‘NCIS: Los Angeles’ Honors Producer David Bellisario in Season 12 Premiere

NCIS: Los Angeles concluded its Season 12 premiere with a moving tribute to producer David Bellisario, who passed away in July 2020 after a long battle with brain cancer. Bellisario has been with NCIS since its early days in 2003 and worked on all 11 seasons of NCIS: Los Angeles before his tragic death.

While many NCIS fans may not have been familiar with David Bellisario’s body of work, many are curious about his contribution to the franchise. Who is David Bellisario, NCIS: Los Angeles producer? What else has David Bellisario worked on? Here’s everything you need to know about this talented producer.

WHO IS DAVID BELLISARIO?

David Bellisario was a longtime producer on NCIS shows, including NCIS: Los Angeles. According to Newsweek, he passed away on July 24, 2020 at the age of 63. Bellisario was diagnosed with brain cancer in March 2019, and he continued to battle the disease until his death.

WHAT DID THE DAVID BELLISARIO NCIS: LOS ANGELES TITLE CARD SAY?

NCIS: Los Angeles paid tribute to Bellisario with a moving title card at the end of the Season 12 premiere (“The Bear”) on Sunday night. “In loving memory of our friend, and colleague, whose gentleness and wisdom will be forever cherished,” said the show’s title card.

DAVID BELLISARIO NCIS: HOW LONG HAS DAVID BELLISARIO WORKED ON NCIS?

Bellisario has been involved with the NCIS franchise since its early days as a spinoff of CBS legal drama JAG. At the time, Bellisario served as a producer on JAG, and his involvement only increased when NCIS officially debuted in 2003. According to his IMDb page, he was credited on 137 episodes of NCIS from 2003 to 2009, when he made the pivot over to NCIS: Los Angeles. Over the past decade, Bellisario oversaw all 11 seasons of NCIS: LA spinoff and produced at least 238 episodes of the CBS spinoff.

ARE THERE OTHER DAVID BELLISARIO SHOWS ON TV?

Yes! Before Bellisario became involved with JAG and NCIS, he worked his way up from production assistant to associate producer on the original Magnum P.I., which aired from 1980 to 1988. He was later promoted to full producer on Quantum Leap, an NBC sci-fi series. Both Magnum P.I. and Quantum Leap were created by David Bellisario’s father, Donald P. Bellisario.

The original Magnum P.I. and select episodes of Quantum Leap are available for purchase on Amazon Prime Video.

Watch NCIS: Los Angeles Season 12 Premiere on CBS All Access