Shocking Revelation: Mark Harmon’s ‘NCIS’ Character Almost Had a Different Name!

Mark Harmon disclosed that his NCIS character almost had a different name! The 72-year-old actor portrayed Leroy Jethro Gibbs for 19 seasons before bidding farewell to the series in 2021. Mark recently shared what initially drew him to the television role and how the series creator contemplated changing his character’s name to something entirely different.

“I read ‘Leroy Jethro Gibbs’ and thought, ‘Huh, I like that name,'” he revealed to ET about what piqued his interest. “And then for a brief moment, when I decided I liked the idea of the project, the name changed.”

“It was something like Bob Johnson or similar. And I thought, ‘No, no, it has to be Leroy Jethro Gibbs.’ The creator argued, ‘No, you can’t have a character named Leroy Jethro Gibbs,’ and I asked, ‘Why not?'” Mark continued. “Eventually, it reverted, and I was pleased with it.”

Earlier this year, a producer hinted at the possibility of Mark’s return to the show. Additionally, there were 10 prominent actors who were considered for the role of Special Agent Gibbs!

Stay tuned to find out which stars will be returning for the show’s highly anticipated 21st season…