Mark Harmon and Sean Murray actually go way back. They met in the early 1990s, when Murray was just a 15-year-old actor trying to find his footing in the industry, he told Country Living in 2019. And it happened because of Jeff Bridges. Murray was working on the CBS contemporary Western “Harts of the West” alongside Jeff’s father, Lloyd Bridges, and brother, Beau Bridges, as the latter’s son. Jeff was set to star in one episode, but a scheduling conflict prevented him.
“They got Harmon to come and do the part instead … which I’ll never forget,” Murray told the outlet of their first meeting. “And he made an impression on me even back then.” Though the two actors didn’t spend much time filming the episode together, Murray must have also made an impression on Harmon. “He remembered me after all those years when I came to ‘NCIS,'” he said on CBS‘ “The Talk” in 2017.
It would be another decade before Harmon and Murray’s paths crossed again, but the younger actor continued to look up to Harmon for inspiration. “He’s a mentor and one of my best friends. One of the best work partners I’ve ever had,” Murray told the Philippine Daily Inquirer in 2021. Murray also credited Harmon with making “NCIS” into the phenomenon it became. “He’s got these qualities of a leader that have made the show what it is today. He’s our quarterback,” he added.
Nicki
