Inside NCIS star Mark Harmon's life - famous family, co-star clashes and heroic act

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Mark Harmon, known for his role as Agent Leroy Gibbs in NCIS, is a figure of interest for fans as the drama makes its return.

NCIS season 22 is scheduled to premiere on Monday, October 14, and will be followed by the debut of the prequel, NCIS Origins, which explores Gibbs' early career as an agent in 1991.

Before the CBS dramas air, here's everything you need to know about Mark Harmon's personal life.

Famous Family

Mark Harmon is the son of actress, model and fashion designer Elyse Knox, and American football player, pilot, actor and sports broadcaster Tom Harmon.

He has two siblings, his sister Kelly, also an actress known for her roles in Battlestar Galactica, CHIPS and Bay City Blues, and his late sister Kristi, an actress and painter who was married to actor and musician Ricky Nelson.

Inside the life of Mark Harmon from famous family to NCIS cast clashes and his heroic act (Image: GETTY)

NCIS' original cast starring actor Mark Harmon as Agent Leroy Gibbs. (Image: CBS) Married Life

In terms of his personal life, Mark is happily married to Mork And Mindy actress Pam Dawber. The couple met in the mid-1980s through a mutual friend who arranged a group date for them.

They tied the knot in 1987 and have two sons, Sean and Ty. Sean is currently working as a producer on NCIS Origins.

Mark and Pam even shared screen time in season 19, with Pam playing investigative journalist Marcie Warren.

Interestingly, Mark initially had disagreements with co-star Michael Weatherly when they first collaborated on NCIS, as revealed by the Tony DiNozzo actor.

NCIS clashes

In a candid 2020 interview with The Futon Critic, he revealed the stark contrast between him and Mark Harmon: "Mark Harmon and I were on different poles.

"I was Antarctica, he was the North Pole and we were just looking down there going, 'What is up with your polarity? What's going on? The water goes down the drain the other way for me.'

"He admitted to an immediate disconnect, saying: "He was confused by my presence right from the get-go."

Recalling an amusing incident during the upfronts, he shared, "When CNN Showbiz Today or one of those things asked what was the best part about doing the pilot, I said, 'I got a rubber gun and I got a fake badge.'

"Harmon looked at me like, 'That is your CNN answer? ' [Laughs.] And I was like a little kid who had one too many bowls of Count Chocula."

NCIS' Mark Harmon has been married to actress Pam Dawber since 1987. (Image: GETTY) SUBSCRIBE Invalid email

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Despite initial friction, Harmon and Weatherly eventually found common ground.

However, Weatherly's rapport with co-star Pauley Perrette, who played Abby Sciuto, took a turn for the worse in 2016 following an incident involving Harmon's dog, which resulted in a crew member requiring 15 stitches.

Executive producer Charles Floyd Johnson weighed in on the tension: "Pauley was a huge, huge SPCA [Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals] animal person.

"And then the dog kept coming with Harmon, and she felt it wasn't safe for the show."

By the year's end, Perrette felt compelled to leave, feeling that "By the end of that year, she just felt like it wasn't working for her anymore, and it was time to move on."

After her departure, Perrette briefly starred in the CBS series Broke, but following its cancellation, she chose to retire from acting, closing the chapter on her television career.

Harmon's heroic act

Many NCIS enthusiasts might be surprised to learn that back in 1996, Mark Harmon played the role of a real-life hero when he saved a teenager from an inferno.

A young driver had escaped the vehicle but his pal and co-passenger, 16 year old Colin Specht, was trapped inside.

Spotted by Harmon near his Brentwood residence, the actor didn't hesitate to shatter the car windows with a sledgehammer, and heroically rescued the adolescent.

LA Fire Department's spokesman Brian Humphrey lauded the star, asserting: "The youths owe their lives to the action of Mr. Harmon."

It was several years on that Colin expressed his gratitude during a CBS interview, stating unequivocally that he "would not be alive" without Harmon's bravery.

NCIS season 22 and NCIS Origins premieres on Monday, October 14, on CBS. 

Inside NCIS star Mark Harmon's life - famous family, co-star clashes and heroic act

Inside NCIS star Mark Harmon's life - famous family, co-star clashes and heroic act

Inside NCIS star Mark Harmon's life - famous family, co-star clashes and heroic act

Inside NCIS star Mark Harmon's life - famous family, co-star clashes and heroic act

Inside NCIS star Mark Harmon's life - famous family, co-star clashes and heroic act