Mark Harmon and Wife Pam Dawber - Secrets of the NCIS Star's Happily Married Life

In one episode of NCIS, Mark Harmon actual wife, Pam Dawber, made a surprise appearance. She played Marcie Warren, an investigative journalist who showed up multiple times throughout the season.

Yo, so Dawber got signed for four episodes and in celebration, Parade.com is checking out how Harmon and Dawber's bond started, why it's working, when they had kids and all that jazz.

How did Mark Harmon and Pam Dawber meet?

Dawber and Harmon actually met at a party thrown by a friend they both knew. They started dating, but kept it on the down-low, despite being well-known celebrities. Dawber said it was mainly because they wanted to protect themselves. "We're not trying to keep anything secret, but if you don't want it to be fully exploited by the press, you have to do it," Dawber told PEOPLE.

When did Mark Harmon and Pam Dawber get married?

Harmon and Dawber tied the knot on March 21, 1987 at the Harvard-Westlake School chapel in Studio City, Calif. Apparently, Harmon had graduated from there in '69. Only a handful of friends and fam were there to witness the ceremony, as reported by the Associated Press.

The next day, at a chill barbecue with friends, the couple made the announcement to everyone before heading off to Vancouver, BC for their honeymoon, where Harmon was filming the movie, After the Promise.

So, What's their secret to a happy marriage?

“There’s no quick answer, no key. I just feel fortunate,” Harmon told Parade. “She’s a neat lady.”

Harmon also told PEOPLE, “We were both in our 30s when we got married, so hopefully the stupid stuff, we did earlier. That’s probably the closest I have to what the key is.”

Do Mark Harmon and Pam Dawber have kids?

They've got two boys: Sean Thomas Harmon, born in '88, and Ty Christian Harmon, born in '92. Sean's actually an actor too and has played a younger version of Special Agent Leroy Jethro Gibbs on NCIS a few times.