‘The Creator of ‘Quantum Leap’ Is Related to a ‘Pretty Little Liars’ Actor
There are without a doubt many more TV show stars that are related than you can think of, but the same last names aside — you would’ve never guessed the relationship between the creator of Quantum Leap (among many other hits) and one of the talented leads in Pretty Little Liars.
Despite growing up around someone as established and successful as the creator of Quantum Leap, this PLL star doesn’t like to throw around their close relationship as an advantage in the industry — but it’s because of this relationship they always knew they wanted to be in the acting industry. Keep reading to find out who they are and how they’re related!
‘Quantum Leap’ and its creator
Originating as a fantastic science fiction series in the late ’80s and early ’90s, the highly-rated show is said to be in the process of being turned into a film as we speak. The show is centered around a time-traveling physicist who leaps through the past into different bodies each week to make historical changes to what he believes are mistakes.
The mastermind behind the project? Donald Bellisario, a six-time Primetime Emmy nominee and television legend who has not only created and wrote for episodes of Quantum Leap but has also done the same for other great series like NCIS, Jag, Magnum P.I., Airwolf, and Tales of the Gold Monkey.
The ‘Pretty Little Liars’ Actor
The Pretty Little Liar actor in question is Troian Bellisario, who plays none other than Spencer Hastings in the show. A troubled high school teenager who gets mixed up in scandals, death, betrayal, love, sex, drugs and a whole web of lies with her friends after one friend from the group goes unexpectedly missing.
The seven-time award-winning actor is also known for playing the leading lady Lauren in the film Lauren, Amanda in Consent, and leading lady Clara in the film Clara. What fans may not know is she also appeared in Donald Bellisario’s hit TV series Quantum Leap as Teresa Bruckner, JAG as Erin Terry, and NCIS as Sarah Mcgee.
How they’re related and how it inspired Troian Bellisario
As it turns out, the two stars have the same last name because Donald Bellisario is Troian Bellisario’s father. No wonder she was so set on making on her own — throwing that name around would get anyone a hit role in a drop of a dime.
“My dad is a successful television producer, director, and writer, and my mom’s a director and writer. Even when I was young, I wanted to be an actress. I knew the actors and the paparazzi. It was just kind of always in my landscape,”
IMDb reports the PLL star saying. “It was never directed at me, but it was always somewhere, so I could see how it operated, and I could see it from afar and go ‘Wow, that’s not really glamorous, it’s kind of exhausting not having any privacy.’
The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree here, either. Not only has Torian made a name for herself in the same industry as her incredibly talented father, Donald Bellisario, but she also wrote a great film too — Feed — inspired by her own struggles. Who knows, we might get a piece in the future with a nice matchup from the entire Belisario family. Wouldn’t that be great?
