<\/p>\n
NCIS<\/a><\/em> star Mark Harmon<\/a> recently opened up about a chance call that led to his big break into acting.<\/p>\n In a clip from Mark\u2019s appearance on The Fifth Column<\/a> podcast posted to YouTube on April 16, Harmon opened up about switching careers from a merchandising director to an actor.<\/p>\n Mark \u2014 the son of Hollywood actress Elyse Knox<\/a> and Heisman-trophy-winning football legend and sports broadcaster Tom Harmon<\/a> \u2014 kicked off his acting career with a 1973 guest appearance on Ozzie\u2019s Girls<\/em>. He did so thanks to his sister, Kristin, the wife of actor and singer Ricky Nelson<\/a>, who starred in The<\/em> Adventures of Ozzie & Harriet<\/em><\/a> and Ozzie\u2019s Girls<\/em>.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen the advertising stuff kind of stopped being\u2026 I just knew I had to get out of that and do something else,\u201d Mark explained on the podcast.\u201d I said that to my parents. I had been in acting class, and I had been going and doing that, and I didn\u2019t know where to go from there. I didn\u2019t have an agent. I didn\u2019t know what to do.\u201d<\/p>\n One day, Mark said that he was watching Dragnet<\/em><\/a> and saw the studio indent for the show\u2019s production company, Mark VII Limited. He then cold-called actor and producer Jack Webb<\/a>, who owned and operated Mark VII Limited. \u201cI looked it up in the phonebook, and I called,\u201d he explained, noting that the secretary who answered \u201cdidn\u2019t have to put me through, but she did.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWe talked for a couple minutes, and he said, \u2018Why don\u2019t you come in and talk to me?’\u201d Mark recalled, of his chat with Webb. \u201cAnd I said \u2018OK,\u2019 and I went into Universal, and I went into Mark VII, which at that time at Universal, was a big enchilada, man.\u201d<\/p>\n Ultimately, Mark appeared as Officer Gus Corbin in a 1975 episode of Adam-12<\/a><\/em>, produced by Mark VII.<\/span><\/p>\n Of the chance phone call with Webb, he pointed out, \u201cHe had to be nice, right? If he just goes, \u2018I\u2019m not taking that call, it\u2019s over.’\u201d<\/p>\n In addition to Adam-12<\/em>, Mark made guest appearances in Police Woman<\/a><\/em> in 1975 and Laverne & Shirley<\/em> in 1976. He went on to snag supporting roles in films like Comes a Horseman<\/a><\/em>\u00a0(1978) and\u00a0Beyond the Poseidon Adventure<\/em> (1979). In 1983, Mark landed the role of\u00a0 Dr. Robert Caldwell in the series, St. Elsewhere<\/a><\/em>. He was also named People<\/em>\u00a0Magazine\u2019s<\/em>\u00a0Sexiest Man Alive in 1986.<\/p>\n After starring in\u00a0\u00a0Summer School<\/a><\/em> (1987),\u00a0The Presidio<\/a><\/em>\u00a0(1988),\u00a0Crossfire Trail<\/a><\/em> (2001), and\u00a0Freaky Friday<\/em><\/a> (2003), he was cast as\u00a0special agent Leroy Jethro Gibbs in NCIS<\/em>. Mark left the iconic role in 2021 after 19 seasons, and later reprised Gibbs in NCIS: Origins<\/a><\/em>.<\/p>\n