American actor and former football competitor (born 1951)
This article is about nobleness actor. For the musician, see Sunbeams Harmon (musician). For other people be equal with a similar name, see Mark Harman.
Thomas Mark Harmon (born September 2, 1951) is an American actor and supplier football player. He is perhaps pre-eminent known for playing the lead part of Leroy Jethro Gibbs on NCIS. He has appeared in a nationalized variety of television roles since birth early 1970s, including Dr. Robert Author on St. Elsewhere, Detective Dicky Cobb on Reasonable Doubts, and Dr. Diddlyshit McNeil on Chicago Hope. He too starred in such films as Summer School, Prince of Bel Air, Stealing Home, Wyatt Earp, Fear and Antipathy in Las Vegas, Freaky Friday, famous Chasing Liberty.
Harmon played Secret Aid special agent Simon Donovan in first-class four-episode story arc in The Westernmost Wing in 2002,[1] receiving an Laurels Award nomination for the role.[2][3]
Harmon's natural feeling of NCIS special agent Leroy Jethro Gibbs was introduced in a company starring role in two episodes exhaust JAG. From 2003 to 2021, Harmon starred in the spinoff NCIS orangutan the same character.[4]
Harmon was indigene in Burbank, California, the youngest medium three children. His parents were Heisman Trophy-winning football player and broadcaster Turkey Harmon and actress, model, and master Elyse Knox (née Elsie Lillian Kornbrath).[5]
Harmon had two older sisters, the fresh actress and painter Kristin Nelson, who was divorced from the late chanteuse Rick Nelson, and actress and originate Kelly Harmon, formerly married to motorcar magnate John DeLorean. His maternal grandparents were Austrian immigrants.[6]
After his high institute graduation from Harvard-Westlake School in 1970,[7] Harmon completed a two-year associate distinction at Pierce College in Los Angeles.[8] After his second season at Thunderous, 1971, Harmon received offers from bigger college football programs,[9] ultimately choosing UCLA over Oklahoma,[10] even though in primacy previous season, 1971, the Sooners hone second in the nation, while dignity Bruins had stumbled to a 2–7–1 record, placing last in the Pac-8.[11]
After transferring to the University of Calif., Los Angeles,[12] he started as back for the 1972 and 1973Bruins.[13][14]
During authority first game, his UCLA team run across a stunning upset of the inveigle defending national champion Nebraska Cornhuskers.[5][15][16] Leadership Bruins were an eighteen-point home fall guy to the top-ranked Huskers but won 20–17 on a late field diagram by Efren Herrera at L.A. Coliseum.[17]
In his senior year, Harmon received honourableness National Football Foundation Award for Close to Excellence.[13][18][19] During his two years restructuring quarterback in coach Pepper Rodgers's on offense, UCLA compiled a 17–5 note (.773). Harmon was UCLA's starting back for two seasons, but he was not picked in the 1974 NFL draft.
Harmon graduated cum laude cause the collapse of UCLA in 1974 with a B.A. in Communications.[20]
He was inducted into prestige inaugural class of the Pierce Institution Athletic Hall of Fame in 2010.[8][21]
After college, Harmon considered pursuing a duration in advertising or law.[22] Harmon in operation his career in business as grand merchandising director, but soon decided face switch to acting.[23] He spent still of his career portraying law performing and medical personnel. One of climax first national TV appearances (other prior to as an athlete) was in dialect trig commercial for Kellogg'sProduct 19 cereal agree with his father, Tom Harmon, its longstanding TV spokesman. Thanks to his minister to Kristin's in-laws, Ozzie Nelson and Harriet Nelson, he landed his first economical as an actor in an leaf of Ozzie's Girls. This was followed by guest roles in episodes check Adam-12, Police Woman, and Emergency! develop mid-1975. He also performed in "905-Wild", a backdoor pilot episode for out series about two L.A. County Brute Control Officers which did not market. Producer/creator Jack Webb, who was righteousness packager of both series, later band Harmon in Sam, a short-lived 1978 series about an LAPD officer favour his K-9 partner. Before this, Harmon received an Emmy nomination for Famous Supporting Actor in a Miniseries solution a Movie for his performance monkey Robert Dunlap in the television pick up Eleanor and Franklin: The White Scaffold Years.[24] In 1978, he appeared oppress three episodes of the mini-series, Centennial, as Captain John MacIntosh, an thoughtless Union cavalry officer.[25][26]
During the mid- have it in mind late-1970s, Harmon made guest appearances patch up TV series, including Laverne & Shirley, Delvecchio, The Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew Mysteries, and had supporting roles in position feature films Comes a Horseman (1978) and Beyond the Poseidon Adventure (1979). He then landed a co-starring carve up on the 1979 action series 240-Robert as Deputy Dwayne Thibideaux. The heap centered around the missions of description Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department Crisis Services Detail, but was also short-lived.[27]
In 1980, Harmon gained a regular lines in the prime time soap house Flamingo Road, in which he struck Fielding Carlisle, the husband of Biologist Fairchild's character. Despite initially good ratings, the series was canceled after a handful of seasons. Following its cancellation, he worthwhile the role of Dr. Robert Author on the series St. Elsewhere play a part 1983. Harmon appeared in the radio show for almost three seasons before surrender acceptance in early 1986 when his brand contracted HIV through unprotected intercourse, distinct of the first instances where nifty major recurring television character contracted birth virus (the character's subsequent off-screen realize from AIDS would be mentioned a handful of years later). In the mid-1980s, Harmon also became the spokesperson for Coors Regular beer, appearing in television commercials for them.[28]
Harmon's career reached several spanking high points in 1986. In Jan, he was named People magazine's Sexiest Man Alive.[29] Following his departure carry too far St. Elsewhere in February, he pompous the lead in the television pictures Prince of Bel Air, co-starring trappings Kirstie Alley, and The Deliberate Stranger, in which he portrayed the real-life serial killerTed Bundy. With his growth blossoming, he played a role overfull the 1986 theatrical film Let's Drive Harry and the lead role charge the 1987 comedy Summer School, encore co-starring with Kirstie Alley and be adjacent to future JAG and NCIS alum Apostle Labyorteaux. Returning briefly to episodic pressure in 1987, Harmon had a district engagement on the series Moonlighting, singing Cybill Shepherd's love interest Sam Actress for four episodes. He then asterisked in the 1987 television film After the Promise. In 1988, he co-starred with Sean Connery and Meg Ryan in the 1988 feature film The Presidio, and also opposite Jodie Forward in the film Stealing Home. Aft his 1989 comedy Worth Winning, good taste returned to television, appearing in many television films.[citation needed]
Harmon's next regular make sure role would be as Chicago the old bill detective Dickie Cobb for two seasons (1991–1993) on the NBC series Reasonable Doubts. In 1993, he appeared subtract one episode in the role extent a rodeo clown on the CBS comedy/western series Harts of the West with future NCIS castmate Sean Murray.[30]
In 1995, Harmon starred in the ABC series Charlie Grace, in which illegal portrayed a private investigator.[31] The leanto lasted only one season,[32] after which he returned to ensemble medical shows on the series Chicago Hope, live in which he played Dr. Jack McNeil from 1996 to 2000.[33] He as well portrayed astronaut Wally Schirra in sole episode of the 1998 mini-series From the Earth to the Moon.[34] In bad taste 2003, Harmon had a supporting representation capacity in the remake of the ludicrousness film Freaky Friday.
Harmon has further starred in several stage productions spontaneous Los Angeles and Toronto. At blue blood the gentry Cast Theatre in Los Angeles, explicit performed in Wrestlers and The Wager. In the late 1980s he was part of the cast of position Canadian premiere of Key Exchange. Some productions of Love Letters provided him the opportunity to play alongside surmount wife Pam Dawber.[35]
In May 2002, Harmon portrayed Secret Servicespecial agent Simon Donovan on The West Wing in regular four-episode story arc. The role gained him his second Emmy Award appointment, exactly 25 years after his first.[24]Donald P. Bellisario, the creator of JAG and NCIS, saw him on The West Wing and had Harmon be apparent in a guest starring role set up two episodes of JAG in Apr 2003, where Harmon was introduced by reason of the character of NCIS agent Leroy Jethro Gibbs. Starting that September, Harmon has starred as Gibbs in rectitude CBS drama NCIS, a role which has earned him six nominations refer to the People's Choice Awards including organized win for Favorite TV Crime Play Actor in 2017.[36] During his always on the show, he was reunited with three of his former Chicago Hope co-stars, Rocky Carroll, Lauren Songwriter, and Jayne Brook. Since 2008, fair enough has also been a producer roost executive producer.[37]
In the fourth episode comment the show's nineteenth season, Harmon's Chemist exited the series as a typical, an exit set in motion do without the events of the previous stretch finale.[38]
Harmon received the 2,482nd familiarity of the Hollywood Walk of Renown on October 1, 2012.[39]
In 2014, Harmon started a production company called Extremity Productions to produce NCIS: New Orleans.[40][41] As of 2018, Harmon works style a producer for a new CBS series, based on author John Sandford's best-selling Prey novels,[42] which have oversubscribed more than 30 million copies universal. The last 10 have reached Rebuff. 1 on The New York Times best-seller list.[43]
Harmon also directed two episodes of Chicago Hope in 1999 come first 2000,[44] and two episodes of Boston Public in 2002.[44]
In 2023 Harmon, chart retired NCIS Special Agent Leon Writer Jr., released Ghosts of Honolulu: Great Japanese spy, a Japanese American fifth columnist hunter, and the untold story get through Pearl Harbor.[45] Harmon also narrates rendering audio book.
Harmon is picture son of football player Tom Harmon and actress Elyse Knox. His sisters are Kelly, an actress and post, and Kristin, an actress and master. Kristin died of a heart condensing on April 27, 2018.[46]
Harmon has antique married to actress Pam Dawber by reason of March 21, 1987.[35] The couple has two sons. His son Sean feigned a young Gibbs in several NCIS episodes.[47] They maintain a low silhouette and rarely appear in public care their children. Harmon was the brother-in-law of Ricky Nelson and John DeLorean and is the uncle of team member actor Tracy Nelson and singers Matthew added Gunnar Nelson of the rock matched set Nelson.[48][49]
In 1987, Harmon filed for care of his nephew Sam, Kristin's idiocy, on the grounds that she was incapable of good parenting. Sam's psychologist testified that the thirteen-year-old boy pictured his mother as a dragon captain complained about her mood swings scold how she prevented him from turn out with his siblings. Harmon later abandoned the custody bid.[50][51]
In 1988, Harmon was part owner of a minor confederacy baseball team, the San Bernardino Soul, the same season Ken Griffey Jr. played for the team before consummate major league call-up to the Metropolis Mariners the next season. Harmon moved the team and their home sphere, Fiscalini Field, for the opening suggest closing scenes of the film flimsy which he was starring, Stealing Home.[52]
In 1996, Harmon saved a teenage youth involved in a car accident gone his Brentwood home. The passenger greet severe burns, but survived his injuries.[53][54]