Donald P. Bellisario

Donald P. Bellisario
Birth name	Donald Paul Bellisario
Born	August 8, 1935 in North Charleroi, Pennsylvania, USA
Sometimes credited as	Donald Bellisario
Notable Shows	Quantum Leap Airwolf Magnum, P.I. JAG NCIS
Awards	see below

Biography

Born on August 8, 1935 in North Charleroi, Pennsylvania, Donald P. Bellisario has produced or written for some of the most popular television dramas to cross the airwaves over the last 30 years. His writing credits include such popular shows as Kojak and Battlestar Galactica, and his producer/creator credits include Airwolf, Quantum Leap, Magnum, P.I., and most recently, military dramas JAG and NCIS.

Roles

Guest Starring Roles

Series	Role	Episode	Airdate
Magnum, P.I.	Desk Clerk	3x22 - Faith and Begorrah	April 28, 1983
Quantum Leap (uncredited)	Himself	2x10 - Catch a Falling Star	December 6, 1989
Quantum Leap (uncredited)	Dr. Timothy Mintz	2x11 - A Portrait for Troian	December 13, 1989
Quantum Leap (uncredited)	Miner at Bar	5x22 - Mirror Image	May 5, 1993
JAG (uncredited)	Himself	3x14 - Father's Day	February 3, 1998
JAG	Hugh Blackadder	3x24 - To Russia with Love (1)	May 19, 1998

Producer

Series Producer

Series	Year(s)	Credit	Season(s)
Baa Baa Black Sheep	1977 –1978	Producer
Battlestar Galactica	1978 –1979	Supervising Producer (credited as Donald Bellisario)	1
Magnum, P.I.	1980 –1982	Executive Producer
Tales of the Gold Monkey	1982 –1983	Executive Producer
Airwolf	1984 –1985	Executive Producer
Quantum Leap	1989 –1993	Executive Producer	1	2	3	4	5
Tequila and Bonetti	1992	Executive Producer
JAG	1995 –2005	Executive Producer
First Monday	2002	Executive Producer
NCIS	2003 –	Executive Producer
Quantum Leap	2022 –2024	Executive Producer	1	2

Episodes Produced

Series	Credit	Episode	Airdate
Battlestar Galactica (credited as Donald Bellisario)	Produced by	1x04 - The Lost Planet of the Gods (1)	September 24, 1978
Battlestar Galactica (credited as Donald Bellisario)	Produced by	1x05 - The Lost Planet of the Gods (2)	October 1, 1978
Battlestar Galactica (credited as Donald Bellisario)	Produced by	1x06 - The Lost Warrior	October 8, 1978

Writer

Series Creator

Series	Premiere Date	Creation Credit
Magnum, P.I.	December 11, 1980	Creator
Tales of the Gold Monkey	September 22, 1982	Creator
Airwolf	January 28, 1984	Creator
Quantum Leap	March 26, 1989	Creator
Tequila and Bonetti	January 17, 1992	Creator
JAG	September 23, 1995	Creator
First Monday	January 15, 2002	Co-Creator
NCIS	September 23, 2003	Co-Creator
Quantum Leap: A Bold Leap Forward	unproduced	Based on the television series created by
Quantum Leap	September 19, 2022	Creator

Episode Writer

Series	Episode	Airdate	Credit
Kojak	5x01 - The Queen of Hearts Is Wild	October 2, 1977
Switch	3x14 - Coronado Circle	February 7, 1978
Baa Baa Black Sheep	2x13 - A Little Bit of England	April 6, 1978
Battlestar Galactica (credited as Donald Bellisario)	1x04 - The Lost Planet of the Gods (1)	September 24, 1978
Battlestar Galactica (credited as Donald Bellisario)	1x05 - The Lost Planet of the Gods (2)	October 1, 1978
Battlestar Galactica (credited as Donald Bellisario)	1x06 - The Lost Warrior	October 8, 1978	Teleplay
Battlestar Galactica (credited as Donald Bellisario)	1x07 - The Long Patrol	October 15, 1978
Battlestar Galactica (credited as Donald Bellisario)	1x08 - The Gun on Ice Planet Zero (1)	October 22, 1978	Teleplay
Battlestar Galactica (credited as Donald Bellisario)	1x09 - The Gun on Ice Planet Zero (2)	October 29, 1978	Teleplay
Battlestar Galactica (credited as Donald Bellisario)	1x11 - The Young Lords	November 19, 1978
Battlestar Galactica (credited as Donald Bellisario)	1x17 - The Man with Nine Lives	January 28, 1979
Battlestar Galactica (credited as Donald Bellisario)	1x18 - Murder on the Rising Star	February 18, 1979	Teleplay
Battlestar Galactica (credited as Donald Bellisario)	1x21 - Baltar's Escape	March 11, 1979
Battlestar Galactica (credited as Donald Bellisario)	1x24 - The Hand of God	April 29, 1979
Quantum Leap	1x01/02 - Genesis	March 26, 1989
Quantum Leap	1x06 - Double Identity	April 21, 1989
Quantum Leap	1x09 - Play It Again, Seymour	May 17, 1989	Teleplay, Story
Quantum Leap	2x01 - Honeymoon Express	September 20, 1989
Quantum Leap	1x11 - A Portrait for Troian	December 13, 1989	Teleplay
Quantum Leap	2x14 - All-Americans	January 17, 1990
Quantum Leap	2x15 - Her Charm	February 7, 1990	Teleplay, Story
Quantum Leap	2x22 - M.I.A.	January 17, 1990
Quantum Leap	3x01 - The Leap Home (1)	September 28, 1990
Quantum Leap	3x02 - The Leap Home Part II - Vietnam (2)	October 5, 1990
Quantum Leap	3x19 - Last Dance Before an Execution	May 1, 1991	Story
Quantum Leap	4x01 - The Leap Back	September 18, 1991
Quantum Leap	4x09 - A Single Drop of Rain	November 20, 1991	Story
Quantum Leap	4x16 - Ghost Ship	March 4, 1992
Quantum Leap	4x22 - A Leap for Lisa	May 20, 1992
Quantum Leap	5x01/02 - Lee Harvey Oswald	September 22, 1992
Quantum Leap	5x22 - Mirror Image	May 5, 1993

Director

Episode Director

Series	Episode	Airdate	Credit
Baa Baa Black Sheep	2x13 - A Little Bit of England	April 6, 1978
Battlestar Galactica (credited as Donald Bellisario)	1x11 - The Young Lords	November 19, 1978
Battlestar Galactica (credited as Donald Bellisario)	1x24 - The Hand of God	April 29, 1979
Quantum Leap	2x10 - Catch a Falling Star	December 6, 1989

Awards and Accolades

• 1981: Edgar Award, Best Television Episode (Magnum, P.I.)
• 1982: Emmy Award Nomination, Best Drama Series (Magnum, P.I.)
• 1983: Emmy Award Nomination, Best Drama Series (Magnum, P.I.)
• 1984: Emmy Award Nomination, Best Drama Series (Magnum, P.I.)
• 1990: Emmy Award Nomination, Best Drama Series (Quantum Leap)
• 1991: Emmy Award Nomination, Best Drama Series (Quantum Leap)
• 1992: Emmy Award Nomination, Best Drama Series (Quantum Leap)
• 2004: Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame