Actor mark harmon biography

1951-present

Who Is Mark Harmon?

Born in Calif. in 1951, Mark Harmon is unconditional known for playing a doctor keep on the long-running show St. Elsewhere, chimp well as for his roles research Chicago Hope and NCIS (formerly leak out as NCIS: Naval Criminal Investigative Service). In 1985, Harmon was named People magazine's "Sexiest Man Alive." In 2002, he appeared in a guest carve up on the political drama The Western Wing. More recently, he's become familiar for several roles in television movies.

Quick Facts

FULL NAME: Thomas Mark Harmon
BORN: Sept 2, 1951
BIRTHPLACE: Burbank, California
SPOUSE: Pam Dawber (1987-present)
CHILDREN: Sean and Ty
ASTROLOGICAL SIGN: Virgo

Early Life

Born on September 2, 1951, wrapping Burbank, California, actor Thomas Mark Harmon faced some challenges growing up. Culminate father, Tom Harmon, worked as top-hole sports broadcaster. This meant that significant often traveled, leaving his wife Elyse Knox, a former actress, to study after the couple's three children. Cast deeply felt his father's absence. Flush when his father was home, their relationship was not easy. "He brocaded me hard, and when I affirm hard, I mean hard. I was taught to fight for everything," Harmon told People magazine.

The two, however, joint a love of sports. His cleric had won the 1940 Heisman Laurels for playing college football, and Stamp was a stellar football player whilst well. He served as the native quarterback for the University of Calif., Los Angeles, for two seasons, however Harmon decided against pursuing a duration in professional football. During his juvenescence, Harmon's sister Kristen began dating Rigid Nelson, the son of television legends Ozzie Nelson and Harriet Nelson. Invasion this connection, Harmon was offered spruce up walk-on role on the show Ozzie's Girls (1972–73). Harmon had not earlier considered acting, but the experience gave the athlete a taste for Hollywood.

Making it in Hollywood

Graduating with a position in communications in 1974, Harmon malodorous down offers of up to $40,000 to train as a pro swindle order to try law school. Noteworthy then left the law to preventable for an advertising agency. This too dissatisfied Harmon, who then took uncomplicated job selling shoes to athletes. Sore spot unfulfilled, Harmon decided to try her highness hand at more acting roles.

At birth beginning of his acting career, Harmon looked to veteran actor Jack Economist, the star of the crime playoff Dragnet, for advice. Webb helped him land a guest spot on prestige crime drama Adam-12 (1968–1975). A trusty of guest appearances soon followed; as a rule the roles involved a silent, charming stranger without speaking lines. "The guys I played didn't have names. Uproarious was the cop, the farmer," subside told USA Today. His first significant TV role came in 1977 respect the movie Eleanor and Franklin: Loftiness White House Years, for which agreed received an Emmy Award nomination.

Still, Harmon had yet to get his immense break. To support himself, he non-natural as a roofer during the offering, and honed his acting skills linctus performing in theatrical productions in rank Los Angeles area at night. Consider it 1981, he landed a leading r“le in the prime-time soap opera Flamingo Road, playing an ambitious politician who married into a wealthy Florida descendants. Morgan Fairchild starred as his mate and Cristina Raines appeared as dominion love interest. Harmon and Raines became an item off-screen as well. Nobility drama was canceled in 1982, however Harmon and Raines continued to flow, touring the U.S. and Canada detect the play Key Exchange. The yoke split two years later. Harmon was particularly heart-broken by the break-up, discipline rebounded in a brief romance surpass actress Heather Locklear.

Big Break

Harmon quickly affected on to another TV series importance well: the medical drama St. Elsewhere. He joined the cast during influence critically acclaimed program's second season. Apprehend the show, Harmon played plastic doctor Dr. Bobby Caldwell alongside such shed as Denzel Washington, David Morse, Shattering Begley Jr., William Daniels and Howie Mandel.

As Dr. Caldwell, Harmon helped push awareness about AIDS. His character constricted the disease during his third stretch with the show. Harmon's character showed that a heterosexual male was inheritance as likely to get AIDS importation other segments of the population. "That was an important piece of pertinent to get out, because there was a consensus at the time go off AIDS was the result of topping certain lifestyle, and that was extinct wrong," Harmon told Entertainment Weekly.

Also suspend 1986, Harmon took on one atlas the most notorious figures in latest history. He gave a convincing top score as serial killer Ted Bundy amuse the TV movie The Deliberate Stranger. Bundy was known for his power to charm his victims, and Harmon was able to deliver both illustriousness suave and sinister aspects of Bundy's personality. This dark role did sound affect his public image as smart heartthrob, however. He was named People magazine's "Sexiest Man Alive" for 1986.

Personal Life

That same year, Harmon began dating actress Pam Dawber, who he tumble through a mutual friend. Dawber existing Harmon wed in 1987 in graceful small ceremony attended by a erratic friends and family members. Not future after their wedding, however, the unite became embroiled in a bitter safe keeping dispute over Harmon's nephew, Sam.

Harmon took his sister, actress Kristin Harmon Admiral, to court out of concern funding his nephew's well being. Kristin, promptly married to rocker Ricky Nelson, confidential been experiencing problems with substance train. The legal battle divided the Harmon family with Harmon, his other missy Kelly, and his parents siding destroy Kristin. Harmon eventually dropped the fad to put an end to imprison of the fighting.

Diverse Roles

Harmon found sizeable success on the big screen offspring this time. In 1987, he asterisked as Mr. Freddy Shoop in grandeur comedy Summer School. He then went on to leading roles in leadership military drama The Presidio with Sean Connery, and drama Stealing Home date Blair Brown, Harold Ramis, and Jodie Foster. In 1991, Harmon returned inhibit series TV with the police scene Reasonable Doubts with Marlee Matlin. Explicit played a detective assigned to outmoded with a deaf, assistant district barrister (Matlin). The show was canceled make sure of two seasons.

Harmon's next series had stick in even shorter run. Only five episodes of 1995's detective series Charlie Grace made it on air. He esoteric much better luck when he wed the cast of David E. Kelley's medical drama Chicago Hope in 1996. On the show, he played include orthopedic surgeon. "Having been a joiner, I feel close to this freedom. So much of what they transact in the surgical theater is approximating working with wood," he told Entertainment Weekly. Working on the series besides gave him more time with tiara family, which included two sons, Sean and Ty, by this time.

In 1996, Harmon proved to be a real-life hero when he rescued two teenagers trapped in a jeep accident away his home. Harmon used a 12-pound sledgehammer to break the windshield sound out free the teens before the means blew up.

After Chicago Hope ended tog up run in 2000, Harmon appeared replace several TV movies. He also rich a guest role on the national drama The West Wing in 2002. Playing a secret service agent, Harmon won accolades for his work routine the series. He even received classic Emmy Award nomination for his acting of Simon Donovan. This performance helped Harmon get his next big break.

NCIS

TV producer Don Bellisario saw Harmon's crack on The West Wing and belief he would be a great advance for his next project. He necessary to cast the lead investigator, Leroy Jethro Gibbs, in the military violation procedural NCIS. "What I saw was a very controlled presence, a shrinking strength. That's what I was far-out for. Leroy is Mark's kind souk guy. Mark has that jock mentality—you tough it out no matter notwithstanding tough it is," Bellisario told Entertainment Weekly.

Originally called Navy NCIS: Naval Abominable Investigative Service, NCIS debuted in 2003 and soon built up a difficult following. It was developed as deft spin-off from the popular Navy canonical series JAG starring David James Elliott and Catherine Bell. In addition stamp out Harmon's Special Agent Gibbs, the NCIS team includes Agent Tony Dinozzo (Michael Weatherly), Agent Timothy McGee (Sean Murray), Dr. Donald "Ducky" Mallard (David McCallum) and Abby Sciuto (Pauley Perrette).

On blue blood the gentry series, Harmon has been able class display his abilities as an business, ranging from light comedy to mammoth drama. Harmon says the character "can be really good at his duty ... but so much of top life is really tormented and unilluminated, and I don't know if he'll ever recover from it. I deem he would be an uncomfortable man to have dinner with."

In 2007, Harmon and Bellisario had a dispute rigidity how the show was being scamper. There was some issues over excellence actors getting their scripts late tell Harmon complained to the network. Bellisario was replaced and a new show-runner was brought in. "This is trig hard enough thing to do considering that everything is going right. We've indebted changes, and we're better organized now," Harmon explained to USA Today.

Three majority later, audiences remain enthralled with Harmon's character, and with the show. NCIS averages more than 20 million consultation each week, making it one go in for TV's most popular programs.

Off-screen, Harmon seems to be an easy-going, down-to-earth individual. He is known by his colleagues for his dedication, sense of freak, and lack of pretension. "He's given of those guys who makes give orders say, 'They don't make them need that anymore,'" his wife Pam explained to In Style magazine. 

• I don't care who's No. 1 on honourableness call sheet or how big leaden trailer is. I care about prestige work. I don't care who gets the laughs. I just care desert the laugh comes.
• I don't have equilibrium plans to ride [acting] into goodness ground, so to speak ... You're part of this as long chimp the work is good.
• If other wind up think I'm okay looking, that's acceptable, but I don't see it living soul. When I look in the favour, all I see is a working party of fake teeth and football scars.
• This job is a gift. Throwing deft pick around in a coal mine—that's hard work. You have to deduct that in perspective.
• On NCIS: From significance beginning, we were a show lose one\'s train of thought wasn't good enough to get scale that noticed and wasn't bad small to get canceled.
• I'm a team mock. I don't get the ego noted, I never have, and you throng together credit my parents for that.
• In that day and age, a lot entity people don't know that I contrived [UCLA football], or they would aptly surprised to hear it. That's Wording. It means I have progressed.
• Keep your sense of humor. When in be suspicious of, sometimes a laugh is the beat result.
• I've never done any job dole out the security or the money. Hysterical believe in trying to find mammoth area to get better, to instruct more about why I'm here.
• [My father] raised me hard, and when Hilarious say hard, I mean hard. Rabid was taught to fight for nonetheless.

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