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Biography - Born 09/02/1951
A handsome leading man with an earnest manner and thick, quizzically poised eyebrows, Mark Harmon had been acting for about three years when he first gained notice for his Emmy-nominated single scene as a one-legged veteran speaking with the First Lady (Jane Alexander) in the 1977 ABC TV-movie "Eleanor and Franklin: The White House Years". He went on to star in several series, including "Centennial" (NBC, 1978-79), the police adventure "240 Robert" (ABC, 1978-80) and the primetime soap "Flamingo Road" (NBC, 1981-82). He solidified his status as leading man and heartthrob (being dubbed by PEOPLE magazine in 1986 as "the sexiest man alive") with a three-year stint as the lothario Dr. Bobby Caldwell on the NBC medical drama "St. Elsewhere" (1983-86). Harmon further showed his dramatic mettle in a change of pace portrayal of serial killer Ted Bundy in "The Deliberate Stranger" (NBC, 1986), as a widower attempting to regain custody of his children in "After the Promise" (CBS, 1987) and as the gigolo Chance Wayne to Elizabeth Taylor's Alexandra del Largo in Nicolas Roeg's small screen remake of "Tennessee Williams' 'Sweet Bird of Youth'" (NBC, 1989). After playing the notorious bank robber "Dillinger" (ABC, 1991), Harmon switched sides and starred opposite Marlee Matlin as a police investigator in "Reasonable Doubts" (NBC, 1991-93). He had less success as private eye "Charlie Grace" (ABC, 1995-96) before returning to a medical setting joining the cast of "Chicago Hope" (CBS, from 1996 to 2000).
Harmon has had mixed results with his big screen career. After a promising start in Alan J Pakula's "Comes a Horseman" (1978), he was not seen in features again until the dismal "Let's Get Harry" and Carl Reiner's middling "Summer School" (both 1987). He had a modest boxoffice success teamed with Sean Connery in the thriller "The Presidio" and gave one of his best performances in the little-seen "Stealing Home" (both 1988). His few appearances in the 1990s (e.g., "Cold Heaven" 1992; "Magic in the Water" 1996) have generally been forgettable, although he did snare minor roles in high profile films including "Wyatt Earp" (1994), "Natural Born Killers" (1995) and "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas" (1998). He also appeared as Jamie Lee Curtis' love interest in Disney's 2003 remake of its body-swapping comedy "Freaky Friday."
The son of the late football star/sportscaster Tom Harmon and actress Elyse Knox, Harmon has been married to actress Pam Dawber since 1987. His sister Kelly also achieved fame as the "Tic Tac" girl of 80s and 90s era TV commercials.
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