Mark Harmon
Mark was born Thomas Mark Harmon in Burbank, California. His father was University of Michigan football All-America and Heisman Trophy winner Tom Harmon. His mother is actress and artist Elyse Knox . Mark has two older sisters, actress and painter Kristin Nelson, the former wife of singer Ricky Nelson, and actress Kelly Harmon, who was once married to car magnate John DeLorean.
After attending Los Angeles Pierce College as a student and quarterback, Mark transferred to the University of California, Los Angeles and, following in his father's athletic footsteps, was the starting quarterback for the UCLA Bruins in 1972 and 1973. He received the National Football Foundation Award for All-Round Excellence in 1973. He graduated from UCLA with a B.A. in Communication cum laude in 1974.
While he considered "advertising or law" as careers after college, Mark became an actor and has spent much of his career portraying law enforcement and medical personnel. Other than athletics/sports appearances, one of his first national TV appearances was with his father Tom Harmon, in a commercial for Kellogg's Product 19 cereal, for which the latter was the longtime TV spokesman. As an actor, his first credit came courtesy of his sister Chris' in-laws, Ozzie Nelson and Harriet Nelson, in an episode of Ozzie's Girl's.
After several years of supporting guest roles on episodic television shows such as Police Woman, Laverne & Shirley and The Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew Mysteries, Mark landed his first prominent role in the 1980 primetime soap opera Flamingo Road, where he played Morgan Fairchild's husband Fielding Carlisle. The series was short-lived, however, and following its cancellation, he landed the role of Dr. Robert Caldwell on the prestigious NBC Emmy-winning series St. Elsewhere in 1983.
In May 2002, he had a limited four episode run playing Secret Service Special Agent Simon Donovan on The West Wing. Harmon took a lead role in two episodes of JAG in April 2003, which introduced viewers to him in the role of NCIS agent Gibbs. Since 2003, Mark has starred as NCIS Special Agent Leroy Jethro Gibbs in CBS' drama television show NCIS.
Mark has also made several television and theatrical films throughout his career including Comes a Horseman, Prince of Bel Air, Summer School, The Presidio, and The Deliberate Stranger, in which he protrayed serial killer Ted Bundy.
In 1996, Mark saved two teenage boys who were involved in a car accident outside of his home. He used a sledge hammer from his garage to break the window out of their burning car, then pulled them free from the flames.
Mark dated singer Karen Carpenter in the 1970s, but subsequently married Pam Dawber and has been married to her for 23 years!
Mark and Pam have maintained their marriage for 23 years. Praise the Lord for this! Let's pray that their relationship continues to blossom and grow and weathers the storms of the difficult atmosphere they live and work in. And one of the very, very best ways to ensure this is for each of them to give their life to Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord. So please pray with me for these next two weeks that God will work in a mighty way in Mark and Pam's lives to draw both of them into a personal relationship with Jesus Christ!!! Amen? Amen!