Mark Harmon's Best Movies And TV Shows Outside Of NCIS

Though his career has spanned six decades and numerous film and TV roles, Mark Harmon is undeniably most famous for his role as Leroy Jethro Gibbs on "NCIS." The popular crime procedural series has been airing on CBS for nearly two decades, ever since Harmon and his co-stars appeared in the show's backdoor pilot during "JAG" Season 8. Gibbs has been the definitive face of "NCIS" for most of its run, earning Harmon both fame and prestige as one of the longest-running main characters in modern television history. But though his career has been defined by Gibbs and "NCIS," Harmon has had plenty of other notable roles as well.

The veteran actor's screen career traces all the way back to a 1973 episode of "Ozzie's Girls," a revival of the 1950s and '60s sitcom "The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet." Between then and now, Harmon has starred in numerous TV series and even some major films, including "Wyatt Earp," "The Presidio," and "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas." If you only know Harmon from his work in the "NCIS" franchise, then you're missing out on some fantastic performances. Diehard fans may have already dug back into the actor's filmography, but if you haven't done so yet, we're here to help.

Below are five of Mark Harmon's best movies and TV shows outside of "NCIS." These projects were chosen on the merits of both their overall quality and Harmon's own performances within them.

You can't talk about Mark Harmon's incredible career without talking about "St. Elsewhere." The 1980s medical drama broke ground for what TV shows could be, tackling serious storylines with grounded writing and addressing major social topics of the time. Over the course of its six-season run, the series earned a staggering 62 Primetime Emmy Award nominations and took home 13 wins, including victories for writing and directing. Harmon joined the show in its sophomore season and stayed for three years, playing the character of Dr. Robert Caldwell.

A bit of a loose cannon, Dr. Bobby has an interesting arc on the show that frequently sees him getting into complicated romantic situations. However, his storyline wraps up much more seriously after the character contracts HIV — a landmark portrayal of a straight character struggling with AIDS in 1986. Though Harmon never received any major award nominations himself for his time on the show, it was a major launching platform for the TV star he'd soon become. Even today, certain episodes of "St. Elsewhere" remain great examples of what TV writing can be. Harmon also got to cut his teeth on scripts alongside future big names like Denzel Washington and Howie Mandel.

Though "NCIS" fans might feel inclined to simply watch the Harmon seasons of "St. Elsewhere," the whole show really is worth the time. If you're a fan of the CBS crime series, then you're probably already in the zone for the medical drama's particular brand of procedural storytelling.

At the risk of flooding this list with medical dramas, we have to follow up Mark Harmon's "St. Elsewhere" tenure with his equally excellent performance as Dr. Jack McNeil on "Chicago Hope." The latter show gave Harmon a glimpse of his CBS procedural drama future, as he joined the show for the start of Season 3 in 1996 and stayed on until it ended its run in 2000. He performed as part of a truly stacked ensemble cast that included lead star Mandy Patinkin, Carla Gugino, Adam Arkin, and Eric Stoltz, among others.

As McNeil, Harmon brought the same rugged charm and intensity that have made him such a beloved TV star. Few of the show's main actors stayed through until the very end, so even though Harmon wasn't there for the beginning, he's one of the more prolific actors in the entire series. Like "St. Elsewhere," "Chicago Hope" was a critical darling as well as a hit with viewers, earning 42 Primetime Emmy nominations and seven wins.

Though not every storyline on the show holds up today, many of them are still just as riveting as they were in the late '90s, and Harmon is especially good. For that extra-intense Harmon fan marathon, start "Chicago Hope" after you finish "St. Elsewhere" and enjoy all the brooding diagnoses that the "NCIS" star has to offer.

At a glance, it's easy to sum up Mark Harmon's career as a laundry list of procedural TV shows — many of them set in hospitals or crime labs. However, the actor has frequently strayed from these roles into sillier, more fanciful territory. Such was the case in 2003 when he starred in Disney's "Freaky Friday," yet another adaptation of Mary Rodgers' 1972 novel and an iconic film for millennials the world over.

The stars of "Freaky Friday" are, of course, Lindsay Lohan and Jamie Lee Curtis, both arguably at the peak of their respective powers in the early 2000s. When a strange bout of magic causes the mother and daughter they play to switch bodies, antics, as they say, ensue. Harmon plays Ryan, boyfriend to Curtis' widowed Tess Coleman and would-be stepfather to Lohan's Anna. It's a departure from the gruff charm that "NCIS" fans will associate with Harmon, as Ryan's just about the sweetest father figure you could ask for in a film like this one. Amidst the chaos, Harmon's performance is a grounding force, and it's hard not to fall for him as he tries to win over Anna's approval.

There are absolutely some things in "Freaky Friday" that have aged like old milk (looking at you, vague fortune cookie curse), but if you add some asterisks, it's still a fun time. For many, it remains a defining film of the era, and Harmon's performance as Ryan is a key piece of that success.

A list like this needs at least one dark horse candidate, and in the case of Mark Harmon's career, it's "For All Time," a little-known sci-fi romantic drama from the year 2000. If you don't remember seeing Harmon's face on movie theater marquees at the time, that's because "For All Time" was a TV movie, but that doesn't mean it isn't worth the watch.

The movie is based on the 1960 "Twilight Zone" episode "A Stop at Willoughby," written by original series host and creator Rod Serling. Harmon plays Charles Lattimer, whose mundane life changes irrevocably when he discovers a time portal while traveling on the train. Torn between the modern day and a new existence at the end of the 19th century, Charles is forced to make some difficult decisions about his life and what exactly he wants it to look like. Mary McDonnell and Catherine Hicks co-star.

Though it's one of Harmon's lesser-known projects, we're recommending "For All Time" for a few reasons. For one, it's a fun homage to classic time-travel tropes and stories, which any fan of Serling's work will appreciate. While it doesn't reinvent the genre, it does an impressive job with a limited budget. Second, and perhaps more relevant for "NCIS" fans, is the fact that this is a full, feature-length starring role for Harmon, who's never had as many big screen opportunities as he's had serialized successes. If you're a fan of his work, it's worth seeing him shine here as the leading man.

Mark Harmon's brief role on Aaron Sorkin's acclaimed political drama "The West Wing" is arguably the smallest part included on this list. Yet a synopsis of Harmon's most important credits wouldn't be complete without it. In the show's third season, Harmon played Secret Service agent Simon Donovan, who's assigned as part of a special protection detail for White House Press Secretary C. J. Cregg (Allison Janney). The two share a flirtatious dynamic in the face of grave danger, which makes it all the more tragic when Simon dies while trying to stop a robbery at the end of the season.

Though his time on the show was short, Harmon left an impact — enough to get nominated for the Emmy award for outstanding guest actor in a drama series. Yet that isn't even the most significant thing about this role for Harmon. Without it, we might not even have the Leroy Jethro Gibbs we've come to know and love.

In an interview with USA Today early in the show's run, executive producer Charles Johnson said the "NCIS" team was unsure about casting Harmon before seeing him in "The West Wing." But afterward, there was no question. "We all looked at that work. And everybody said, 'He's Gibbs,'" Johnson said. So if you're looking for a crucial piece of Mark Harmon history, his stretch of episodes in "The West Wing" is worth checking out. "NCIS" might never have caught on if it weren't for Simon Donovan, and that "Young Gibbs" prequel series likely wouldn't have been ordered either.