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Why Mark Harmon Stopped Making Movies: ‘I’m Not Gonna Miss All This’

Photo from NCIS on CBS’ Instagram

Why Mark Harmon Stopped Making Movies: ‘I’m Not Gonna Miss All This’

By Movieguide® Contributor

Mark Harmon is well known for his TV fame on NCIS, but the actor had the chance to achieve movie fame. He recently shared how he put his family before his career. 

While his children were young, Harmon headed to New Guinea to work on a movie. When he returned, his son was walking on his own — a milestone he missed due to his work schedule. 

The actor told his wife, “Hate to tell you, but I’m not gonna be doing new movies in New Guinea for the rest of my life to be able to afford the house we’re in, and miss all this.”

Harmon turned his back on movie projects and focused on TV shows, where he could come home at the end of each day. 

He found worldwide success on NCIS, where he played lead character Gibbs. Harmon left the show in 2021, but fans are holding out hope that he might make a return some day. Movieguide® previously reported:

NCIS executive producer, Steven D Binder recently spoke to TV Insider about the possibility of Mark Harmon’s character, agent Gibbs, returning in Season 20 of the CBS’ fan-favorite show.

While it is unlikely that Harmon would return, Binder did not rule out future appearances from the previous leading man.

According to TV Insider, While the NCIS intro still features Mark Harmon’s character, executive producer Steven D. Binder said there aren’t any plans to bring back the beloved star just yet.

“There’s always head space for him to come back,” Binder told TV Insider following the season 19 finale on May 23. “It just has to be the right story, I think, to get him excited about it and to get us excited about it.”

Prior to Harmon’s role in NCIS, he became a real life hero in the 1990’s.

MSN reported: “Actor Mark Harmon is best known from playing “Gibbs” in NCIS. But Mark Harmon once saved a teenager’s life in the mid-1990s. The actor star saw a young man trapped in a burning car and actor did not hesitate. He smashed a window of the vehicle with a sledgehammer!”

Movieguide® previously reported: “As an executive producer and dear friend, Mark continues to be an integral part of the fabric of the show. Our north star has always been staying true to our characters, and that truth has always guided the stories we tell and where those characters go..”

While Harmon is not physically on our television screens weekly, he remains in the opening credits of NCIS and an executive producer of the show. Currently, it is a waiting game to see if Leroy Jethro Gibbs will return to the silver screen this fall.

Now more than ever we’re bombarded by darkness in media, movies, and TV. Movieguide® has fought back for almost 40 years, working within Hollywood to propel uplifting and positive content. We’re proud to say we’ve collaborated with some of the top industry players to influence and redeem entertainment for Jesus. Still, the most influential person in Hollywood is you. The viewer.

What you listen to, watch, and read has power. Movieguide® wants to give you the resources to empower the good and the beautiful. But we can’t do it alone. We need your support.

You can make a difference with as little as $7. It takes only a moment. If you can, consider supporting our ministry with a monthly gift. Thank you.

Movieguide® is a 501c3 and all donations are tax deductible.


Now more than ever we’re bombarded by darkness in media, movies, and TV. Movieguide® has fought back for almost 40 years, working within Hollywood to propel uplifting and positive content. We’re proud to say we’ve collaborated with some of the top industry players to influence and redeem entertainment for Jesus. Still, the most influential person in Hollywood is you. The viewer.

What you listen to, watch, and read has power. Movieguide® wants to give you the resources to empower the good and the beautiful. But we can’t do it alone. We need your support.

You can make a difference with as little as $7. It takes only a moment. If you can, consider supporting our ministry with a monthly gift. Thank you.

Movieguide® is a 501c3 and all donations are tax deductible.