Mark Harmon has a brand new role! The 73-year-old may be best known for playing Leroy Jethro Gibbs on NCIS, but a rare family update has revealed he’s now a grandfather. His daughter-in-law, Courtney Prather, delighted in sharing the news with fans after she and Mark’s son, Sean Harmon, welcomed their baby boy. Taking to Instagram, the new mom wrote: “1 month with you. Cooper Knox Harmon ~ 5.22.25.”
Fans went wild for the adorable images of the newborn sleeping and being cuddled by his parents. In one snap, Sean was asleep on a bed in the hospital room with Cooper quietly resting in the crib next to him. They were inundated with congratulatory messages and Mark’s fans also said they couldn’t wait to see a photo of Cooper and his famous grandpa.
Mark is based in Los Angeles, and although he works on the NCIS franchise as an executive producer, he and his wife Pam Dawber, whom he married in 1987, lead a largely private life. They’re parents to grown sons, Sean, and Ty. Eldest Sean has even appeared on the show playing a young version of his father’s character, Leroy Jethro Gibbs, in flashback episodes.
Asked about their extremely private lives, Mark told TV Insider: “It’s not even a choice. It’s who we are. We stay home. A lot. I’m not a Twitter guy or a Facebook guy. Our sons aren’t into that either.” Eldest Sean has even appeared on the show playing a young version of his father’s character in flashback episodes.
Proud dad
“I’m proud of him taking his work seriously and how he approaches being an actor — not just on this show, [but] just what he has chosen to try to do in his life’s work,” explained Mark. When asked about Sean’s cameo, he echoed this sentiment. “Separate from anything as an actor, you hopefully take pride in who people are individually away from any camera just as people, as citizens,” he said. “And both our boys have done well and hopefully made smart choices and are doing well daily. Day by day, we have a lot of reasons to be proud of both of them.”
Like father, like son
Sean spoke about the opportunity too when he said: “The character of Gibbs has been an important part of my life for 20 years, both in watching my father craft the role and previously having the honor to play young Gibbs myself,” he said. “I always felt there was a tale worth telling about his earlier years, so I am thrilled to be stepping into a producing role
