Mark Harmon ‘Was Bored Out of His Mind’ During Acting Retirement: ‘He’s Open to the Right Project’

Fan favorite Mark Harmon’s guest-star spot on NCIS has whetted his appetite for a major career comeback, sources tell the National Enquirer.

The star, who retired from the show four years ago, reprised his role as Leroy Jethro Gibbs on the first-ever NCIS and NCIS: Origins crossover episode on Nov. 11.

“It’s made him realize how much he misses being in front of the camera,” says an insider about the 74-year-old, who starred on NCIS for 18 seasons before exiting the series in 2021.

“He had such a wonderful time being back on set, and now he’s saying he wants to do more acting.”

According to our source, the veteran actor isn’t the only one excited about his return to work. Longtime wife Pam Dawber is going nuts with him “twiddling his thumbs at home” all day long.

“Mark tried to enjoy the downtime, but the truth is, he was bored out of his mind. He misses the routine, the crew, the fans, the whole buzz of being on set.”

“Pam will be the first to tell you she’s glad he’s getting out of the house again!” laughs the insider.

She’ll no doubt be happy to hear that the NCIS team is trying to lure him to come back on a more full-time basis. And while he’s not closing the door on doing more guest-star spots, he also wants to try other things.

“He wants to stretch himself, so he’s even started looking at projects outside the NCIS universe — he’s more interested in doing movies,” reveals the insider. He had a great time shooting Freakier Friday with Jamie Lee Curtis last year and he’s now set his sights on more big-screen roles.

“Mark says he’s got plenty of gas left in the tank and clearly there’s a whole legion of fans who still want to watch him,” says the source. “While he’s not looking for another 18-year grind, he’s open to the right project to help keep him busy and inspired.”

“He’s turning 75 next year, but truth is he’s just not ready to retire, he probably never will be,” predicts the insider.