George Schenck, who served as a writer, producer, and showrunner on the hit CBS drama NCIS, has died at the age of 82, peacefully in his Brentwood, CA home.
“So sorry to hear the news on George. The professionalism and tenacity of George and Frank changed the face of the show. I’m so appreciative of the team and teamwork they both represented,” Mark Harmon, who starred as Leroy Jethro Gibbs for 19 seasons and will now narrate and executive produce the prequel NCIS: Origins, said in a statement.
Schenck joined NCIS in its first season in 2003 as a consulting producer (his first credited episode as such was Episode 7 “Sub Rosa,” also the first episode he wrote). He became a co-executive producer with Season 5, then executive producer starting with Season 9. He was credited as a writer on 48 episodes, with the last coming in Season 16, with Episode 9 “Tailing Angie.” Schenck and his producing partner Frank Cardea became co-showrunners following Gary Glasberg’s death in 2016, and Schenck retired in 2018.
Schenck was born February 12, 1942, in New York City. He studied at the University of Southern California and graduated with a degree in screenwriting. He also achieved a graduate degree in the first class of the Film School’s new writers’ program. After school, he served in the U.S. Navy. His father was producer Aubrey Schenck and his great uncles were Nicholas and Joseph Schenck, who ran MGM and 20th Century Fox.
Schenck co-created and wrote for numerous beloved TV shows. His first producing credit in TV came in 1981 for Fantasy Island as a co-supervising producer. He also produced and wrote Bring ‘Em Back Alive, Crazy Like a Fox, Soldier of Fortune, Inc., and Hack. His feature film and TV movie credits also included More Dead Than Alive, Superbeast, Futureworld, Sawyer and Finn, Still Crazy Like a Fox, The Hit Man, and Dying to Remember.
Schenck is survived by his sons Kirk and Jeff, daughters-in-law Allison and Natalie, and five grandchildren. There will be a private memorial service for his family and close friends. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to the Writers Guild Foundation in George Schenck’s memory, supporting young writers pursuing their dreams.
