Mark Harmon
did not grow up in a show business family, but instead, played football through college, and that athletic background might explain why so many of his best movies and TV shows include him in law enforcement and other more physical roles. The bulk of Harmon’s best-known projects involve him appearing as a law enforcement official or a doctor.
You are watching: Mark Harmon’s 10 Best Movies And TV Shows
While his best-known project today is NCIS, Harmon got his start in acting in TV comedies and commercials in the 1970s. Though he has a handful of feature films to his name, he has mostly stuck to television over the years – writing, directing, and producing in addition to acting. His best movie and TV roles demonstrate that Harmon is really a grounding presence in a lot of his projects.
10
Laverne And Shirley (1976)
Mark Harmon As Victor
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Laverne & Shirley
TV-G
Comedy
Family
9.0/10
Release Date
1976 – 1982
Cast
See All
-
Penny Marshall
Laverne DeFazio
-
Cindy Williams
Shirley Feeney
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By today’s standards, Mark Harmon’s appearance in Laverne and Shirley might not be considered the best role. It is the reality of up-and-coming actors who get guest spots on television shows, however, that sometimes, their characters only have a few lines and are never seen again. Despite that, Harmon holds his own against the comedic heavyweights that are the title characters.
The episode Harmon appears in is “Dating Slump” and features Laverne (Penny Marshall) putting an ad in the paper for a car for sale. What she really is hoping to do, however, is find a date for Shirley (Cindy Williams). Her ad even asks for prospective buyers to bring flowers to the seller. Harmon appears as someone who wants to look at the car.
It’s a short appearance, but it’s a good one because it’s one of the earliest demonstrations of Harmon’s dry sense of humor and his ability to play the straight-man to the louder comedic roles around him, something he has done many times in his career since.
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9
Freaky Friday (2003)
Mark Harmon As Ryan
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Freaky Friday
PG
Comedy
Family
Fantasy
Release Date
August 5, 2003
Runtime
97 minutes
Cast
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-
Jamie Lee Curtis
Tess Coleman
-
Lindsay Lohan
Anna Coleman
-
Chad Michael Murray
Grandpa
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Chad Michael Murray
Jake
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…one of the rare instances in which a remake is better remembered than the original…
Mark Harmon is not the star of Freaky Friday. Lindsay Lohan and Jamie Lee Curtis are the stars here. Freaky Friday ranks among Harmon’s best movies, though, because it is one of the rare instances in which a remake is better remembered than the original and because Harmon acts as a grounded and realistic character in a wacky family comedy.
The movie sees Curtis and Lohan as a mother and daughter, respectively, who do not see eye-to-eye about anything. The two end up swapping bodies just as Lohan’s character is about to play a big show with her band, and the comedy that ensues as they try to live one another’s lives is perfection.
Harmon is, as Laverne and Shirley demonstrated, the perfect straight-man during the scenes involving their antics. He is able to keep the movie feeling grounded in reality while Curtis and Lohan keep the audience laughing (and then maybe even crying as they reconnect).
Mark Harmon reprises his role of Ryan in the 2025 sequel Freakier Friday.
8
For All Time (2000)
Mark Harmon As Charles Lattimer
Though Mark Harmon has been in a few theatrical releases, he has also made quite a few made-for-TV movies. For All Time is one of those. It’s likely one of his lesser-known projects, blending a love story with science fiction ideas.
The movie is actually inspired by a classic Twilight Zone episode written by Rod Serling, “A Stop At Willoughby.” Harmon stars as a man whose life is relatively uneventful, even mundane. That all changes when he finds himself moving through a portal through time while on a train ride. He gets to experience life in both the modern day and at the end of the 19th century, and finds himself torn between his two life experiences.
Here, Harmon is not just the father figure or the team leader, but gets to be the leading man. While the movie might not have the same budget as it would have if it had been made for theaters at the time, it’s still a fun look at the time travel genre and one of Harmon’s best movies.
7
The West Wing (2002)
Mark Harmon As Agent Simon Donovan
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The West Wing
Drama
9/10
10.0/10
Release Date
1999 – 2006-00-00
Network
NBC
Cast
See All
-
Martin Sheen
-
Bradley Whitford
Showrunner
Aaron Sorkin
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As Harmon’s career headed into the 1980s and ‘90s, he booked a lot of series regular roles. In the early 2000s, however, he appeared in a lot of smaller character arcs in shows like The West Wing. He only appears in four episodes of the political drama, but it’s actually one of his most acclaimed roles.
The West Wing centers on the staff at the White House for its entire run, giving an insider look at the fast-paced nature of a political life and the drama that goes along with it. Harmon appeared as a Secret Service Agent tasked with a special protection detail for White House Press Secretary CJ Cregg (Allison Janney). The show allowed Harmon to be a little flirtier than some of the roles the audience might know him for now, but it also allowed him to play an authority figure, one he has done very well since.
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In fact, The West Wing is the reason Harmon was cast in the pilot for NCIS. NCIS executive producer Charles Johnson credits his work in The West Wing with cementing him as Gibbs in the eyes of the creative team (via USA Today). He also earned an Emmy nomination for his appearance.
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6
St. Elsewhere (1983-1986)
Mark Harmon As Dr. Robert Caldwell
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St. Elsewhere
TV-PG
Comedy
Drama
6.0/10
Release Date
1982 – 1988-00-00
Cast
See All
-
Ed Begley Jr.
Dr. Victor Ehrlich
-
Howie Mandel
Dr. Wayne Fiscus
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Though St. Elsewhere ran for longer, Mark Harmon appeared in three seasons of the 1980s medical drama. St. Elsewhere paved the way for medical dramas like ER and Grey’s Anatomy.
The series followed a group of doctors at a teaching hospital who were helping their interns step into the future. It was known for its gritty portrayal of medicine in a run-down hospital, which is certainly different from a lot of the upscale hospitals on television since.
Harmon’s Dr. Caldwell, or “Bobby,” joins the series in the second season as a doctor who is a bit of a hot-head. It’s very different from Harmon’s more controlled characters in his modern roles. Bobby’s storylines outside of his medical work often involved complicated romances, making him something of the show’s heartthrob. Harmon’s character was actually involved in a landmark storyline in which the character contracted HIV following a sexual encounter, something not often seen on television in the 1980s.
St. Elsewhere earned 13 Emmys during its run.
5
Reasonable Doubts (1991-1993)
Mark Harmon As Detective Dicky Cobb
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Reasonable Doubts
TV-14
Drama
Crime
Release Date
1991 – 1992
Network
NBC
Cast
See All
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Danny Trejo
Ben Douglass
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Danny Trejo
Cholo #2
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Darnell Williams
Uncredited
-
Gina Gallego
Kay’s Therapist
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Long before Harmon was Gibbs in NCIS, he played plenty of other law enforcement characters. One of those is a detective in the short-lived series Reasonable Doubts.
Reasonable Doubts, however, does not simply focus on the investigation. It focuses on the working relationship between an Assistant District Attorney and the detective who works her cases because they are so different. They are only assigned to work together initially because he can use American Sign Language, and she is a deaf woman (played by Marlee Matlin). While she is more sympathetic to suspects, he is gruff and gets frustrated with her empathy in their work.
That dynamic made for some great chemistry between Matlin and Harmon. They played off of one another well and gave a unique take to the crime procedural. It’s a shame the series was canceled after only two seasons.
Harmon and Matlin were each nominated for two Golden Globes during the show’s run.
4
Chicago Hope (1994-2000)
Mark Harmon As Dr. Jack McNeil
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Chicago Hope
TV-14
Drama
Mystery
Thriller
Release Date
1994 – 2000-00-00
Cast
See All
-
Mandy Patinkin
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Adam Arkin
-
Hector Elizondo
-
Peter Berg
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Of course, if Reasonable Doubts had not been canceled, it stands to reason that Mark Harmon never would have ended up on Chicago Hope, which was his next major television job. He was on the medical drama for six years after joining the series in the middle of its run.
The series follows the doctors, staff, and legal professionals who all work at a private charitable hospital in Chicago. While the series employed the usual case-of-the-week format that medical dramas still use, it focuses on the head-butting that occurred between those in office positions and those practicing medicine in the series.
The series went heavy on the melodrama, especially for Harmon’s orthopedic surgeon. His character had several love interests, physical altercations, and even got shot during the series. Harmon’s role in the show helped to prepare him for the procedural grind of a project like NCIS, and it also showcased his dramatic chops.
Chicago Hope earned 42 Emmy nominations, winning seven during its run.
3
The Deliberate Stranger (1986)
Mark Harmon As Ted Bundy
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The Deliberate Stranger
NR
Drama
Crime
Thriller
Horror
TV Movie
Release Date
1986 – 1986-00-00
Directors
Marvin J. Chomsky
Cast
See All
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Mark Harmon
Det. Bob Keppel
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Mark Harmon
Ted Bundy
-
George Grizzard
Richard Larsen
-
Ben Masters
Det. Mike Fisher
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When an actor spends a decade working their way up from day-player roles to leading man status, it seems only right that they would stretch their acting muscles even further by signing on to play a serial killer. That’s what Harmon did when he starred as Ted Bundy.
Harmon played Bundy in a miniseries inspired by the book of the same name by Seattle Times reporter Richard W. Larsen. Larsen had actually interviewed Bundy while he was volunteering for a political campaign long before he was suspected of being a killer. He also covered Bundy’s murders at a later date, so he was a writer in a rare position of having a lot of information about the man.
While there have been a lot of movies and television shows that have taken on true crime subjects, this remains one of Harmon’s best projects because it paints him in such a different light. Harmon has been playing the hero for years, so for modern audiences, seeing him take on the guise of the very darkness he acts opposite shows how great his range is. Harmon was nominated for a Golden Globe for his work.
2
Summer School (1987)
Mark Harmon As Freddy Shoop
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Summer School
PG-13
Comedy
Release Date
July 22, 1987
Runtime
97 Minutes
Cast
See All
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Mark Harmon
Mr. Freddy Shoop
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Kirstie Alley
Ms. Robin Elizabeth Bishop
-
Courtney Thorne-Smith
Pam House
-
Dean Cameron
Francis Chainsaw Gremp
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So much of Harmon’s best movies and TV shows rely on his serious side. That’s why Summer School is such a gem among his movies. It’s not just one of his best movies, it’s also one of his best comedic roles.
Here, Harmon plays a slacker of a gym teacher who ends up stuck teaching English in summer school. His students are just as unmotivated for the summer session as he is, which makes the term all the more challenging. Luckily, he gets some help (and a love interest) in the form of Kirstie Alley, who is also a teacher there for the term.
Summer School might just offer Mark Harmon to the audience in the most relaxed role he has ever played. So many of his most famous roles are carefully controlled, even rigid. Freddy Shoop is the exact opposite, and it’s fun to see him cut loose here.
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NCIS (2003-2021)
Mark Harmon As Leroy Jethro Gibbs
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NCIS
TV-14
Crime
Drama
Action
6/10
300
8.7/10
Release Date
September 23, 2003
Network
CBS
Cast
See All
-
Sean Murray
Timothy McGee
-
David McCallum
Dr. Donald ‘Ducky’ Mallard
Showrunner
Donald P. Bellisario
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NCIS has become one of the longest-running crime shows on television. The hook for the series is that all of the crimes investigated in the show’s cases-of-the-week are related to the military. A spinoff of the military legal drama JAG, the show has had several new cast members over its 20+ years on the air, but Harmon was one of the longest-serving cast members.
Harmon appeared from the start as Agent Gibbs, the team leader for an investigative unit in the Navy Criminal Investigative Service. The show treats them like the military’s version of detectives as they solve murders, robberies, and unravel terrorist plots every week. It helps that the series also features longer story arcs for each season, so the audience can get to know the large ensemble of characters better.
Harmon also played the role in an episode of JAG as a backdoor pilot for NCIS. He also played the role in a crossover episode of NCIS New Orleans, and continues to play the role as the narrator for NCIS Origins.
While the team around Harmon is often built of younger and more comedic actors, Harmon’s Gibbs plays the more serious tone for the show. He is the straight-man while the others crack jokes, and the leader who gives every interrogation scene weight, whether he is participating in it or watching from the other side of the glass. Much of the show’s success is owed to Harmon’s steady presence for 19 seasons.
Though NCIS might not be Mark Harmon’s most critically lauded work, it is his best television show.
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Category: Entertainment