Gary Khammar was a home entertainment visionary who played a crucial role in creating behind-the-scenes content including DVD extras for popular shows such as NCIS and Criminal Minds.
Khammar was honored by the producers of NCIS with an in-memoriam / title card tribute following the season 22 episode 3 show, the Halloween-themed episode ‘The Trouble with Hal’.
So who was Gary Khammar and what was his contribution to NCIS? When did he die? Read on to learn all about this giant of home entertainment.
Gary Khammar Obituary – Who was he and what was his connection to NCIS?
Gary Khammar was born in 1951 to Fred and Catherine Khammar in Watertown, New York. He graduated from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst and began working in the record industry before later transitioning to home video.
Over the course of three decades after that, Khammar became a legend in the home entertainment video industry, working with Columbia Pictures Home Entertainment and RCA/Columbia Pictures Home Video, the precursors to Sony Pictures Home Entertainment.
He later formed his own company, Light Source & Imagery, a production and post-production company that created content for global entertainment companies and other businesses.
In this capacity, he produced a copious number of video shorts that were often used as DVD and Blu-ray extras. Khammar worked for television shows such as Fire Country, NCIS Los Angeles, Criminal Minds; Evolution, Seal Team and CSI Las Vegas.
His videos also appeared the 50th anniversary release of The Nutty Professor, and Kubrick Remembered, which was included on Stanley Kubrick: The Masterpiece Collection.
READ ALSO: Dr Justin Singer, Grand Rapids MD Passes Away
Gary Khammar died on May 2, 2024. He was 73.
Khammar began his career in the big leagues in the 80s, when he joined Columbia Pictures Home Entertainment. In 1981, he was transferred to Los Angeles from the East Coast alongside a couple of other Executives – Rob Blattner and Fritz Friedman. The trio were charged with upscaling the studio’s home video operation by moving it closer to Hollywood.
After a decade, Khammar resigned as Executive Vice President of Columbia Pictures Home Entertainment and RCA/Columbia Pictures Home Video. He then founded his own company, Light Source & Imagery, in 1990, to produce content for studios and other businesses.
Prior to his passing, Khammar was reportedly working on a documentary on the home video business.
He is survived by his wife, Nancy, son Jordan, daughter Ashley, and four grandchildren.