Donald Bellisario
From Free net encyclopedia
Current revision
Donald Paul Bellisario (born August 8, 1935 in North Charleroi, Pennsylvania) is an American television producer and scriptwriter. 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 feature film "Last Rites"
Bellisario served in the U.S. Marine Corps in the 1950s, with Lee Harvey Oswald. In 2004 he received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, which he showed off on an episode of JAG.
Two of Bellisario's trademark touches are represented in most of his famous shows. First, there is the ever present storyline of the hero being a Naval war veteran. This obviously stems from Bellisario's past in the armed services. For an example, refer to Magnum, P.I., where the hero Tom Selleck was a Vietnam veteran, and Naval intelligence officer. Second, is the presence of a "nude" woman in certain episodes. This has been seen in the finale to Magnum, P.I., Quantum Leap: A Leap for Lisa, and JAG. It is not known how Bellisario got this past the television censors.
His current television project is NCIS, with writer Don McGill.
He was inspired to create Quantum Leap after reading a novel about time travel back in 1988.
He was married to actress and producer Deborah Pratt, who has starred on several of his shows.
He has worked under famous television producers like Glen A. Larson and Stephen J. Cannell, and developed some of his production traits while working with them, such as utilizing a small stock group of actors for his many productions.
A graduate of Penn State University, Bellisario got his Bachelors in Journalism and worked 15 years in the advertising field writing commercials before moving to Hollywood to become a writer and producer.