Mark Harmon is an American film and television actor who has made famous films such as “Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, ” “Freaky Friday, ” and “First Daughter.” His most famous television work is the series "Naval Police: Special Department, " in which he played the main role.
early years
Biography of Mark Harmon began in 1951 in the city of Burbank (California). His mother was a famous actress and artist Alice Knox, and his father is a professional American football player Tom Harmon. In addition to Mark, the family had two more children - Kristin and Kelly. Christine made a career as an artist, and Kelly worked for a long time as an actress and model.
After graduating from high school, the young man entered the University of California, where he was a quarterback of a football team. After college, Mark Harmon planned to pursue a career in advertising. He began working as a merchandiser, but soon realized that this activity was not for him. Therefore, I decided to try myself as an actor.
First roles
Harmon first appeared on the screen in 1975, playing in one of the episodes of the series "Critical Case". This was followed by another supporting role in the police series "Adam-12."
The debut of Mark Harmon in the full-length movie took place in 1978. This is a western of Alan Pakula "The Horseman is approaching." The actor played a small role as Billy Joe Menert. Harmon's partners in the frame were Jane Fonda, James Caan, Jim Davis. The painting was commercially successful for its time. Cash collection amounted to 44 million dollars.
The following year, the actor was approved for the role of Larry Simpson in the disaster film "Prisoners of Poseidon." The director of the picture was Irwin Allen, who worked a lot in this genre. The Prisoners of Poseidon project did not have such success when compared with previous films by the director. The picture was not awarded with serious awards.
Movie career
In the 80s and 90s, the actor starred in many films, but mostly came across the roles of the second plan. The most famous films of Mark Harmon at that time were Western Wyatt Earp, in which he played with Kevin Costner, the drama Signs of Remorse, and the comedy The Last Supper. In 1998, he played a supporting role in the drama "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas" by Terry Gilliam. The director picked up a strong cast for the picture. The main roles went to Johnny Depp and Benicio del Toro. The film earned critical acclaim, but was unsuccessful commercially.
One of Harmon's most famous film works is the role of Ryan in the fantastic comedy Freaky Friday, based on the book of the same name by Mae Rogers. His co-workers were Lindsay Lohan and Jamie Lee Curtis. The film became a box office hit, collecting $ 160 million at the box office with a modest budget of $ 20 million. The film also received only positive reviews from film critics.
Another noteworthy project with the participation of the actor is the teenage comedy "First Daughter", in which he played President James Foster.
TV career
The first permanent job in the television series for Mark Harmon was the role of Duane in the crime drama "240 Roberts." The series totaled only 16 episodes, of which Harmon played in 13.
From 1983 to 1986 the actor appeared regularly in the medical series St. Elswer, which he worked on with Denzel Washington. This painting was popular in the USA and has been awarded many prestigious film awards, including several Emmy Awards. From 1991 to 1993 Harmon showed himself in the criminal drama "Reasonable doubt".
The most famous work in the television filmography of Mark Harmon is the television series "Naval Police: Special Department", in which he played the role of agent Leroy Jethro Gibbs. His character appeared in all fourteen seasons of the series. For this role, the actor was awarded the People's Choice Awards. The series was watched by more than 20 million viewers around the world, making it one of the most successful projects in the history of American television.
