Mark Harmon | |
|---|---|
 Harmon in 2005 | |
| Born | Thomas Mark Harmon (1951-09-02)September 2, 1951 (age 74) Burbank, California, U.S. |
| Alma mater | University of California, Los Angeles (BA) |
| Occupations |
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| Years active | 1970–present |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 2 |
| Parents |
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| Relatives |
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| Football career | |
| No. 7 | |
| Position | Quarterback |
| Personal information | |
| Height | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) |
| Weight | 185 lb (84 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school | Harvard-Westlake |
| College |
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| Awards and highlights | |
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Thomas Mark Harmon (born September 2, 1951) is an American actor, writer, producer, television director and formerfootball player. He is best known for playing the lead role ofLeroy Jethro Gibbs onNCIS.
He has appeared in a wide variety of television roles since the early 1970s, including as Dr. Robert Caldwell onSt. Elsewhere, Detective Dicky Cobb onReasonable Doubts, and Dr. Jack McNeil onChicago Hope. He also starred in such films asSummer School,Prince of Bel Air,Stealing Home,Wyatt Earp,Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas,Crossfire Trail,Local Boys,Freaky Friday, andChasing Liberty.
Harmon playedSecret Service special agentSimon Donovan in a four-episode story arc inThe West Wing in 2002,[1] receiving anEmmy Award nomination for the role.[2][3] Harmon's character ofNCIS Special Agent Leroy Jethro Gibbs was introduced in a guest starring role in two episodes ofJAG. From 2003 to 2021, Harmon starred in the spinoffNCIS as the same character.[4]
Harmon was born inBurbank, California, the youngest of three children. His parents wereHeisman Trophy-winning football player and broadcasterTom Harmon and actress, model, and artistElyse Knox (née Elsie Lillian Kornbrath).[5]
Harmon had two older sisters, the late actress and painterKristin Nelson, who was divorced from the late singerRick Nelson, and actress and modelKelly Harmon, formerly married to car magnateJohn DeLorean. His maternal grandparents wereAustrian immigrants.[6]
After his high school graduation fromHarvard-Westlake School in 1970,[7] Harmon completed a two-year associate degree atPierce College inLos Angeles.[8] After his second season at Pierce, 1971, Harmon received offers from major college football programs,[9] ultimately choosingUCLA overOklahoma,[10] even though in the previous season,1971, theSooners finished second in the nation, while theBruins had stumbled to a 2–7–1 record, placing last in thePac-8.[11]
After transferring to theUniversity of California, Los Angeles,[12] he started asquarterback for the1972 and1973Bruins.[13][14]
During his first game, his UCLA team produced a stunning upset of the two-time defending national championNebraska Cornhuskers.[5][15][16] The Bruins were an eighteen-point home underdog to the top-ranked Huskers but won 20–17 on a late field goal byEfren Herrera atL.A. Coliseum.[17]
In hissenior year, Harmon received theNational Football Foundation Award for All-Round Excellence.[13][18][19] During his two years as quarterback in coachPepper Rodgers'wishbone offense, UCLA compiled a 17–5 record (.773). Harmon was UCLA's starting quarterback for two seasons, but he was not picked in the1974 NFL draft.
Harmon graduatedcum laude from UCLA in 1974 with aB.A. inCommunications.[20]
He was inducted into the inaugural class of the Pierce College Athletic Hall of Fame in 2010.[8][21]
After college, Harmon considered pursuing a career in advertising or law.[22] Harmon started his career in business as a merchandising director, but soon decided to switch to acting.[23] He spent much of his career portraying law enforcement and medical personnel. One of his first national TV appearances (other than as an athlete) was in a commercial forKellogg'sProduct 19 cereal with his father,Tom Harmon, its longstanding TV spokesman. Thanks to his sister Kristin's in-laws,Ozzie Nelson andHarriet Nelson, he landed his first job as an actor in an episode ofOzzie's Girls. This was followed by guest roles in episodes ofAdam-12,Police Woman, andEmergency! in mid-1975. He also performed in "905-Wild", abackdoor pilot episode for a series about two L.A. County Animal Control Officers which did not sell. Producer/creatorJack Webb, who was the packager of both series, later cast Harmon inSam, a short-lived 1978 series about anLAPD officer and hisK-9 partner. Before this, Harmon received anEmmy nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Miniseries or a Movie for his performance asRobert Dunlap in the television filmEleanor and Franklin: The White House Years.[24] In 1978, he appeared in three episodes of the mini-series,Centennial, as Captain John MacIntosh, an honorable Union cavalry officer.[25][26]
During the mid- to late-1970s, Harmon made guest appearances on TV series, includingLaverne & Shirley,Delvecchio,The Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew Mysteries, and had supporting roles in the feature filmsComes a Horseman (1978) andBeyond the Poseidon Adventure (1979). He then landed a co-starring role on the 1979 action series240-Robert as Deputy Dwayne Thibideaux. The series centered around the missions of the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department Emergency Services Detail, but was also short-lived.[27]
In 1980, Harmon gained a regular role in the prime time soap operaFlamingo Road, in which he played Fielding Carlisle, the husband ofMorgan Fairchild's character. Despite initially good ratings, the series was canceled after two seasons. Following its cancellation, he landed the role of Dr. Robert Caldwell on the seriesSt. Elsewhere in 1983. Harmon appeared in the show for almost three seasons before leaving in early 1986 when his character contractedHIV through unprotected intercourse, one of the first instances where a major recurring television character contracted the virus (the character's subsequent off-screen death fromAIDS would be mentioned two years later). In the mid-1980s, Harmon also became the spokesperson forCoors Regular beer, appearing in television commercials for them.[28]
Harmon's career reached several other high points in 1986. In January, he was namedPeople magazine'sSexiest Man Alive.[29] Following his departure fromSt. Elsewhere in February, he played the lead in the television filmsPrince of Bel Air, co-starring withKirstie Alley, andThe Deliberate Stranger, in which he portrayed the real-lifeserial killerTed Bundy. With his career blossoming, he played a role in the 1986 theatrical filmLet's Get Harry and the lead role in the 1987 comedySummer School, again co-starring withKirstie Alley and alongside futureJAG andNCIS alumPatrick Labyorteaux. Returning briefly to episodic television in 1987, Harmon had a limited engagement on the seriesMoonlighting, playingCybill Shepherd's love interest Sam Crawford for four episodes. He then starred in the 1987 television filmAfter the Promise. In 1988, he co-starred withSean Connery andMeg Ryan in the 1988 feature filmThe Presidio, and also oppositeJodie Foster in the filmStealing Home. After his 1989 comedyWorth Winning, he returned to television, appearing in various television films.[citation needed]
Harmon's next regular television role would be as Chicago police detective Dickie Cobb for two seasons (1991–1993) on theNBC seriesReasonable Doubts. In 1993, he appeared in one episode in the role of arodeo clown on theCBS comedy/western seriesHarts of the West with futureNCIS castmateSean Murray.[30] In 1994, he had a role in the Western filmWyatt Earp.
In 1995, Harmon starred in theABC seriesCharlie Grace, in which he portrayed a private investigator.[31] The series lasted only one season,[32] after which he returned to ensemble medical shows on the seriesChicago Hope, in which he played Dr. Jack McNeil from 1996 to 2000.[33] He also portrayed astronautWally Schirra in one episode of the 1998 mini-seriesFrom the Earth to the Moon.[34]His movie roles during that time includedFear and Loathing in Las Vegas (1998),Crossfire Trail (2001), andLocal Boys (2002). In 2003, Harmon had a supporting role in the remake of the comedy filmFreaky Friday. In 2004, he appeared in the romantic comedyChasing Liberty.
Harmon has also starred in several stage productions inLos Angeles andToronto. At the Cast Theatre in Los Angeles, he performed inWrestlers andThe Wager. In the late 1980s he was part of the cast of theCanadian premiere ofKey Exchange. Several productions ofLove Letters provided him the opportunity to play alongside his wifePam Dawber.[35]
In May 2002, Harmon portrayedSecret Servicespecial agent Simon Donovan onThe West Wing in a four-episode story arc. The role gained him his second Emmy Award nomination, exactly 25 years after his first.[24]Donald P. Bellisario, the creator ofJAG andNCIS, saw him onThe West Wing and had Harmon appear in a guest starring role in two episodes ofJAG in April 2003, where Harmon was introduced as the character ofNCIS agentLeroy Jethro Gibbs. Starting that September, Harmon has starred as Gibbs in the CBS dramaNCIS, a role which has earned him six nominations at thePeople's Choice Awards including a win for Favorite TV Crime Drama Actor in 2017.[36] During his time on the show, he was reunited with three of his formerChicago Hope co-stars,Rocky Carroll,Lauren Holly, andJayne Brook. Since 2008, he has also been a producer and executive producer.[37]
In the fourth episode of the show's nineteenth season, Harmon's Gibbs exited the series as a regular, an exit set in motion by the events of the previousseason finale.[38] In October 2024, three years after his departure fromNCIS, Harmon reprises as Gibbs inNCIS prequelNCIS: Origins, where he mainly serves as a narrator and made a cameo appearance in the prequel's two-part pilot episode. He physically returned for the second time for theNCIS andNCIS: Origins crossover special onVeterans Day 2025.[39][40][41]
Harmon received the 2,482nd star of theHollywood Walk of Fame on October 1, 2012.[42]
In 2014, Harmon started a production company called Wings Productions to produceNCIS: New Orleans.[43][44] As of 2018, Harmon works as a producer for a new CBS series, based on authorJohn Sandford's best-sellingPrey novels,[45] which have sold more than 30 million copies worldwide. The last 10 have reached No. 1 onThe New York Times best-seller list.[46]
Harmon also directed two episodes ofChicago Hope in 1999 and 2000,[47] and two episodes ofBoston Public in 2002.[47]
In 2023 Harmon, with retired NCIS Special Agent Leon Carroll Jr., releasedGhosts of Honolulu: A Japanese spy, a Japanese American spy hunter, and the untold story of Pearl Harbor.[48] Harmon also narrates the audio book.
Harmon is the son of football playerTom Harmon and actressElyse Knox. His sisters areKelly, an actress and model, andKristin, an actress and painter. Kristin died of a heart attack on April 27, 2018.[49]
Harmon has been married to actressPam Dawber since March 21, 1987.[35] The couple has two sons. His son Sean played a young Gibbs in severalNCIS episodes.[50] They maintain a low profile and rarely appear in public with their children. Harmon was the brother-in-law ofRicky Nelson andJohn DeLorean and is the uncle of actressTracy Nelson and singers Matthew and Gunnar Nelson of the rock duoNelson.[51][52]
In 1987, Harmon filed for custody of his nephew Sam, Kristin's son, on the grounds that she was incapable of good parenting. Sam's psychiatrist testified that the thirteen-year-old boy depicted his mother as a dragon and complained about her mood swings and how she prevented him from being with his siblings. Harmon later dropped the custody bid.[53][54]
In 1988, Harmon was part owner of aminor league baseball team, theSan Bernardino Spirit, the same seasonKen Griffey Jr. played for the team before his major league call-up to theSeattle Mariners the next season. Harmon used the team and their home field,Fiscalini Field, for the opening and closing scenes of the film in which he was starring,Stealing Home.[55]
In 1996, Harmon saved two teenage boys involved in a car accident outside hisBrentwood home. One passenger suffered severe burns, but survived his injuries.[56][57]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1978 | Comes a Horseman | Billy Joe Meynert | |
| 1979 | Beyond the Poseidon Adventure | Larry Simpson | |
| 1984 | Tuareg – The Desert Warrior | Gacel Sayah | |
| 1986 | Let's Get Harry | Harry Burck Jr. | |
| 1987 | Summer School | Freddy Shoop | |
| After the Promise | Elmer Jackson | ||
| 1988 | The Presidio | Jay Austin | |
| Stealing Home | Billy Wyatt | ||
| 1989 | Worth Winning | Taylor Worth | |
| 1990 | Till There Was You | Frank Flynn | |
| Kenny Rogers Classic Weekend | Himself | ||
| 1991 | Cold Heaven | Alex Davenport | |
| 1994 | Natural Born Killers | Mickey (Reenactment) | uncredited |
| 1994 | Wyatt Earp | Sheriff John Behan | |
| 1995 | Magic in the Water | Jack Black | |
| 1995 | The Last Supper | Dominant Male | |
| 1997 | Casualties | Tommy Nance | |
| The First to Go | Jeremy Hampton | ||
| 1998 | Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas | Magazine Reporter | |
| 1999 | I'll Remember April | John Cooper | |
| 2001 | The Amati Girls | Lawrence | |
| Crossfire Trail | Bruce Barkow | ||
| 2002 | Local Boys | Jim Wesley | |
| 2003 | Freaky Friday | Ryan Volvo | |
| 2004 | Chasing Liberty | President James Foster | |
| 2009 | Weather Girl | Dale | |
| 2010 | Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths | Clark Kent/Superman (voice) | Direct-to-video[58] |
| 2025 | Freakier Friday | Ryan Volvo | [59] |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1973 | Ozzie's Girls | Mark Johnson | Episode: "The Candidate" |
| 1975 | Emergency! | Officer Dave Gordon | Episode: "905-Wild" |
| Adam-12 | Officer Gus Corbin | Episode: "Gus Corbin" | |
| 1975, 1976 | Police Woman | Paul Donin Stansky | Episode: "No Place to Hide" Episode: "Tender Soldier" |
| 1976 | Laverne & Shirley | Victor | Episode: "Dating Slump" |
| All's Fair | Ron | Episode: "Jealousy" | |
| Delvecchio | Ronnie Striker | Episode: "Hot Spell" | |
| 1977 | Eleanor and Franklin: The White House Years | Robert Dunlap | Television film |
| The Hardy Boys | Chip Garvey | Episode: "Mystery of the Solid Gold Kicker" | |
| 1978 | Getting Married | Howard Lesser | Television film |
| Little Mo | Norman Brinker | Television film | |
| Sam | Officer Mike Breen | 7 episodes | |
| 1978–1979 | Centennial | Captain John McIntosh | 3 episodes |
| 1979 | The Love Boat | Doug Bradbury | 2 episodes |
| 1979–1980 | 240-Robert | Dwayne Thibodeaux | 13 episodes |
| 1980; 1981–1982 | Flamingo Road | Fielding Carlyle | 37 episodes |
| 1980 | The Dream Merchants | Johnny Edge | Miniseries |
| 1981 | Goliath Awaits | Peter Cabot | Television film |
| 1983 | The Love Boat | Rick Tucker | Episode: "Julie and The Bachelor..." |
| 1983–1986 | St. Elsewhere | Dr. Robert Caldwell | 70 episodes |
| 1983 | Intimate Agony (akaDoctor in Paradise) | Tommy | Television film |
| 1986 | The Deliberate Stranger | Ted Bundy | |
| Prince of Bel Air | Robin Prince | ||
| 1987 | Moonlighting | Sam Crawford | 4 episodes |
| Saturday Night Live | Himself/Host | Episode: May 9, 1987 | |
| After the Promise | Elmer Jackson | Television film | |
| 1989 | Sweet Bird of Youth | Chance Wayne | |
| 1991–1993 | Reasonable Doubts | Detective Dicky Cobb | 45 episodes |
| 1991 | Dillinger | John Dillinger | Television film |
| Fourth Story | David Shepard | ||
| Shadow of a Doubt | Uncle Charlie Oakley | ||
| Long Road Home | Ertie Robertson | ||
| 1993 | Harts of the West | Sam Carver | Episode: "The Right Stuff" |
| 1994 | Chicago Hope | Dr. Jack McNeil | |
| 1995 | Charlie Grace | Charlie Grace | 9 episodes |
| Original Sins (akaActs of Contrition) | Johnathan Frayne | Television film | |
| 1996 | Strangers | Mark | Episode: "Visit" |
| E! True Hollywood Story | Himself | Episode: "Dark Obsession" | |
| 1996–2000 | Chicago Hope | Dr. Jack McNeil | 95 episodes |
| 1997 | Adventures from the Book of Virtues | Ulysses (voice) | Episode: "Perseverance" |
| 1998 | From the Earth to the Moon | Wally Schirra | Episode: "We Have Cleared the Tower" |
| 2000 | For All Time | Charles Lattimer | Television film |
| 2001 | The Legend of Tarzan | Bob Markham (voice) | Episode: "Tarzan and the Outbreak" |
| Crossfire Trail | Bruce Barkow | Television film | |
| And Never Let Her Go | Thomas Capano | ||
| 2002 | The West Wing | Agent Simon Donovan | 4 episodes |
| 2003 | JAG | Leroy Jethro Gibbs | 2 episodes |
| 2003–2021 | NCIS | Lead role and executive producer | |
| 2004 | Retrosexual: The 80's | Himself | TV miniseries |
| 2011 | Certain Prey | Lucas Davenport | Television film |
| 2012 | Family Guy | Leroy Jethro Gibbs | Voice, episode: "Tom Tucker: The Man and His Dream" |
| 2014–2021 | NCIS: New Orleans | 4 episodes; also executive producer | |
| 2024-present | NCIS: Origins | Pilot episode and "Funny How Time Slips Away" for theNCIS andOrigins 2025 crossover special[39][40][41]; narrator; also executive producer |
The answer came when Bellisario saw Harmon's Emmy-nominated 2002 arc as Agent Simon Donovan onThe West Wing. 'What I saw was a very controlled presence, a quiet strength,' says Bellisario. 'That's what I was looking for. Leroy is Mark's kind of guy. Mark has that jock mentality—you tough it out no matter how tough it is.'
Mark Harmon ... appears as ex-rodeo star Sunset Sam in the second episode. Harmon plays a down-on-his-luck. once-champion rider who teaches the Harts a few lessons about taming the West ... Nevertheless Hart, wife Alison ... and their three children Zane (Sean Murray), L'Amour (Meghann Haldeman) and Duke (Nathan Watt), all named after heroes of the old West....
