Mark Harmon is well-known for his portrayal of NCIS agent, Leroy Jethro Gibbs.
However, the popular actor started his career way before he started on the series. In fact, Mark Harmon has been a familiar face in TV dating all the way back to the 1980s.
Since 2003, Mark Harmon has been charming NCIS fans as the dedicated and sometimes eccentric head agent at the NCIS offices. But, what else is this famous actor known for, particularly just before his addition to NCIS?
At this point, Harmon is synonymous with Gibbs. Part of that is due to the fact that he hasn’t taken on much work elsewhere. In fact, his last role that wasn’t portraying Gibbs was all the way back in 2011, when he was in the TV movie Certain Prey. He portrayed Deputy Chief Lucas Davenport.
Before ‘NCIS’ Harmon Was A Surgeon At ‘Chicago Hope’
In 1996, Mark Harmon landed a starring role in the David E. Kelley hit series, Chicago Hope.
In this popular drama, Harmon portrayed Jack MacNeil one of the resident Orthopedic Seurgeouns at the Chicago Hope hospital.
During an interview discussing his pre-NCIS roles, Mark Harmon discussed how some of his own experiences helped him in this role.
“Having been a carpenter, I feel close to this character,” Mark Harmon explains. “So much of what they do in the surgical theater is like working with wood.”
Hmmm. Carpentry, it seems like another one of Mark Harmon’s characters enjoyed a bit of carpentry himself. Well, at least using similar skills to build some super unique boats.
After Mark Harmon’s time on Chicago Hope, Mark Harmon landed several appearances in television movies such as And Never Let Her Go and Crossfire trail.
Around the same time, Mark Harmon landed a 2002 guest-starring role in the wildly popular NBC political drama, the West Wing.
This was of course, very shortly before Mark Harmon landed what would become one of his most iconic roles as Leroy Jethro Gibbs on NCIS.
For eighteen seasons Mark Harmon portrayed the head NCIS officer, Leroy Jethro Gibbs.
Harmon’s Gibbs is a former U.S. Marine Corps Sniper who became a special agent when he joined the NCIS.
In all, Harmon appeared in 419 episodes of NCIS, dating back to the very first episode of the hit series.
Saying Goodbye
As the nineteenth season of the popular drama premiered this fall, fans learned that Gibbs was on his way out, leaving the NCIS.
Shortly after the premiere, Gibbs sets sail on his homemade boat, headed for Alaska. Gibbs now plans to spend his days enjoying a peaceful existence in the Alaskan wilderness.
As Gibbs was preparing for his exit, NCIS fans were also introduced to a new character, Gary Cole’s Special Agent Alden Parker.
After Gibbs’s exit from the series, Agent Parker was promoted to fill in Gibbs’s spot, leading the team.
