People magazine called him the sexiest man in 1986, and viewers adore the image he created of Leroy Jethro Gibbs in the popular television series Marine Police: Special Division. He could be a famous football player, but became a popular actor. A sensitive and responsible person, Mark Harmon never followed a simple path. This is a short digression of 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 the family of famous football player Tom Harmon and actress Elise Knox.
In school years, when Mark played in the defense of the junior college team in Los Angeles, he dreamed of a career as a sports doctor. He was going to continue his medical education, but after graduating in 1970 from Pierce College in Los Angeles and receiving a law degree, he entered the University of California.
Having played in the quarterback position for the university college football team since 1972, Mark Harmon led her to victory twice, and in 1973 received the National Football Fund award. After graduating with honors from the University in 1974, Harmon intended to pursue a career in advertising or law, but fate decreed otherwise.
Youth
With excellent external data, Mark was accidentally spotted by managers of an advertising company who were looking for a young man to shoot in Kellogg’s cereal advertisement. Seeing a screen test with Harmon, the company management approved his candidacy for filming in a commercial. So Mark Harmon first appeared on national television. Then the young man thought about his acting career, especially since he looked great in the frame.
Mark got his first small role in the Ozzy Nelson comedy sitcom “Ozzy Girls” (1973) 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 work seriously and began to take acting lessons. Proposals began to come from producers to participate in a variety of television shows and series, including "Anxiety!", "Police Woman" and "Adam-12."
In the television film "Eleanor and Franklin: the years in the White House" (1977), the actor played Robert Dunlap, for this work Mark Harmon was nominated for an Emmy Award as an outstanding supporting actor. In 1978-1979, he also played supporting roles in the films The Horseman Comes 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. The work of the actor in the drama television series on the medical theme St. Elsver was highly praised 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, deals with their treatment and, as a result, he himself becomes infected. Three seasons of the series were filmed.
By the time the latter was filmed in 1986, Harmon got the lead role, breaking the girlish hearts of the pool cleaner, handsome Robin, in the television comedy melodrama directed by Charles Braverman “The Bel-Air Prince”. The roles of the carpenter Jackson in the drama film “After the Promise” and the maniac Ted Bundy in the detective thriller “Cautious Stranger” brought Mark in 1987 two nominations for the Golden Globe Award. In the same year, Herman tried his hand at a big movie and starred in the detective Presidio along with Sean Connery and Meg Ryan, but soon returned to television again.
Popular characters
The role of detective Dicky Cobb from 1991 to 1993 in the NBC television series “Reasonable Doubts” was marked in 1992 with another Golden Globe Award nomination. There were also serious works in the detective series Charlie Grace, where Mark played the investigator, and the role of Dr. Jack McNeill from 1996 to 2000 in the television series Hope Chicago. In 2002, Harmon received a second Emmy nomination for creating a vibrant character, Simon Donovan, a secret service agent in the West Wing series.
In 2003, the series “Marine Police: Special Unit” appeared on the screens. Mark Harmon plays the special agent Leroy Jethro Gibbs in it. Thanks to the skillful work of the actor, his hero becomes the favorite detective character of the viewer, and the series breaks records for views.
In his spare time from working on the series, Mark starred in the movie. So, in the same 2003, Herman appeared in the remake of the comedy film “Freaky Friday” and the film “For Freedom” in 2004. Meanwhile, the rating of the series “Naval Police: Special Unit” continues to grow. The film becomes one of the five leading series of the 2008-2009 season.
Due to its versatility, Mark Herman appears in films of various genres. So, in 2009, he plays an unlucky boyfriend in the film "Weather Forecasters", and in 2010 he voiced Superman in the cartoon "Justice League: A Crisis of Two Worlds." In 20015, Forbes magazine unveiled the earnings of television stars. It turned out that the highest paid are the actors of the series "The Big Bang Theory." Mark Harmon, who also takes part in this comedy series, is on the list of stars earning twenty million a year.
Heroic deed
The actor turned out to be a hero not only on the television screen. Somehow near the house of Mark there was a car accident. The car caught fire along with the passengers, Hermon was not at a loss and, breaking a glass with a sledgehammer, pulled the guys out of the blazing car. Later, when this story became known to the press, Mark in his interview said that he had not done anything special, he simply ended up at the right time in the right place.