In 2021, after 18 years, Mark Harmon stepped down from his iconic role as Special Agent Leroy Jethro Gibbs in CBS drama NCIS.
However, he has remained an executive producer on the show and has not fully turned his back; he has physically returned to the on-screen NCIS franchise twice for guest appearances and will return again for a third major on-screen stint in the upcoming third season of NCIS: Origins, for which he is also an executive producer.
© GC ImagesThose guest appearances have allowed the actor to spend more time with his family – who are also acting legends!
Mark Harmon's famous wife
Mark married sitcom star Pam Dawber in 1987, and although the actor has been honest about how he and his wife don't always see eye-to-eye, the pair live a seemingly idyllic life away from the spotlight in a house they renovated together in Santa Monica, California.
© Getty ImagesPam has appeared in many shows and films over the years including My Sister Sam, Life… and stuff, and Stay Tuned, however she is perhaps best known for her costarring role in popular 1970s sitcom, Mork & Mindy, opposite the late Robin Williams.
In 2021, Pam even joined her husband on screen in an episode of NCIS as investigative journalist Marcie Warren.
© CBS via Getty ImagesThe actress shared that she had "been asked to do NCIS before over the years" but always turned it down because "it just wasn't the right character or the right time."
Recalling how the role came about, Pam told TV Insider: "With Marcie, it was so funny because when they were casting, Mark goes, 'Who you're really looking for is my wife.' They said, 'But she's always turned us down!'"
A private life
© Getty ImagesMark and Pam are parents to sons Sean, 34, and Ty, 30, and although the family generally keep a low profile, Sean did have a role on NCIS playing a younger version of his dad, and is also an executive producer o the show.
Talking to People about the couple's focus on keeping their children out of the spotlight, they once said: "We're not trying to keep something secret, but if you don't want it totally exploited by the press, you have to."
© WireImagePam added in an interview with Entertainment Today in 2016: "When you’re married, that's real life. And to go and plaster your kids [on social media]… I'm sorry. I'm not for that."
Ty is a screenwriter who has written for Apple TV's For All Mankind.
Following in his parents' footsteps
© Getty ImagesMark's parents were Tom Harmon and Elyse Knox, both of whom were accomplished in their own fields.
Tom was a professional football player, known sometimes as 'Old 98' and later became an actor, broadcaster and sports commentator.
© Getty ImagesMeanwhile, Mark's mother, Elyse, was a famous actress, model and fashion designer. At the height of her fame in the 1940s and 50s, she appeared in many films and TV shows such as The Bing Crosby Show.
She was also a pin-up girl during the war.
© Getty ImagesMark was clearly inspired by his parents' career, as he started out as an athlete before he chose to pursue acting.
Mark's two sisters, Kristin Nelson and Kelly Jean Harmon, were also actresses who starred in shows such as Adam-12 and Bay City Blues.
Sadly, in 2018, Kristin passed away after suffering a heart attack. Kelly owns her own interior design company in Los Angeles.
