You would be hard-pressed to find an actor as prolific as Mark Harmon. For most people, he is the seasoned Agent in Charge of CBS’ NCIS. Introduced in the backdoor pilot of JAG, Harmon went on to portray Jethro Gibbs for over 400 episodes.
But as notable as he is to fans of the naval crime series, he isn’t the only famous one in the family. For close to four decades, the actor has been married to fellow actor Pam Dawber. While she hasn’t led a crime series for 20 years, she is part of the pop culture lexicon. Dawber is best known for her title role in the Happy Days spin-off, Mork and Mindy. Pairing up with Rovin Williams for the comedy, Dawber portrays a woman who must live with an alien sent to study Earth. Much of the humor stems from Mork (Williams) not understanding the commonplace culture of the time.
Mork and Mindy lasted for four seasons and garnered two Emmy nominations. One of the more bizarre instances of spin-offs, it put Williams on the map as a comedic actor. For her part, Dawber continued a modest career and even appeared alongside her real-life husband in seven episodes of NCIS.
How did Mark Harmon and Pam Dawber meet?
The two actors embarked on their decades-long relationship in one of the most normal ways possible: through a setup. According to People, Harmon and Dawber came together because their mutual friend paired them up in 1986. What started as a potential group date turned into something else when Harmon took the lead. The NCIS actor instead decided to get Dawber’s number and call her directly.
“I said, ‘Can I just call? Can I get a number and just cold call?’ And so I did. I got the number, and I called, and I got an answering machine. And I started to leave a message that said, ‘We don’t have to (all) go out. We could get a cup of coffee or something.’ And then she was monitoring and she picked up. We went out that night and we’re together ever since.”
The two were so confident in their connection that they married a year later. And unlike the many Hollywood couples that got married quickly only to split up just as fast, this one stuck. Harmon and Dawber have been together for 37 years, and while they agree that they are “very different,” their adherence to always communicating with each other is what has made their relationship so strong. For Harmon, family has always been important, and that also includes his close bond with his children even though he has been acting without taking a break for years now.