Mark Harmon Facts That Fans Might Not Know about the Actor Who Plays Leroy Jethro Gibbs on NCIS

Fans of "NCIS" know Mark Harmon as a Marine Gunnery Sergeant turned special agent in the hit crime series. His willingness to bend the rules and unconventional approach towards crime-solving always gets the job done.

Over the last 17 seasons of the hit crime series "NCIS," actor Mark Harmon's character Leroy Jethro Gibbs has kept the spark alive on screen.

His character has a great role in how successful the series has become over the years. Here are 12 interesting facts about the actor that the fans might not know about.

EARLY CAREER

1. Aside from being an incredible actor, Harmon is a loving husband to his wife, Pam Dawber, and a doting father to his two sons, Dean and Ty.

2. His character in "NCIS" might have been divorced with his on-screen wife, but in real life, Harmon's marriage with his wife Dawber has been going strong since 1987.

3. Before he became famous as Gibbs on "NCIS," he was the face of "Coors Beer." He starred in over 20 beer commercials during the early 1980s.

4. Harmon landed his first acting gig as a gorilla in 1973's "Ozzie's Girls." Ozzie Nelson, the show's producer and star, was related to him by marriage.

AN IMPRESSIVE RESUME

5. Harmon has a musical family! He is the uncle of Matthew Nelson and Gunnar Nelson of the band "Nelson." Also, he is the uncle of Tracy Nelson.

6. Before he became an actor, he briefly worked as a salesman for a tennis-shoe company. He also worked as a carpenter during the early phase of his life.

7. Harmon's strikingly good looks and personality earned him the title of "Sexiest Man Alive," as ranked by "PEOPLE" in 1996.

8. Harmon's oldest son Sean walked in his footsteps to become an actor. He appeared in "NCIS" as the younger self of his father's character Gibbs in a flashback episode.

PERSONAL LIFE

9. His sisters, Kelly Harmon and Kristin Harmon, are as gifted as he is. Kelly is popular as the "Tic Tac" model whereas Kristin is a painter.

10. In an interview with "Parade," Harmon admitted that football was his greatest passion before acting. During his college years at UCLA in Los Angeles, he played for the Bruins as a quarterback.

11. Harmon is a fitness freak! He likes to maintain an active lifestyle by being physically active. He has been training daily for the past six years with pilates.

12. The actor once saved the lives of two teenage boys who were involved in a car accident outside of his home. Harmon's wife called 911 as he broke the car window with a sledgehammer and pulled the boys free so that they wouldn't burn to death.