The 73-year-old actor played special agent Leroy Jethro Gibbs on the hit CBS show for almost 20 years before leaving in 2021
The real reason Mark Harmon made the shocking decision to quit NCIS has been revealed.
The 73-year-old actor played special agent Leroy Jethro Gibbs on the hit CBS show for almost 20 years before leaving in 2021. Fans were left stunned when he departed as his character was so integral to the series.
Yet it has been divulged that Mark did not sever ties with the show completely when he left. He actually became an executive producer of the show and told Parade: “I always paid attention to the writing room on that show creatively.”
He opened up on his decision to leave NCIS in 2021. He said: “It wasn’t so much a decision to leave as it was maybe just the right timing to push away a little bit,” he explained, adding that he knew the show would go on since NCIS is bigger than any one actor.
Since he exited, he has certainly been busy. In 2023, he co-authored “Ghosts of Honolulu: A Japanese Spy, A Japanese American Spy Hunter, and the Untold Story of Pearl Harbor,” which chronicles historical accounts of real-life espionage and naval intelligence.
Just last year, NCIS viewers were holding out hope for the return of Harmon. Fans are convinced this could happen after watching episode, Out of Control, last December.
In the show, the team investigated a murder related to a car that suddenly was able to drive on its own when its AI system malfunctioned. Throughout the episode, characters made references to Gibbs and his co-worker Abby Sciuto (played by Pauley Perrette).
Viewers believe these surprising references pave the way for both Gibbs and Abby to return. “So like am I just coping or am I valid im expecting Abby or Gibbs to pop up at some point in this season?” one person asked on Reddit.
He is known for his role as Gibbs on NCIS, who he played for 19 seasons starting in 2003. Mark made headlines when he made cameos on the new spinoff, NCIS: Origins, which stars Austin Stowell as a young Special Agent Gibbs, Kyle Schmid as a young Special Agent Mike Franks and Mariel Molino as Special Agent Lala Dominguez, in October 2024.
Harmon was also close to joining the big leagues of the NFL before becoming an actor. Before his iconic role, Mark was on the verge to becoming a quarterback for the NFL. This comes as a surprise to some but little did many know, his father, Tom Harmon, was a Heisman Trophy winner and broadcaster.
Mark played football when he attended Los Angeles’ Harvard School (now known as Harvard-Westlake) and was then recruited to play for Pierce Junior College in Woodland Hills, California. He got the team to a 7-2 record in 1971 and earned All-American status. According to Remind Magazine, Mark’s success earned him many scholarship offers, but decided to play for UCLA.