Mark Harmon Reveals How He Really Feels About NCIS Recasting Gibbs With Another Actor (2024)

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Related Story Yellowstone Spinoff Cast Announced: Who's Who in the Modern-Day Offshoot Who Plays Young Leroy Jethro Gibbs in NCIS Origins? Most Popular Kristina Confronts Ava, Which Ends In a Tragic Accident Leaving Lives Hanging in the Balance Hope Puts Steffy On Notice — and Bill's Intruder Is Revealed Lily Stuns Devon With a Confession — and Sharon Hallucinates [Spoiler] In Her Living Room Although NCIS is a procedural, the main characters – and their romances over the years – have kept us connected and invested in their storylines as they solve crimes. But when they retreat home after a long day on set, many of the actors have loved ones of their own. <a href="https://soaps.sheknows.com/gallery/ncis-cast-children/">Who are the NCIS cast’s real-life partners</a>? Here’s who the cast is dating or married to in real life.<a href="https://soaps.sheknows.com/tag/ncis/">NCIS</a>is CBS’s long-running police procedural that premiered in 2003. The show focuses on the personal and professional lives of special agents in the Naval Criminal Investigation Service’s Major Case Response Team, which investigates criminal activity involving the United States Navy, Marine Corps and their families. CBS renewed the flagship series for the 2023-2024 season along with its spin-offs,<a href="https://soaps.sheknows.com/tag/ncis-hawai%ca%bbi/">NCIS: Hawai’i</a>andCSI: Vegas.NCISremains the third-longest-running U.S. primetime drama series behindLaw & Order: SVUandLaw & Order.The show currently stars Sean Murray, Wilmer Valderrama, Brian Dietzen, Diona Reasonover and Katrina Law with Davis McCallum, Rocky Carroll and Gary Cole. Meet the real-life partners of your favoriteNCISactors and actresses below. Mark Harmon is married to fellow actress Pam Dawber, his wife of 36 years. They tied the knot in March 1987. The couple welcomed their first son, Sean Harmon (age 35), in April 1988, followed by their second son, Ty Harmon (age 30), in June 1992.Pam has also starred on NCIS; she played Marcie Warren, an investigative journalist, for seven episodes back in 2021. In an interview with <a href="https://www.tvinsider.com/993845/ncis-pam-dawber-husband-mark-harmon-gibbs/">TV Insider</a> in April 2021, Dawber revealed after many attempts, she finally agreed to come on her husband’s show. “I’ve been asked to do NCIS before over the years. It just wasn’t the right character or the right time. With Marcie, it was so funny because when they were casting, Mark goes, ‘Who you’re really looking for is my wife.’ They said, ‘But she’s always turned us down!” I read the script and I’m going, ‘Oh no.’ My fear rockets flew off.”His wife, Pam, who also starred in sitcoms like Mork & Mindy and My Sister Sam, opened up about why she put her career aside to raise her and Mark’s kids. “I had children and it was like, ‘I’m not going to chase this fame thing,’” Pam told <a href="https://www.closerweekly.com/posts/mark-harmon-family-career-160850/">Closer Weekly</a> in May 2018. “I wanted to drive my kids to school. I wanted to be there for their birthdays and bring cupcakes and doughnuts. And I was very happy to do it.”When her son, Sean Harmon, stepped in as a young Leroy Jethro Gibbs in NCIS Season 13, Harmon told Entertainment Tonight that Pam was very proud. “More than anything, she’s a mom, and there’s a pride there involved in that.” It’s unknown whether Pauley Perrette is currently seeing someone, but the NCIS has been married – and engaged – multiple times. Her first marriage was to Canadian actor and musician Coyote Shivers. They got married in 2000 but separated four years later, with their divorce finalized in 2006. <a href="https://people.com/tv/pauley-perrette-ups-and-downs/">People</a> reported that Perette was granted a permanent restraining order against Shivers as the court found his actions toward the actress as “frightening,” calling it “stalking.” When Shivers violated the restraining order twice, he was arrested and sentenced to 90 days in prison.A few years after Perrette’s split, she dated and became engaged to cameraman Michael Bosman around 2008. In 2011, the actress announced her engagement to former British Royal Marine Thomas Arklie. However, the couple said they would not get married until California’s Proposition 8, which eliminated the right of same-sex couples to marry, ended. When marriage equality finally became a constitutional right in 2014, Perrette still decided not to get married. “He said, ‘The choice is that we can marry now, but it doesn’t mean we have to.’ Likewise, Thomas and I are superhappy as we are, so… just because we can marry doesn’t mean we have to!” she told <a href="https://www.cbs.com/shows/watch_magazine/archive/1005181/sugar-and-nice/">CBS Watch Magazine</a> in May 2016. McCallum was married to his first wife, Jill Ireland, from 1957 to 1967. However, McCallum’sGreat Escapeco-star, Charles Bronson, romanced his ex-wife and the two split. “I never hated him, Charlie was always a good friend,” he told<a href="https://www.mirror.co.uk/tv/tv-news/ncis-star-david-mccallum-charles-7460607">Mirror UK</a>in January 2017 about Ireland’s affair but admitted that it was tough because of the kids they shared. “It was an extremely difficult time, not least because we had three children.” McCallum and Ireland had three kids: Paul, Valentine (Val) and Jason, who the couple adopted. His son, Jason, died from an accidental overdose, in 1989.The actor married his second wife, Katherine Carpenter, in 1967. With Carpenter, McCallum has a son Peter and a daughter Sophie. In November 2022, MacCallum spoke about his wife to <a href="https://www.radiotimes.com/tv/drama/david-mccallum-interview/">Radio Times</a>. “Fortunately I married a young lady who was more talented than I was [Katherine] and so we shared the burden together and we’ve had a very successful relationship. In fact, we’ve been married for 55 years,” the actor said. When asked about retirement, he said that his wife retired years ago but continues to work. “Well Katherine retired many years ago but she’s still working. We both… retirement is a work in progress, shall we say!” Sean Murray married his wife Carrie James, an entrepreneur and women’s business advocate, in November 2005. His wife is the founder and CEO of the Business Relationship Alliance (BRA), which is “a network of powerful women devoted to advancing female-owned businesses by providing the community, collaboration, mentorship, empowerment and support needed to flourish as an entrepreneur,” according to the <a href="https://www.bra-network.com/about">company’s website</a>.James’ bio states that she started working to advance the rights of women when she got her Bachelor’s in Social Work from San Francisco State University. She then worked as a court advocate working for victims. She also received a Master’s Degree from Antioch University with an emphasis in Social Justice.Sean and Carrie share two children: Cay Ryan Murray (age 16) and River James Murray (age 12). Murray’s daughter, Cay, guest starred in Season 19, Episode 19 of NCIS. On NCIS, Michael Weatherly played Special Agent Anthony DiNozzo from Seasons 1 through 13. He married his wife Bojana Janković in 2009 – and she has a very impressive medical background. Janković is a fellow of the American College of Physicians and is double board-certified in internal and integrative medicine. According to <a href="https://drbojana.com/about/">her website</a>, she was also the “Co-Founder of and served as the Chief Medical Officer of WellStart Health, a digital therapeutics startup for chronic disease prevention and reversal. She currently serves as their Medical Advisor.” She has shared her medical expertise on MSNBC, Today Show and Rachel Ray.The actor told People that he met his wife at a bar in Vancouver in 2017. “I kept looking out of the corner of my eye and seeing this ravishing, gorgeous beauty,” he said. “We made eye contact. And that was it.” In a separate <a href="https://people.com/tv/michael-weatherly-family-wife-kids-interview/">People</a> interview in December 2017, Weatherly joked that his wife “probably sees me more as a patient than a husband at this point.” “I’m lucky. I have a wonderful wife and am well on my way to a very happy retirement,” he added. “I just gotta educate these kids first!” The pair shares a nine-year-old son named Liam and a ten-year-old daughter named Olivia. Emily Wickersham is currently in a relationship with actor James Badge Dale. Dale is best known for playing Chase Edmunds in the Fox drama, 24, Robert Leckie in the HBO miniseries, The Pacific and John Dutton Sr. in the Yellowstone prequel series, 1923. His other film credits include Lord of the Flies, The Departed, Spectral, The Empty Man and more. The couple had their child, son Cassius Wickersham Dale, in December 2021. In the actress’ personal life, she married Keith Andreen, an actor, director, writer and producer, in January 2013. Andreen is known for films like Reaper Tales and Death Valley. The couple also collaborated on the 2023 movie Mayfair. Law and Andreen welcomed their first child, Kinley Law (age 4) in December 2018.In an interview with <a href="http://pop-culturalist.com/exclusive-interview-pop-culturalist-chats-with-hawaii-five-0s-katrina-law/">Pop Culturalist</a> in November 2019, Law revealed that her husband has been one of the biggest influences on her career. “My husband has been my acting coach since 2009. 2009 is when I started really booking everything. He’s been really great at being able to say, ‘You’re doing one of your tricks’ or ‘I can see you’re phoning it in.’ He’s been great because he knows me personally. He’s able to call me out pretty quickly,” she told the site at the time. Brian Dietzan, who plays Doctor Jimmy Palmer, is very private with his home life. He’s married to his wife Kelly Dietzen and occasionally shares photos of her on social media. But the actor only recently released the names of his two children, Satchel and Clover, a few years ago. In December 2022, Dietzen shared an <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CdTk9RBJxHJ/">Instagram photo</a> of his wife Mother’s Day. “Happy Mother’s Day to you all. Today, our family is celebrating this woman right here. You’re the best, Kel. Our kids lucked out by getting you as their mom,” he penned in the caption.

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Lizzie Lanuza

Wednesday, July 31st, 2024

Credit: CBS via Getty Images

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Playing a character for almost two decades, there’s a certain attachment to that character. So, it makes sense that Mark Harmon feels a sense of ownership of Leroy Jethro Gibbs. He embodied the man for 19 seasons of NCIS. Now, another actor is stepping into those shoes in the prequel, NCIS: Origins. But who plays young Gibbs and how does Harmon really feel about the recast?

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Who Plays Young Leroy Jethro Gibbs in NCIS Origins?

When CBS shows returns in the fall, the NCIS mothership will have some new company – an NCIS prequel set in 1991 titled NCIS: Origins that’s set to follow a young Leroy Jethro Gibbs. Playing young Gibbs is Austin Stowell. He is only the third actor to play the character, after Mark Harmon and his son Sean, who stepped into the role originated by his dad on the original NCIS when young Gibbs was needed.

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During the Television Critics Association press tour in July Harmon spoke to Parade about what exactly he, who serves as both narrator and executive producer on the prequel, was looking for in an actor who could step into the shoes of Leroy Jethro Gibbs.

More: Who is in the NCIS: Origins cast?

“I always thought there was a calm that was important,” Harmon said. “It’s a lot for an actor to come into a room with that kind of a burden of a load to try to say, ‘Can I physically look like that person? Can I be that person?’ I thought Austin just was himself.”

Harmon wasn’t the only one who saw something special in Stowell, co-showrunner Gina Lucita Monreal saw it right away too.

“He walked out of the room, and she said, ‘That guy is a star.’” Harmon told Parade. “That’s what she said. The truth of it is he lit the room. You’re in a room for a long time with people coming in one after another and you just go with an instinct. That’s what we’ve done.”

For Monreal, there were the seeds of the character in the actor from the beginning. “What I was excited about was the fact that he had the core of what I think Gibbs is, which is this broken character but also this immense strength. I feel like that’s really a difficult balance to achieve, and I think Austin does that.”

More: Why did Mark Harmon leave NCIS?

NCIS: Origins was the brainchild of Sean Harmon, who at the TCA Tour in July called it an “absolute honor to have stepped into the role and essentially to play a character my dad created over so many years.” Harmon, however, “never really figured I wanted to make a career out of [playing Gibbs].” Instead, he was interested in telling a story about “a guy who’s got something broken inside, a guy who at one point in his life is very much at risk of going down a much darker path. And what about this job made that choice different?”

Although NCIS is a procedural, the main characters – and their romances over the years – have kept us connected and invested in their storylines as they solve crimes. But when they retreat home after a long day on set, many of the actors have loved ones of their own. <a href="https://soaps.sheknows.com/gallery/ncis-cast-children/">Who are the NCIS cast’s real-life partners</a>? Here’s who the cast is dating or married to in real life.<a href="https://soaps.sheknows.com/tag/ncis/">NCIS</a>is CBS’s long-running police procedural that premiered in 2003. The show focuses on the personal and professional lives of special agents in the Naval Criminal Investigation Service’s Major Case Response Team, which investigates criminal activity involving the United States Navy, Marine Corps and their families. CBS renewed the flagship series for the 2023-2024 season along with its spin-offs,<a href="https://soaps.sheknows.com/tag/ncis-hawai%ca%bbi/">NCIS: Hawai’i</a>andCSI: Vegas.NCISremains the third-longest-running U.S. primetime drama series behindLaw & Order: SVUandLaw & Order.The show currently stars Sean Murray, Wilmer Valderrama, Brian Dietzen, Diona Reasonover and Katrina Law with Davis McCallum, Rocky Carroll and Gary Cole. Meet the real-life partners of your favoriteNCISactors and actresses below.

Mark Harmon Reveals How He *Really* Feels About NCIS Recasting Gibbs With Another Actor (9)

Image: Getty Images

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Mark Harmon is married to fellow actress Pam Dawber, his wife of 36 years. They tied the knot in March 1987. The couple welcomed their first son, Sean Harmon (age 35), in April 1988, followed by their second son, Ty Harmon (age 30), in June 1992.Pam has also starred on NCIS; she played Marcie Warren, an investigative journalist, for seven episodes back in 2021. In an interview with <a href="https://www.tvinsider.com/993845/ncis-pam-dawber-husband-mark-harmon-gibbs/">TV Insider</a> in April 2021, Dawber revealed after many attempts, she finally agreed to come on her husband’s show. “I’ve been asked to do NCIS before over the years. It just wasn’t the right character or the right time. With Marcie, it was so funny because when they were casting, Mark goes, ‘Who you’re really looking for is my wife.’ They said, ‘But she’s always turned us down!” I read the script and I’m going, ‘Oh no.’ My fear rockets flew off.”His wife, Pam, who also starred in sitcoms like Mork & Mindy and My Sister Sam, opened up about why she put her career aside to raise her and Mark’s kids. “I had children and it was like, ‘I’m not going to chase this fame thing,’” Pam told <a href="https://www.closerweekly.com/posts/mark-harmon-family-career-160850/">Closer Weekly</a> in May 2018. “I wanted to drive my kids to school. I wanted to be there for their birthdays and bring cupcakes and doughnuts. And I was very happy to do it.”When her son, Sean Harmon, stepped in as a young Leroy Jethro Gibbs in NCIS Season 13, Harmon told Entertainment Tonight that Pam was very proud. “More than anything, she’s a mom, and there’s a pride there involved in that.”

Mark Harmon Reveals How He *Really* Feels About NCIS Recasting Gibbs With Another Actor (10)

Image: Getty Images

3/9

It’s unknown whether Pauley Perrette is currently seeing someone, but the NCIS has been married – and engaged – multiple times. Her first marriage was to Canadian actor and musician Coyote Shivers. They got married in 2000 but separated four years later, with their divorce finalized in 2006. <a href="https://people.com/tv/pauley-perrette-ups-and-downs/">People</a> reported that Perette was granted a permanent restraining order against Shivers as the court found his actions toward the actress as “frightening,” calling it “stalking.” When Shivers violated the restraining order twice, he was arrested and sentenced to 90 days in prison.A few years after Perrette’s split, she dated and became engaged to cameraman Michael Bosman around 2008. In 2011, the actress announced her engagement to former British Royal Marine Thomas Arklie. However, the couple said they would not get married until California’s Proposition 8, which eliminated the right of same-sex couples to marry, ended. When marriage equality finally became a constitutional right in 2014, Perrette still decided not to get married. “He said, ‘The choice is that we can marry now, but it doesn’t mean we have to.’ Likewise, Thomas and I are superhappy as we are, so… just because we can marry doesn’t mean we have to!” she told <a href="https://www.cbs.com/shows/watch_magazine/archive/1005181/sugar-and-nice/">CBS Watch Magazine</a> in May 2016.

Mark Harmon Reveals How He *Really* Feels About NCIS Recasting Gibbs With Another Actor (11)

Image: Getty Images

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McCallum was married to his first wife, Jill Ireland, from 1957 to 1967. However, McCallum’sGreat Escapeco-star, Charles Bronson, romanced his ex-wife and the two split. “I never hated him, Charlie was always a good friend,” he told<a href="https://www.mirror.co.uk/tv/tv-news/ncis-star-david-mccallum-charles-7460607">Mirror UK</a>in January 2017 about Ireland’s affair but admitted that it was tough because of the kids they shared. “It was an extremely difficult time, not least because we had three children.” McCallum and Ireland had three kids: Paul, Valentine (Val) and Jason, who the couple adopted. His son, Jason, died from an accidental overdose, in 1989.The actor married his second wife, Katherine Carpenter, in 1967. With Carpenter, McCallum has a son Peter and a daughter Sophie. In November 2022, MacCallum spoke about his wife to <a href="https://www.radiotimes.com/tv/drama/david-mccallum-interview/">Radio Times</a>. “Fortunately I married a young lady who was more talented than I was [Katherine] and so we shared the burden together and we’ve had a very successful relationship. In fact, we’ve been married for 55 years,” the actor said. When asked about retirement, he said that his wife retired years ago but continues to work. “Well Katherine retired many years ago but she’s still working. We both… retirement is a work in progress, shall we say!”

Mark Harmon Reveals How He *Really* Feels About NCIS Recasting Gibbs With Another Actor (12)

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Sean Murray married his wife Carrie James, an entrepreneur and women’s business advocate, in November 2005. His wife is the founder and CEO of the Business Relationship Alliance (BRA), which is “a network of powerful women devoted to advancing female-owned businesses by providing the community, collaboration, mentorship, empowerment and support needed to flourish as an entrepreneur,” according to the <a href="https://www.bra-network.com/about">company’s website</a>.James’ bio states that she started working to advance the rights of women when she got her Bachelor’s in Social Work from San Francisco State University. She then worked as a court advocate working for victims. She also received a Master’s Degree from Antioch University with an emphasis in Social Justice.Sean and Carrie share two children: Cay Ryan Murray (age 16) and River James Murray (age 12). Murray’s daughter, Cay, guest starred in Season 19, Episode 19 of NCIS.

Mark Harmon Reveals How He *Really* Feels About NCIS Recasting Gibbs With Another Actor (13)

Image: Getty Images

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On NCIS, Michael Weatherly played Special Agent Anthony DiNozzo from Seasons 1 through 13. He married his wife Bojana Janković in 2009 – and she has a very impressive medical background. Janković is a fellow of the American College of Physicians and is double board-certified in internal and integrative medicine. According to <a href="https://drbojana.com/about/">her website</a>, she was also the “Co-Founder of and served as the Chief Medical Officer of WellStart Health, a digital therapeutics startup for chronic disease prevention and reversal. She currently serves as their Medical Advisor.” She has shared her medical expertise on MSNBC, Today Show and Rachel Ray.The actor told People that he met his wife at a bar in Vancouver in 2017. “I kept looking out of the corner of my eye and seeing this ravishing, gorgeous beauty,” he said. “We made eye contact. And that was it.” In a separate <a href="https://people.com/tv/michael-weatherly-family-wife-kids-interview/">People</a> interview in December 2017, Weatherly joked that his wife “probably sees me more as a patient than a husband at this point.” “I’m lucky. I have a wonderful wife and am well on my way to a very happy retirement,” he added. “I just gotta educate these kids first!” The pair shares a nine-year-old son named Liam and a ten-year-old daughter named Olivia.

Mark Harmon Reveals How He *Really* Feels About NCIS Recasting Gibbs With Another Actor (14)

Image: Getty Images

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Emily Wickersham is currently in a relationship with actor James Badge Dale. Dale is best known for playing Chase Edmunds in the Fox drama, 24, Robert Leckie in the HBO miniseries, The Pacific and John Dutton Sr. in the Yellowstone prequel series, 1923. His other film credits include Lord of the Flies, The Departed, Spectral, The Empty Man and more. The couple had their child, son Cassius Wickersham Dale, in December 2021.

Mark Harmon Reveals How He *Really* Feels About NCIS Recasting Gibbs With Another Actor (15)

Image: Getty Images

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In the actress’ personal life, she married Keith Andreen, an actor, director, writer and producer, in January 2013. Andreen is known for films like Reaper Tales and Death Valley. The couple also collaborated on the 2023 movie Mayfair. Law and Andreen welcomed their first child, Kinley Law (age 4) in December 2018.In an interview with <a href="http://pop-culturalist.com/exclusive-interview-pop-culturalist-chats-with-hawaii-five-0s-katrina-law/">Pop Culturalist</a> in November 2019, Law revealed that her husband has been one of the biggest influences on her career. “My husband has been my acting coach since 2009. 2009 is when I started really booking everything. He’s been really great at being able to say, ‘You’re doing one of your tricks’ or ‘I can see you’re phoning it in.’ He’s been great because he knows me personally. He’s able to call me out pretty quickly,” she told the site at the time.

Mark Harmon Reveals How He *Really* Feels About NCIS Recasting Gibbs With Another Actor (16)

Image: Getty Images

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Brian Dietzan, who plays Doctor Jimmy Palmer, is very private with his home life. He’s married to his wife Kelly Dietzen and occasionally shares photos of her on social media. But the actor only recently released the names of his two children, Satchel and Clover, a few years ago. In December 2022, Dietzen shared an <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CdTk9RBJxHJ/">Instagram photo</a> of his wife Mother’s Day. “Happy Mother’s Day to you all. Today, our family is celebrating this woman right here. You’re the best, Kel. Our kids lucked out by getting you as their mom,” he penned in the caption.

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Mark Harmon Reveals How He *Really* Feels About NCIS Recasting Gibbs With Another Actor (2024)

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Mark Harmon Reveals How He Really Feels About NCIS Recasting Gibbs With Another Actor (2024)