 1979, he starred in the action series 240-Robert as Deputy Dwayne Thibideaux, which centered around the missions of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department Emergency Services Detail.
After several years of supporting guest roles on episodic television shows such as Police Woman, Laverne & Shirley and The Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew Mysteries, Harmon landed his first prominent role in the 1980 primetime soap opera Flamingo Road where he played Morgan Fairchild’s husband Fielding Carlisle. The series was short-lived, however, and following its cancellation, he landed the role of Dr. Robert Caldwell on the prestigious NBC Emmy-winning series St. Elsewhere in 1983. In 1986, Harmon left the series as his character contracted HIV through unprotected heterosexual intercourse – a storyline that was notable for being one of the first ever instances in television history where a major recurring character contracted the virus (the character’s subsequent offscreen death from AIDS would be mentioned two years later). Following this, Harmon had a limited
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engagement on the series Moonlighting, playing Cybill Shepherd’s love interest Sam Crawford for four episodes in 1987. Harmon’s next regular television role would be as Chicago police detective Dickie Cobb for two seasons (1991-1993) on the NBC series Reasonable Doubts. In 1993, he appeared in one episode in the unlikely role of a rodeo clown on the CBS comedy/western series Harts of the West, on which future NCIS actor Sean Murray was a series regular in the role of Zane Grey Hart.
Harmon appeared as Charlie Grace, a private eye series which lasted only one season on ABC. He returned to ensemble medical shows on the series Chicago Hope, in which he played Dr. Jack McNeil from 1996-2000.
In May 2002 he had a limited four episode run playing Secret Service Special Agent Simon Donovan on The West Wing. Harmon took a lead role in two episodes of JAG in April 2003, which introduced viewers to him in the role of NCIS agent Gibbs. Since 2003, Harmon has starred as NCIS Special Agent Leroy Jethro Gibbs in CBS’ drama television show NCIS. Harmon has also made several television and theatrical films throughout his career. In the late 1970s, he had supporting roles in Comes a Horseman and Beyond the Poseidon Adventure. His most prominent starring roles were in the 1986 romantic comedy Prince of Bel Air and 1987 comedy Summer School in both of which he co-starred opposite Kirstie Alley, and the 1988 thriller The Presidio in which he co-starred with Sean Connery and Meg Ryan. He also portrayed serial killer Ted Bundy in the 1986 television movie The Deliberate Stranger. In 2003 he played in the movie Freaky Friday, as the fiance Ryan.
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Harmon was named People magazine’s Sexiest Man Alive in 1986.
Mark Harmon also starred in several stage productions in Los Angeles and Toronto. Los Angeles’ The Cast Theatre saw him perform as Bobby in Wrestlers as well as in The Wager. In the late eighties he was part of the cast of the Canadian premier of Key Exchange. Several productions of Love Letters provided him the opportunity to play alongside his wife Pam Dawber.
Trivia:
Harmon and Pam Dawber have two children: Sean Harmon born 25 April 1988 and Ty Christian Harmon born 25 June 1992.
Chosen as People Magazine’s Sexiest Man Alive. [1986]
Shares birthday with Salma Hayek, Terry Bradshaw, and Keanu Reeves.
His godfather Forest Evashevski is in the National Football Foundation Hall of Fame.
Risked his life to save two teenage boys who were involved in a car accident outside of his home. Harmon used a sledge hammer from his garage to break the window out of their car then pulled them free so they wouldn’t be burned to death, while his wife Pam Dawber called 911. He made every effort to downplay his role in saving their lives. [1996].
Graduated cum laude from UCLA, 1974, with degree in communications. Also played quarterback for UCLA Bruins, 1972-73 winning National Football Foundation Award for all-round excellence.
Worked as a carpenter before he hit it big.
No relation to Angie Harmon.
His uncle, Ron Knox (his mother’s brother), was also a college football star and played one season as a professional quarterback for the Chicago Bears.
Good friends with David Bortolucci.
Grandson of William Franklin Knox, United States Secretary of the Navy during World War II and Republican candidate for Vice President in 1936.
Father, Tom Harmon, played for the University of Michigan Wolverines and won the 1940 Heisman Trophy emblematic of the best player in the nation.
In July 2007, The Hollywood Reporter ranked Hayek fourth in their inaugural Latino Power 50, a list of the most powerful members of the Hollywood Latino community. That same month, a poll found Hayek to be the “sexiest celebrity” out of a field of 3,000 celebrities (male and female); according to the poll, “65 percent of the U.S. population would use the term ‘sexy’ to describe her”. In December 2008, Entertainment Weekly ranked Hayek number 17 in their list of the “25 Smartest People in TV.”
