This Could Be Why Mark Harmon Keeps His Personal Life Private
Fans watched the cases of Special Agent Leroy Jethro Gibbs on "NCIS" for almost 20 years, which made the character's departure from Season 19 so devastating, per Vanity Fair. It's difficult to say goodbye to someone you feel like you know, but when it comes to the actor who portrays the iconic character, there isn't much out there to explore. Mark Harmon is one of the quietest celebrities at his recognizable status, and there is a good reason for it.
Harmon appreciates his "NCIS" experience as much as the fans do, telling People in 2019 how grateful he is for the impressive run: "I've been around long enough to know what this is ... That commitment is part of what I signed up for; I know when this show ends that's it — there won't be anything else like this for me." The actor stuck with television despite his blossoming stardom in the late '70s and throughout the '80s, explaining to CBS News in 2013 that the travel and inconsistent hours that come with feature films got in the way of his family time.
Harmon holds value in his home life and has been able to successfully keep it separate from his career. Despite the fact that a private life for a celebrity could easily be the goal from the start, there were instances that made it more of a hard line for the actor.
The scary encounter Mark Harmon had with a fan
In an old interview at the height of early success in his career, Mark Harmon detailed a horrifying moment with a fan that was beyond inappropriate. At the time, the actor had been named People's Sexiest Man Alive, which naturally attracted more attention from women than usual. But what no one expected was for someone to go as far to trespass on his property at 3 a.m.
"My alarm went off, I went outside with a loaded gun," he recalled. "I listened to footprints come down the side of the house, whipped around the corner with a gun pointed at this girl's forehead. I was standing there naked in the moonlight ... I sleep naked," he explained. "Her reaction was, 'You really do live here!'" He called the encounter strange, explaining ultimately, "She left, but that's beyond the line as far as I'm concerned."
You can see his unsettled behavior while recounting the experience while still being a good guest for an interview that heavily lingered on fans being attracted to him. He told People that being named the Sexiest Man Alive felt "silly" at the time. "There are people who take it certainly much more seriously than I do," he said.
Mark Harmon is happier out of the spotlight
Having parents that were famous didn't really prepare Mark Harmon for what his fame would bring. He explained to Closer Weekly that his folks always "kept things real." In fact, Harmon didn't know of their fame until they were surrounded by strangers in public that recognized his father, an All-American Football player.
This surely helped inspire the actor's sense of privacy, keeping the life he shares with his wife and two sons out of the spotlight. He explains it isn't a choice or out of some obligation, but simply who they are as a family. "We stay home. A lot," he shared with Closer. "I'm not a Twitter guy or a Facebook guy. Our sons aren't into that, either."
Back in 1986 with the Sexiest Man Alive craze, he told People, "When I marry, I want it to be everything this town says it can't be ... I'm not into catting around." That wish came true when he met Pam Dawber. They married quietly in 1987, Dawber explaining that the occasion wasn't necessarily a secret, but it almost had to be "if you don't want it totally exploited by the press." Harmon and Dawber live a normal life, and it is this quiet charm that perhaps sets him apart from other actors.