Mark Harmon is one of those performers 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 was ultimately time to say goodbye to his persona in 2021. Harmon has announced his departure from the show, putting an end to months of conjecture.

However, according to executive producer and showrunner Steven D. Binder, he may return in the future.

Mark Harmon has spent his whole adult life in the entertainment world. Though he has a long and illustrious career, the past 20 years have been almost totally concentrated on his role as Leroy Jethro Gibbs on the blockbuster television program NCIS, for which he has received Emmy nominations and other honors.

Mark Harmon is a ‘NCIS’ legend.
Harmon went from football heartthrob to brilliant actor in a couple of years throughout his childhood. 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 role to begin with? And why is he quitting the program after 18 seasons?

Here’s all you need to know!

Mark Harmon was born in Burbank, California, on September 2, 1951. He looked destined from the outset 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 actor.

Mark Harmon’s childhood
Harmon claims he had no notion his parents were renowned while he was growing up.

“My parents were honest. He told TV Insider, “I had no idea they were famous.”

“In fact, it didn’t hit me until I was riding in the car with my father in Ann Arbor, Michigan—I was maybe 8 years old and couldn’t see above the dashboard—and we stopped at a crosswalk.”

“All of a sudden, people who knew my father surrounded us and were overjoyed to see him.” I recall staring at this guy I thought I knew and wondering, ‘Who are you?'”

Harmon frequently accompanied his father while he was broadcasting sports as a youngster. Years later, when his son Mark was a UCLA Bruins quarterback for two years, his father went to see him play.

Football was a viable career option for Mark Harmon at the time. However, he wanted to appear on a larger stage, either in the theater or on television. When his sister-in-law married pop singer Ricky Nelson, he started spending time with his own family.

Ricky was in the show The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet at the time. Later, when Nelson was working on the spinoff series Ozzie’s Girls, Harmon was asked to step in for an actor who was unable to 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 course,” he said to Parade.

First acting gig
Harmon opted to forego his goal of playing professional football in order to pursue a career in acting.

While some of his friends went on to play professionally, earning more money in a year than he would in the following 15 combined, the aspiring actor opted to return to school.

He began taking acting classes and quickly landed his first parts in films and television programs. He was also fortunate to work with performers like Michael Caine and Jaso Robards, who became mentors to him.

“They were all humble; they gave me valuable time, camaraderie, and advice,” he said.

Following performances on television shows such as 240 Robert, Flamingo Road, and The Love Boat, Mark had his big break as a series regular on the drama St. Elsewhere.

Harmon established a family at the same time he became a huge Hollywood celebrity.

At a gathering that a mutual acquaintance hosted, Mike met actress Pam Dawber. The pair began dating and married in 1987 at the Harvard-Westlake School chapel in Studio City, California.

Mark Harmon and his family
Sean Harmon, the couple’s first child, was born in 1988, and Ty Christian Harmon came in 1992.

Dawber and Harmon were both famous when they began dating. As their relationship developed, they decided to keep things as quiet as possible as a protective measure.

“We’re not trying to keep something secret, but if you don’t want it totally exploited by the press, you have to,” Dawber told People.

“There isn’t even an option.” It’s just who we are,” Mark said years later. “We stay at home.” A lot. I’m not a fan of Twitter or Facebook. Our boys aren’t interested either. Pam and I have both earned a life in this industry, and there’s still a part of it that’s simply not natural.”

Mark obtained additional assignments as producers noticed his talent as an actor. However, after around 15–20 years in the industry, it all got a little too much. Harmon made a choice that altered the path of his life at that point.

“I was directing a lot, doing a movie here or there, and we had this young family that was growing up, and I was missing a lot of [family time],” he recalled, adding that it “was not OK.”

Mark was renowned, but in the end, he was losing out on experiences that he would not be able to have later in life.

“I was in the New Guinean jungles making a bad movie when my firstborn child took his first steps.” “No job is worth missing out on life’s most important moments,” he said.

‘NCIS’ Leroy Jethro Gibbs
Harmon opted to step back in order to spend more time with his family. He was given the script for NCIS, a program about the Naval Criminal Investigative Service, at the time. The screenplay, which was frequently amusing, as well as Leroy Jethro Gibbs’ character, captured Harmon’s attention.

“For a brief moment when I became interested, the name was changed to Bob Nelson or something, 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 some time for the program to acquire popularity, but once it did, it was a huge hit. NCIS became one of the world’s most popular series, with millions tuning in each week.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, it is now licensed in over 200 countries, with multiple CBS spin-offs including NCIS: New Orleans, NCIS: Los Angeles, and NCIS: Hawaii.

Over the course of its run, the program has been nominated for three Primetime Emmys and has won numerous additional honors. Harmon was nominated for multiple accolades for his performances, including the People’s Choice Award for Favorite TV Crime Drama Actor in 2017.

“It’s difficult to walk through airports.”
Despite the fact that NCIS became one of the most popular series on television, Harmon couldn’t believe it.

“I don’t. You just cannot.” The global reach is incredible,” he told TV Insider in 2017.

Even in the most remote locations, it can be challenging to navigate airports without running into other show fans—and that’s nothing to be upset about. I’ve done TV programs in which I apologize as I pass through airports.”

Harmon co-starred as “Abby” on NCIS with Pauley Perrette. However, the two had a strained relationship, and she departed the program after 15 seasons in 2017.

According to many news reports, Perrette and Harmon’s relationship had been strained as a result of a dog bite on set.

She expressed a tearful goodbye on Twitter:

“I hope everyone will love and enjoy EVERYTHING Abby, not only for the rest of this season but for everything she has given all of us for the past 16 years,” Perrette wrote. “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 main actor Mark Harmon.

My relationship with Pauley Perrette is frosty.
She refused to comment more 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 grateful for the opportunity to play that character, and I always will be,” she added.

Harmon has refused to comment on their connection, but a source informed The Wrap that the two have never been in the same room since the dog incident. They appeared side by side in her last scene before departing the program. But, according to The Wrap, it was all “editing magic.”

“She did her scenes on one day and he did his work on other days, and they still produced a great show,” according to the insider. “It was simply scheduled that they did not 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 last appearance as Leroy Jethro Gibbs. CBS Entertainment President Kelly Kahl confirmed the development in a statement to Deadline.

“Mark’s always been a part of the show, and Mark’s always going to be a part of the show,” he said to Deadline. “In terms of his on-air appearances, we’ll just have to see how it plays out in the future.”

‘NCIS’ star Mark Harmon is leaving the show.
The inclusion of Gary Cole as a new series regular as Special Agent Park fueled speculation that Harmon might leave the program.

NCIS executive producer and showrunner Steven D. Binder has left the door open for Harmon to return at some point in the future.

“Our north star has always been staying true to our characters, and that truth has always guided the stories we tell and where those characters go,” he said.

“In terms of Gibbs’ future, as long-time viewers of the program may have noted throughout the years… Never underestimate Leroy Jethro Gibbs.”

In a January 2023 interview with TV Insider, Rocky Carroll, best known for his role as NCIS Director Leon Vance, hinted that Mark Harmon would make a return.

Mark Harmon is a fantastic actor who did an excellent job on NCIS. We hope to see more of his brilliance in the future.

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