Donald Bellisario
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| Donald P. Bellisario | |
 Donald Bellisario at Leap Con 1993
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| Born | Donald Paul Bellisario August 8, 1935 Cokeburg, Pennsylvania |
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| Nationality | American  |
| Alma mater | Pennsylvania State University |
| Occupation | Television producer and Screenwriter |
| Known for | Magnum, P.I., Tales of the Gold Monkey, Airwolf, Quantum Leap, JAG, NCIS, NCIS: Los Angeles |
| Spouse(s) | Vivienne Bellisario (November 27, 1998 - present) Deborah Pratt (June 30, 1984 - 1991; 2 children) Lynn Halpern (October 24, 1979 - ?; 1 child) Margaret Schaffran (1955 - 1975) |
| Children | David Bellisario, Troian Bellisario, Michael Bellisario, Sean Murray (stepson), Chad W. Murray (stepson) |
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It has been suggested that Belisarius Productions be merged into this article or section. (Discuss) |
Donald Paul Bellisario (born August 8, 1935) is an American television producer and screenwriter. His latest television project was NCIS with writer Don McGill. Sources reported in May 2007 that Bellisario was leaving NCIS. [1]
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[edit] Early life
Bellisario was born in Cokeburg, Pennsylvania to a Serbian mother and Italian father (born in Gamberale, Abruzzo, Italy). 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. He also attended Butler Community College in El Dorado, Kansas. In 2001 he was named a Distinguished Alumnus—the highest honor bestowed on a graduate of Penn State. In 2006, Bellisario endowed a $1 million Trustee Matching Scholarship in the Penn State College of Communications. He recalled:
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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, 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., Airwolf, Quantum Leap, JAG, and NCIS. Less-known creations include Tales of the Gold Monkey, 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.
A trademark motif can be found throughout most of Bellisario's work: the tendency for the protagonist to be a current or former member of the United States Armed Forces. This obviously stems from Bellisario's own service in the United States Marine Corps. Examples are Tom Selleck's character in Magnum, P.I., Thomas Magnum, who is a U.S. Naval Academy graduate, former SEAL officer and Vietnam veteran; Stringfellow Hawke who is also a Vietnam Veteran and is still looking for his brother who is missing in action; Commander Harmon “Harm” Rabb, Jr., the main character of JAG who is also a Naval Academy graduate and former Naval Aviator; and NCIS's main character Leroy Jethro Gibbs, who is a retired Marine Corps Gunnery Sergeant and sniper. Although the character Dr. Sam Beckett wasn't in the armed forces, the other main character in Quantum Leap, former Naval Aviator, Vietnam prisoner of war and retired Rear Admiral Al Calavicci, was. Another connection that all of his main characters have is August 8 birthdays. Notably, the last episode of Quantum Leap takes place on August 8, 1953, Sam Beckett's birthday, and the reverse of the last two digits of Bellisario's own birth year.
Bellisario received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2004, which he showed off on an episode of JAG.
In an interview with Sci-Fi Channel in the late 1990s, Bellisario said he was inspired to create Quantum Leap in 1988 after reading a novel about time travel. His service alongside John F. Kennedy's assassin, Lee Harvey Oswald, was the basis for a two-hour (two-part in reruns) episode of Quantum Leap, "Lee Harvey Oswald" (the fifth season premiere, originally aired September 22, 1992).
[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 and who also played Charles 'Chip' Sterling on NCIS. He also has a daughter, Troian Bellisario, who played Sarah McGee on NCIS; Sean Murray who plays Timothy McGee on the same series is his stepson. His younger stepson, Chad W. Murray, works in production on NCIS. His son, David Bellisario, is a producer on NCIS. He has identified himself as socially liberal and fiscally conservative, and "especially" conservative towards the Military. Bellisario also has a son, Nick Bellisario, who plans to pursue a career in the gaming industry. He also has 4 children from his first marriage to Margaret (married 1956-1974), including a daughter, Leslie, born c. 1961.
