NCIS stars who almost took different career paths: From Mark Harmon to Maria Bello

It's impossible to imagine the NCIS universe without Mark Harmon – aka Leroy Jethro Gibbs – but acting wasn't always on the cards for the A-lister. During an interview with Men's Journal in May 2018, the 74-year-old explained that he'd started out as a carpenter. 

Asked what he'd be doing if he wasn't in the world of TV and film, he told the publication: "I'd be a carpenter. I tried to do that, but I just couldn't get hired. I enjoyed getting up and doing that in the morning; I enjoyed the drive to work. For me, it was about materials and doing right. If you did it right, [the project] outlasted you." 

"I still enjoy [carpentry], but I think that's probably what I would have been trying to do had I not been [acting]," he continued.

Mark then revealed he bagged a job as a shoe salesman, but after overhearing a stranger's conversation, he realized that acting was his true passion. 

"When I was doing that shoe salesman job, I was coming back from Boston and I was sitting next to a 33-year-old who was talking about trying to make pension at 65," he recalled. 

"He was drinking his second martini by the time we were wheels up. He was miserable in his job and he was trying to maintain the job for another [32] years. I went home, got in my car, drove out to the place where I worked, and gave my notice."

The actor left NCIS in October 2021 after leading the show since 2003. These days, he is the narrator and executive producer for the CBS prequel series NCIS: Origins. Off-screen, Mark and his wife of 39 years Pam Dawber enjoy life away from the public eye, spending time with their two sons Sean, 38, and Ty, 34, and one-year-old grandson Cooper.

When asked about their extremely private lives, Mark told TV Insider in November 2017: "It's not even a choice. It's who we are. We stay home. A lot. I'm not a Twitter guy or a Facebook guy. Our sons aren't into that either." 

Having hailed from a musical family, David McCallum thought he'd take a similar path. His father, David Sr., was a famed violinist renowned as the Scottish leader of the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, while his mother, Dorothy, had been a talented cellist.

"At home, music was omnipresent, and my parents both assumed at first that I would follow them into the family business," David told Mail Online in 2010. 

"My father polled friends about which instrument I should study, with a view to future employment opportunities, and settled on the oboe," he continued. "There was I, still a young boy, and he was choosing my profession; but I was happy to comply. I was in the school orchestra and gave the odd recital. But I was also involved in amateur dramatics. I still play the oboe, but music never grabbed me the way that acting did."

After appearing in a production of Shakespeare's King John, David eventually decided that acting was the way to go, and the rest is history!

The actor worked on NCIS until his death on September 25, 2023. He was 90 years old and died of natural causes. In 2024, NCIS aired a tribute episode to David. The actor is remembered by millions of NCIS fans, his children Paul, Jason, Valentine, Peter, and Sophie, and his many grandchildren.

Emily Wickersham, 42, was always creative, but when she headed to university, her focus was on painting. 

"After high school, I majored in painting for two years at Muhlenberg College—my mother is a painter, my father does art, too, and my brother is a photographer, so there are lots of artists in my family – but it didn't feel quite right, so I dropped out and moved to New York City," she previously shared with CBS. 

After making the move to the Big Apple, Emily managed to bag roles in episodes of The Sopranos, Gossip Girl and The Bridge before joining the cast of NCIS as Ellie Bishop. 

The actress took an acting break in 2021 to focus on her family. That same year, she welcomed her first son, Cassius. She tied the knot with her husband, James Badge Dale, in September 2024 and welcomed her second child, a daughter named Zephyr in October 2024.

In an exciting surprise for NCIS fans, Emily made a return to the series for the fall 2025 finale and a guest appearance in March 2026. While she is not a permanent cast member, the door remains open for Emily's return for future episodes. 

Maria Bello, 59, was going to be a lawyer. Sitting down with WebMD Magazine in May 2013, the A-lister was quizzed about her early career plans, which saw her majoring in peace and justice education at Villanova University. 

"Politics and diplomacy are not in my repertoire," she reflected. "Still, my education has served me well, especially in international women's rights as I meet remarkable women from so many places who share their hopes, lives, and dreams with me."

The actress starred on NCIS for three and a half seasons, from 2017 to 2021. Maria's since starred on Netflix's Beef, for which she earned her first Primetime Emmy Award nomination in the Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie category.

Currently, Maria is starring in the Netflix drama series The Waterfront alongside Topher Grace and Melissa Benoist.