Mark Harmon facts for kids

Thomas Mark Harmon (born September 2, 1951) is an American actor, writer, producer, and former football player. He is widely known for his main role as Leroy Jethro Gibbs on the popular TV show NCIS.

Harmon has appeared in many television shows since the 1970s. These include playing Dr. Robert Caldwell on St. Elsewhere, Detective Dicky Cobb on Reasonable Doubts, and Dr. Jack McNeil on Chicago Hope. He also starred in movies like Summer School, Prince of Bel Air, Stealing Home, Wyatt Earp, Crossfire Trail, Local Boys, Freaky Friday, and Chasing Liberty.

In 2002, Harmon played Secret Service special agent Simon Donovan in four episodes of The West Wing, which earned him an Emmy Award nomination. His character, NCIS Special Agent Leroy Jethro Gibbs, first appeared in two episodes of JAG. From 2003 to 2021, Harmon was the star of the NCIS series, playing the same character.

Quick facts for kids Mark Harmon
Harmon in 2005
Born	Thomas Mark Harmon (1951-09-02) September 2, 1951 (age 73) Burbank, California, U.S.
Alma mater	University of California, Los Angeles (BA)
Occupation	Actor producer director author
Years active	1970–present
Spouse(s)	Pam Dawber ​ (m. 1987)​
Children	2
Parents	Tom Harmon (father) Elyse Knox (mother)
Relatives	Kelly Harmon (sister) Kristin Nelson (sister) Gunnar Nelson (nephew) Matthew Nelson (nephew) Tracy Nelson (niece)
College football career
UCLA Bruins – No. 7
Position	Quarterback
Major	Communication
Personal information
Height	6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)
Weight	185 lb (84 kg)
Career history
College	Pierce College (1970–1971) UCLA (1972–1973)
High school	Harvard-Westlake
Career highlights and awards
NJCAA All-American (1971) NFF National Scholar-Athlete Award (1973) Second-team Academic All-America (1973) Pierce College Athletic Hall of Fame (2010)

Early Life and Education

Mark Harmon was born in Burbank, California, on September 2, 1951. He is the youngest of three children. His father was Tom Harmon, a famous football player and broadcaster. His mother was Elyse Knox, an actress, model, and artist.

Mark has two older sisters. Kristin Nelson was an actress and painter. Kelly Harmon is also an actress and model. His grandparents on his mother's side were immigrants from Austria.

College Football Career

After finishing high school at Harvard-Westlake School in 1970, Harmon attended Pierce College in Los Angeles for two years. After his second season at Pierce in 1971, he received offers from many major college football programs. He chose to attend the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA).

He became the starting quarterback for the UCLA Bruins football team in 1972 and 1973. In his very first game, his UCLA team achieved a surprising win against the Nebraska Cornhuskers. Nebraska was the top-ranked team and had won two national championships in a row. UCLA was expected to lose by a lot, but they won 20–17.

In his senior year, Harmon received the National Football Foundation Award for All-Round Excellence. During his two years as quarterback, UCLA had a strong record of 17 wins and 5 losses. Harmon graduated from UCLA in 1974 with a degree in Communications. In 2010, he was honored by being inducted into the Pierce College Athletic Hall of Fame.

Acting Career

After college, Mark Harmon thought about working in advertising or law. However, he soon decided to become an actor. Early in his career, he often played characters who were police officers or doctors. One of his first TV appearances was in a commercial for Kellogg's Product 19 cereal with his father.

He got his first acting job in an episode of Ozzie's Girls. After that, he had guest roles in shows like Adam-12, Police Woman, and Emergency!. In 1977, he received an Emmy Award nomination for his role in the TV film Eleanor and Franklin: The White House Years. In 1978, he appeared in the mini-series Centennial as Captain John MacIntosh.

During the late 1970s, Harmon continued to make guest appearances on TV shows such as Laverne & Shirley and The Hardy Boys. He also had supporting roles in movies like Comes a Horseman and Beyond the Poseidon Adventure. He then joined the action series 240-Robert as Deputy Dwayne Thibodeaux.

In 1980, Harmon got a regular role in the TV show Flamingo Road. He played Fielding Carlisle, the husband of Morgan Fairchild's character. After that show ended, he joined St. Elsewhere in 1983 as Dr. Robert Caldwell. He left the show in 1986.

His career continued to grow in 1986. He played the lead in TV films like Prince of Bel Air and The Deliberate Stranger, where he portrayed the real-life serial killer Ted Bundy. He also starred in the 1987 comedy movie Summer School. In 1987, he had a short role on the series Moonlighting. In 1988, he co-starred with Sean Connery in The Presidio and with Jodie Foster in Stealing Home.

Harmon's next regular TV role was as Chicago police detective Dickie Cobb on the NBC series Reasonable Doubts from 1991 to 1993. In 1995, he starred in the ABC series Charlie Grace, playing a private investigator. After that, he returned to medical dramas, playing Dr. Jack McNeil on Chicago Hope from 1996 to 2000. In 1998, he played astronaut Wally Schirra in the mini-series From the Earth to the Moon. In 2003, he had a supporting role in the comedy film Freaky Friday.

Harmon has also performed in several plays in Los Angeles and Toronto. He acted in Wrestlers and The Wager. He also performed in productions of Love Letters alongside his wife, Pam Dawber.

Starring in NCIS

In May 2002, Mark Harmon played Secret Service special agent Simon Donovan on The West Wing for four episodes. This role earned him his second Emmy Award nomination. Donald P. Bellisario, who created the shows JAG and NCIS, saw Harmon on The West Wing. He then cast Harmon in two episodes of JAG in April 2003. In these episodes, Harmon was introduced as NCIS agent Leroy Jethro Gibbs.

Starting in September 2003, Harmon starred as Gibbs in the CBS drama NCIS. This role made him very famous and earned him several nominations at the People's Choice Awards. He won for Favorite TV Crime Drama Actor in 2017. While on the show, he worked again with three of his former Chicago Hope co-stars: Rocky Carroll, Lauren Holly, and Jayne Brook. From 2008 onwards, he also worked as a producer and executive producer for NCIS.

In the fourth episode of the show's nineteenth season, Harmon's character, Gibbs, left the series as a regular. This departure was planned based on events from the previous season.

Other Activities and Personal Life

Mark Harmon received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on October 1, 2012. This is a great honor for actors and other entertainers.

In 2014, Harmon started a production company called Wings Productions. This company helped produce the TV show NCIS: New Orleans. He also works as a producer for a new CBS series based on John Sandford's popular Prey novels.

Harmon has also directed two episodes of Chicago Hope in 1999 and 2000. He also directed two episodes of Boston Public in 2002. In 2023, Harmon co-authored a book titled Ghosts of Honolulu: A Japanese spy, a Japanese American spy hunter, and the untold story of Pearl Harbor. He also narrated the audiobook version.

Harmon has been married to actress Pam Dawber since March 21, 1987. They have two sons. His son Sean played a younger version of Gibbs in several NCIS episodes. The family generally keeps their private life out of the public eye. Harmon is also the uncle of actress Tracy Nelson and singers Matthew and Gunnar Nelson, who are part of the rock duo Nelson.

In 1988, Harmon was a part-owner of a minor league baseball team called the San Bernardino Spirit. He even used the team and their baseball field for scenes in his film Stealing Home. In 1996, Harmon helped save a teenage boy who was involved in a car accident near his home. The boy survived his injuries.

Filmography

Film Roles

Television Roles

Awards and Nominations

Images for kids

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  Mark Harmon at a ceremony to receive a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

See also

In Spanish: Mark Harmon para niños