Mark Harmon's Wife Pam Dawber Sacrificed Her Blooming Career to Raise Their Kids | “Not Going to Chase This Fame Thing”

Pam Dawber and Mark Harmon have been together for nearly four decades. The NCIS star and the Mork & Mindy actress were introduced by a mutual friend in 1986. They tied the knot in 1987 at the peak of their careers. The couple shares two sons, Sean Thomas Harmon, born April 25, 1988, and Ty Christian Harmon, born June 25, 1992. They're a tight-knit family and Dawber sacrificed her fame to be a doting mom to her boys. 

It didn't matter how successful her career was becoming, Dawber made the choice to focus on raising her children. "I was in a number one show. I had my own deal. I got to do Broadway. I got to do musical theater. I got to do cartoon voices," Dawber told ET Online in 2016. "I did everything you can do in this business, and then I had children and it's like, 'I'm not going to chase this fame thing.'" She didn't want to miss out on her children growing up and wanted to be there for them during not just the big moments but the little joys too. "I wanted to drive my kids to school. I wanted to be there for their birthdays and bring cupcakes and donuts and do the school festivals and all that, and I did," Dawber said. "I got to teach in their art class and so it was a different life then and I was very happy to do it."

Dawber was also determined to keep her children's lives as well as the family's lives out of public scrutiny. "Notice you don't see us in the magazines," she said. "When you're married, that's real life. And to go and plaster your kids... I'm sorry. I'm not for that." At the time of the interview, she revealed that her sons still hadn't seen any of the work she's done as an actress. "I'm just their mom," she said at the time. "They don't care about what I did. They care about what they are doing. They want their parents to care about what they are doing. Their father is already iconic enough for two boys. I am just the mom."

Harmon and Dawber's marriage has turned out to be one of Hollywood's long-lasting relationships. "I'm proud to be married, and I'm proud of who I'm married to," the 71-year-old actor told PEOPLE in 2019. "I'm just so proud of her." As to the secret of their long-lasting relationship, Harmon believes it has something to do with the timing of when they got married. “We were both in our thirties when we got married, so hopefully the stupid stuff we did earlier,” he confessed. “That’s probably the closest I have to what the key is.”

References:

https://www.etonline.com/news/202666_exclusive_mork_mindy_star_pam_dawber_on_staying_married_hollywood_and_keeping_kids_out_of_headline

https://people.com/tv/mark-harmon-pam-dawber-marriage/

Cover Image Source: Getty Images | Photo by Frazer Harrison