The Untold Truth Of Mark Harmon

Though Harmon has been working steadily as an actor for over 40 years, he has a pretty good idea of what he would be doing now if Hollywood hadn't worked out for him. When Men's Journal asked him what he would do if acting weren't an option, he was quick to answer. "[I'd] be a carpenter," he said. "I tried to do that, but I just couldn't get hired." He went on to say, "For me it was about materials and doing right. If you did it right, [the project] outlasted you." Like his character, Gibbs, who builds boats in his free time, Harmon says he still enjoys carpentry, but he doesn't have much time to do it anymore.

When working as a carpenter didn't pan out for Harmon, he went on to work at an ad firm, where he stayed for about four years. It was during this time that he got a promotion at a sales rep company, meaning he was essentially a shoe salesman "for about seven months." It was after this promotion that Harmon decided to give up the cushy job and pursue acting full-time.

He recalled the moment he made the decision, which was on his way back from a work trip to Boston. On the flight home, he was sitting next to a 33-year-old man who was telling him about how he was trying to make pension by 65, meaning he would have to remain at his job for another three decades. "He was drinking his second martini by the time we were wheels up," Harmon recalled. "He was miserable in his job and he was trying to maintain the job for another [32] years. I went home, got in my car, drove out to the place where I worked, and gave my notice."