Mark Harmon is a successful American actor and producer who has been in the film industry for over five decades and has more than a dozen credits to his name. Even with his appearances in all of these projects, Harmon is still most notably known for his role on NCIS.

Harmon has been on the team of NCIS since 2003, where he started out portraying Special Agent Leroy Jethro Gibbs. Over the years, the star constantly had to reprise his role but recently, it was announced that he will not be returning to the show for the rest of the running season. The announcement hit some fans as a surprise while others saw it coming. Here's everything we know about his not so abrupt exit.

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8 He Made Television History Before Joining The NCIS Team

Starting out his career in the mid-70s, Harmon’s first appearance on the big screens was a small role he played in Ozzie's Girls. This led to his appearance in other movies, such as Jack Webb’s Adam-12 and Emergency. Shortly after, Harmon landed his first major in Flamingo Road before the series was later canceled.

A couple of years and a few movies later, he was cast for what would become a recurring and his most famous role today. He started out the role as a former Marine Gunnery Sergeant before later becoming the celebrated NCIS Special Agent Leroy Jethro Gibbs. Apart from his series of television credits, he also made appearances in a couple of feature films including Summer School, The Presidio, and Beyond the Poseidon Adventure.

7 Mark Worked On Other Projects In Between Filming NCIS

In addition to playing Special Agent Leroy Jethro Gibbs in NCIS, Harmon also took on the same role in a legal drama show called JAG. He also features in the TV miniseries Retrosexual: The 80’s. His commitments did not end in working on multiple television shows as he also made a couple of film appearances within the same period. Among these is his role as Ryan in Freaky Friday and portraying President James Foster in the movie Chasing Liberty.

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6 His Character Will Probably Fade Away

Harmon is one of the executive producers for NCIS and has been a major part of his success tied to the show. However, his portrayal of the show’s lead character may fade over time as the network has been reducing his on-screen time over the years, following the possibility of the star leaving the show. Now that it's happened, Harmon will be replaced by Gary Cole as he is set to be brought in as a series regular.

5 The Star Hinted His Exit

On October 11, on the fourth episode of the running season 19 of NCIS, Harmon stated in a conversation with fellow cast member Rocky Carroll, who plays the role of NCIS Director Leon Vance, that he will not be returning to his job with the team. While the character visited the state of Alaska with Special Agent Timothy McGee for a case, he said to Carroll, “I’m not going back home.” This was one of the first public hints to the star’s exit from the show.

4 Some Fans Saw It Coming From A Mile Away

Being an influential actor, Mark Harmon is loved by his fans all over the world for his talents behind the camera. Ever since his arrival on the NCIS team, some of the fans noticed his slow exit from the show over time. Ever since the season 18 finale where Gibbs’ handcrafted boat was blown to bits and the character was seen discretely swimming away, it just further showed how much his job is costing him and his intent to create a new life for himself. To the fans, this was a sign of a reduction in his character’s appearances on the show.

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3 Other Fans Were Caught Off Guard

While some fans were simply surprised by the change in the show, others were affected on a much deeper scale. A fan stated “I don’t usually cry over tv characters, but watching #NCIS say goodbye to Gibbs/Mark Harmon after 19 seasons broke me.”

Some other NCIS fans announced that they might no longer watch the show because of Harmon’s exit. “I loved the ending for Gibbs, and I won’t watch anymore NCIS. That ending was perfect, that’s where they should’ve just ended the season. Definitely bittersweet."

2 The Real Reason He Left

According to reports from Hollywood Reporter, Mark Harmon’s NCIS exit seems to be final, at least in his starring capacity. The reason for this is the star's contract with the show being specific about him starring for a limited number of episodes in season 19. This was further backed by his character's decision to remain in Alaska, which essentially removed him from the fabric of the show for the coming future.

1 Harmon Could Come Back In The Future

Even though Harmon’s contract means he has been removed from the show for the foreseeable future, there is a possibility of him coming back to the NCIS team later. According to showrunner Steven D. Binder, the star will probably maintain a behind-the-scenes character and will be open to the chance of an on-screen.

Binder stated, "Our north star has always been staying true to our characters, and that truth has always guided the stories we tell and where those characters go. So regarding the future of Gibbs, as long-time fans of the show may have noticed over the years ... never count Leroy Jethro Gibbs out."

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