Mark Harmon’s Incredible act of heroism
Much like his NCIS counterpart, Mark is fiercely courageous, and in 1996, the actor risked it all to save a teenager from a burning car. The driver, a 16-year-old boy, had managed to exit the vehicle, but his friend and passenger Colin Specht, also 16, had been unable to get out. After spotting the crash near his Brentwood home, Mark sprang into action, smashing the windows of the car with a sledgehammer, and pulling Colin to safety. Commented by the Los Angeles Fire Department, spokesman Brian Humphrey stated: “The youths owe their lives to the actions of Mr. Harmon.”
Years later, an extremely grateful Colin spoke about the incident in an interview with CBS, where he said he “would not be alive” if Mark hadn’t saved him. Admirably, Mark has remained incredibly humble about the entire incident, and in 2013 said: “I won’t take credit for it, because if the car explodes and I’m there next to the car, then you’re talking about two young boys who don’t have a father,” he said.
NCIS returns
Two years after he waved goodbye to NCIS, Mark announced that he would be reprising his iconic role as Leroy Jethro Gibbs. Signed on to NCIS: Origins – a spin-off show set in 1991 – it was Mark’s oldest son, Sean, who first coined the idea, after portraying a fledgling Gibbs in seven episodes of NCIS.
Tracing the origins (literally) of a young Gibbs, who has just been recruited as a special agent at the NCIS Camp Pendleton office, the series is scheduled for the 2024-25 broadcast season. Much like the winning formula of Young Sheldon, Mark will narrate the series as an older Gibbs. Meanwhile, casting for a younger version of the character has begun. Excited to collaborate on the project, Sean will executive produce the series with his father, and said in a statement: “The character of Gibbs has been an important part of my life for 20 years, both in watching my father craft the role and previously having the honor to play young Gibbs myself.
“I always felt there was a tale worth telling about his earlier years, so I am thrilled to be stepping into a producing role alongside [NCIS writers-producers Gina Lucita Monreal, David J. North] and my dad as we tell this story and reveal a new side of this beloved character.”
