Donald Bellisario

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Donald Paul Bellisario (born August 8, 1935) is an American television producer and scriptwriter. His current television project is NCIS with writer Don McGill.

1 Early life
2 Hollywood career
3 Personal life
4 Trivia
5 Notes
6 External links

[edit] Early life

Bellisario was born in Cokeburg, Pennsylvania. He served in the U.S. Marine Corps from 1955 to 1959, attaining the rank of sergeant and earning the Marine Corps Good Conduct Medal.

Bellisario earned a bachelors degree in journalism at Pennsylvania State University in 1961. In 2001 he was named a Distinguished Alumnus—the highest honor bestowed on a graduate of the University. In 2006, Bellisario endowed a $1 million Trustee Matching Scholarship in the Penn State College of Communications. He recalled:

Growing up in a hardscrabble western Pennsylvania coal mining town, I know first hand the sacrifices that are made to give a son or daughter a university education…and as a Marine veteran who returned to Penn State with two small children and little money, I remember all too well that struggle. It's my hope that this scholarship will also ease the financial burden of other young men and women who have defended our country to attain their academic goals.^[1]

Bellisario worked in advertising for fifteen years as a copywriter and a creative director. He began working in Lancaster, Pennsylvania before moving to a major agency in Dallas, Texas. From there, he made what he has described as his "big gamble": moving to Hollywood to pursue screenwriting and production.

[edit] Hollywood career

After working under such television producers as Glen A. Larson and Stephen J. Cannell, Bellisario adopted some of their production techniques, most notably utilizing a small “pool” of actors which he uses for his many productions.

He has created several successful TV series, including Magnum, P.I., Tales of the Gold Monkey, Airwolf, Quantum Leap, JAG, and NCIS. Less-known creations include Tequila & Bonetti and First Monday. He was also writer/producer on Black Sheep Squadron and the original Battlestar Galactica. He wrote and directed on the 1988 feature film Last Rites.

Two trademark motifs can be found throughout most of Bellisario's work: First is the tendency for the protagonist to be a current or former member of the Armed Forces. This obviously stems from Bellisario's own service in the United States Marine Corps. An example is Tom Selleck's character in Magnum, P.I., who is a Vietnam veteran, and JAG's main character, Navy Captain Harmon “Harm” Rabb, Jr. A second motif is the presence of a nude woman in certain episodes. This has been seen in the finale of Magnum, P.I., the episode A Leap For Lisa in Quantum Leap, and an episode of JAG.

[edit] Personal life

Bellisario was married to actress and producer Deborah Pratt, who starred in several of his shows. He currently resides in Studio City, California with his fourth wife, Vivienne. He has a son, Michael Bellisario, who had a recurring role as Midshipman Michael Roberts on the US military drama JAG. He also has a daughter, Troian Bellisario, who played Sarah McGee on NCIS.

[edit] Trivia

In 2004 Bellisario received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, which he showed off on an episode of JAG.

In an interview with Sci-Fi Channel in the late '90s, Bellisario said he was inspired to create Quantum Leap in 1988 after reading a novel about time travel.