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NCIS fans know Mark Harmon for his role as Leroy Jethro Gibbs. Before Harmon starred in the series, he had a guest role in The West Wing for four episodes in 2002. While Harmon was excited about joining the series, he received an early hint that indicated his character wouldn’t live long. Here’s what happened.

Mark Harmon said he received a warning that his character would die in ‘The West Wing’

Mark Harmon is well-known for his role as Leroy Jethro Gibbs in NCIS, which started in 2003. But the year before he joined as Gibbs, he joined The West Wing for four episodes as  Secret Service special agent Simon Donovan. Unfortunately, Simon Donovan was shot and killed while trying to stop an armed robbery in a convenience store. This marked the end of Harmon’s stint on the series.

Harmon spoke to The View about his time on The West Wing. He said that creator Aaron Sorkin approached him with an idea of who he’d be playing. “And then, you show up on set. You have 17 pages of dialogue, and you’re working with Allison Janney, who never makes a mistake, ever. She’s wonderful. She’s unbelievable.”

Unfortunately, C.J. Cregg actor, Janney, delivered the hard news to Harmon about his character. “Four or five days in, I was just starting to get my feet [wet], felt good, and she came up one afternoon, and she said, ‘They’re gonna kill ya,'” Harmon said. “And I said, ‘What do you mean they’re gonna kill me?’ She said, ‘We’re getting along too well. They’re gonna kill ya.’ And she was right.”

The ‘NCIS’ star explained why he wanted to take ‘The West Wing’ role

'NCIS' and 'The West Wing' star Mark Harmon sitting down with his hands up by his sides
Mark Harmon | Mathew Imaging/FilmMagic
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NCIS and The West Wing fans alike remember Mark Harmon for his role as Simon Donovan, even if it was just for four episodes. In 2002, he explained the quick turnaround between accepting the role and starting the job.

“I got a scene faxed to me by my agent late on a Wednesday afternoon, and Thursday morning, I was working,” he told The Chicago Tribune at the time.

As for why he wanted to work on The West Wing, Harmon said he loved the high-quality scripts and acting. “I appreciate that I’m in very rare air here,” he continued. “So often the formula (of a series) gets changed by outside pressures, but they’ve been able (to create an atmosphere) where it’s all about the work. This train called The West Wing is moving fast, and you’re expected to keep up.”

Will Mark Harmon return to network TV?

Mark Harmon called it quits on NCIS in 2021, but fans hope they’ll see Harmon again. Is there any chance of Leroy Jethro Gibbs gracing the small-screen in a new season of the series? Harmon hinted to Entertainment Tonight that he hasn’t completely ruled out the possibility. But there are no immediate plans for his return.

“He’s probably sitting in a stream up in Alaska fishing,” Harmon joked about his character. “Is he going to get out of the stream? I don’t know. But if he is, I don’t know about it.” 

Harmon likely now enjoys his time away from the spotlight with his wife, Pam Dawber, and their family.

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