NCIS Star Mark Harmon Reveals The Surprising Reason He Played Gibbs

In his interview with People, Mark Harmon admitted that even working on "NCIS" wasn't always easy. He mentioned how his first day on the show had him working 22 hours, and many days followed that pattern. "NCIS" has a notoriously tough shooting schedule. It was so rigorous it made Sasha Alexander quit in the middle of her six-year contract with the show, abruptly ending her tenure as Caitlin Todd. But Harmon stuck with the show for nearly two decades, only leaving during Season 19.

The consistent work allowed Harmon to devote ample time to his family, including his wife, Pam Dawber. His children are now adults, but they've followed in his footsteps into the entertainment industry. One son became an actor while the other got into screenwriting, and Harmon sounds glad to have been able to see them grow up. 

Harmon concluded, "In many ways we've had a great opportunity to grow as a family. For the most part, a decision made 20 years ago anchored me in Los Angeles. And again, that's the job part. That's very different from the family part and the personal part. And I don't mix the two, or I try not to." Harmon's still busy these days, as he has a new book coming out, "Ghosts of Honolulu: A Japanese Spy, a Japanese American Spy Hunter, and the Untold Story of Pearl Harbor," which gets released on November 14, 2023. However, "NCIS" definitely changed his life, giving him a great role to play for many years while being around to watch his sons grow into men.