“NCIS” star Mark Harmon already built up an acting resume’ dating back to the 1980s. He also was single and dating at the time, too.
Harmon, who has been married to actress Pam Dawber since 1987, dated actress Cristina Raines for a few years. He then spent a little time with actress Heather Locklear, who was quite popular in the 1980s thanks to ABC’s “T.J. Hooker” and “Dynasty.”
In 1986, Harmon was named “Sexiest Man Alive” by People Magazine. He also was wrapping up his time on NBC’s hit medical drama “St. Elsewhere.” Reportedly, some comments Harmon made about being with Locklear were taken out of context.
‘NCIS’ Star Goes On ‘The Tonight Show’ To Correct His Words Around Locklear
Harmon, who plays Leroy Jethro Gibbs on “NCIS,” makes an appearance in 1986 on “The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson” with guest host Joan Rivers. During the interview, Rivers directly asks him about his comments.
“So what do you look for…I read somewhere that you had a big affair with Heather Locklear,” Rivers said. This sends Harmon into a loud, cackling laugh. “And you said that having her was like having a cup of coffee. What does that mean?”
“What I said is they asked, it got right down to the last question and I got ‘New York wants to know about Cristina Raines and Heather Locklear,'” Harmon said. “And I said, ‘I find it funny that you put both of them in the same category. One I spent four years of my life with spent a lot of time with and she taught me how to slow down and smell the flowers and is a very special lady. And the other one I like had a cup of coffee with.’
“That’s what I said and it ends up, you know,” Harmon said. Reportedly, tabloids at the time were taking what he said and changing it up for their benefit.
All of that is in the past, though, for Harmon. He and Dawber have two children, Sean and Ty. Dawber, who classic TV fans remember from her role on ABC’s “Mork and Mindy,” did make an appearance last season on “NCIS.”
McCallum Learned About Being Pathologist From Watching Coroner
You can expect Harmon to come back as Gibbs. Go ahead and check off David McCallum for another season as Dr. Donald “Ducky” Mallard, too.
But McCallum recalls spending a lot of time studying about death, even watching a corner perform autopsies.
“You can’t play a pathologist for 10 years and talk about pathology without knowing what you are doing,” McCallum said in an interview with Radio Times. “I got in touch with the Los Angeles coroner and he allowed me to watch through the glass as he conducted autopsies. Then after a couple of years of watching, the coroner made it possible for me to come to the other side of the glass and work with a pathologist and do a full autopsy.”
It’s obvious that the one-time superstar from “The Man From U.N.C.L.E.” is quite serious about his role on “NCIS.”
