Mark Harmon: the path to fame

2024 Author: Leah Sherlock | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 05:25

People Magazine named him Sexiest Man of 1986, and audiences love his portrayal of Leroy Jethro Gibbs on the hit TV series NCIS. He could be a famous football player, but he became a popular actor. A sensitive and responsible person, Mark Harmon never took the easy route. This is a brief insight into the real life of Leroy Jethro Gibbs.

Childhood and youth

Mark was born on September 2, 1951 in Burbank, California. He is the youngest of three children born to famous footballer Tom Harmon and actress Elise Knox.

During his high school years, when Mark played defense for a junior college team in Los Angeles, he dreamed of a career as a sports doctor. He was going to continue his studies in medicine, but after graduating from Pierce College in Los Angeles in 1970 and receiving a law degree, he entered the University of California.

Playing as a quarterback for the college football team since 1972, Mark Harmon led it to victory twice, and in 1973 received the National Football Foundation Award. After graduating with honors from the university in 1974, Harmon was determined to makea career in advertising or law, but fate decreed otherwise.

Young years

Having excellent external data, Mark by chance was noticed by the managers of an advertising company who were looking for a young man to shoot in an advertisement for Kellogg's cereal. Seeing a screen test with Harmon, the company's management approved his candidacy for filming in a commercial. So Mark Harmon first appeared on national television. Then the young man thought about an acting career, especially since he looked great in the frame.

His first small role in Ozzy Nelson's comedy sitcom "The Ozzy Girls" (1973) Mark received thanks to the patronage of his sister Kristen, who was married to the director's son Rick Nelson. His talent was noticed, Mark decided to take his job seriously and began taking acting lessons. The producers began to receive offers to participate in a variety of TV shows and series, including "Alarm!", "Police Woman" and "Adam-12".

In the television film Eleanor and Franklin: The White House Years (1977), the actor played Robert Dunlap, for which Mark Harmon was nominated for an Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor. In 1978-1979, he also played supporting roles in the films The Horseman Arrives and The Adventures of Poseidon.

Mark Harmon Movies

In 1980, Mark received his first prominent role in the melodrama Flamingo Road, where he played the wife of the heroine Morgan Fairchild. Was highthe work of the actor in the drama television series on the medical theme "St. Elswehr" was noted by critics. In the film, Mark played the role of Dr. Robert Caldwell, who in every possible way draws public attention to the problems of AIDS patients, treats them, and eventually becomes infected himself. Three seasons of the series were filmed.

By the time filming ended on the latter in 1986, Harmon had landed the lead role of heart-breaking pool boy Robin in Charles Braverman's television comedy melodrama The Prince of Bel-Air. The roles of the carpenter Jackson in the dramatic film After the Promise and the maniac Ted Bundy in the detective thriller The Cautious Stranger brought Mark two nominations for the Golden Globe Award in 1987. In the same year, Harman tried his hand at big movies and starred in the detective story "Presidio" with Sean Connery and Meg Ryan, but soon returned to television.

Popular characters

The role of Detective Dicky Cobb from 1991 to 1993 in the NBC television series Reasonable Doubt was marked in 1992 by another nomination for the Golden Globe Award. There were also serious work in the detective series "Charlie Grace", where Mark played the investigator, and the role of Dr. Jack McNeil from 1996 to 2000 in the television series "Chicago Hope". In 2002, Harmon received a second Emmy nomination for creating the flamboyant character of Simon Donovan, a Secret Service agent in The West Wing.

In 2003, the screen appearsseries "Naval police: special department". Mark Harmon plays Special Agent Leroy Jethro Gibbs. Thanks to the masterful work of the actor, his character becomes the viewer's favorite detective character, and the series breaks records in views.

In his spare time from working on the series, Mark acts in films. So, in the same 2003, Harman appeared in the remake of the comedy film Freaky Friday and the film For Freedom in 2004. Meanwhile, the rating of the series "NCIS: Special Forces" continues to grow. The film becomes one of the top five series of the 2008-2009 season.

Due to his versatility, Mark Harman appears in films of various genres. So, in 2009, he plays an unlucky boyfriend in the movie The Weathermen, and in 2010 he voices Superman in the cartoon Justice League: Crisis of Two Worlds. In 20015, Forbes magazine published the income of television stars. It turned out that the actors of the TV series "The Big Bang Theory" are the highest paid. Mark Harmon, who also stars in this comedy series, is on the list of stars earning twenty million a year.

A heroic act

The actor turned out to be a hero not only on the TV screen. One day, a car accident happened near Mark's house. The car caught fire along with the passengers, Harmon did not lose his head and, breaking the glass with a sledgehammer, pulled the guys out of the flaming car. Later, when this story became known to the press, Mark said in an interview that he did not do anything special,just happened to be in the right place at the right time.