One of the most beloved actors of all, James Gregory was born December 23, 1911, in the Bronx and grew up in New Rochelle, N.Y. In high school, he was elected president of the Drama Club. He went to work on Wall Street as a runner shortly after the 1929 crash. James Gregory performed in drama groups and achieved pro status as a summer stock player in 1935. He performed in plays throughout New York, New Jersey and Maryland. His troupe of performers toured small towns in Pennsylvania and West Virginia, towing a trailer full of theatre props; they performed in school gyms, churches and YMCAs, earning $25 for a week of one-night stands. In 1939, James Gregory made his Broadway debut in a production of "Key Largo". Over the next 16 years, he performed in approximately 25 Broadway productions. (His career was interrupted by W.W.II; he served for 3 years in the Navy and Marine Corps. His tour of duty took him to the Pacific where he spent 83 days on Okinawa.) One good thing that came out of the war years is that he married Anne in 1944, and they would stay together always. During his Broadway career, James Gregory earned consistently favorable reviews by drama critics from the New York Press, Boston Globe, New York Times, Chicago Tribune, Hollywood Reporter and Variety. James Gregory did a few TV spots as early as 1951, and in 1955 he made the transition from the Broadway stage to live television. The following year, after a couple of earlier uncredited movie appearances, he would also begin his movie career in earnest. He worked steadily throughout the early years of TV, working for major live television productions from New York to Hollywood. In 1959, James Gregory made television history by costarring in the pilot episode of the The Twilight Zone (1959); the episode "Where Is Everybody?" concerning the relevant topic of the USA winning the space race by sending a manned spaceship to the moon sold the series. James Gregory would play Dean Martin's exasperated boss MacDonald in the first 3 of the Matt Helm movies: The Silencers (1966), Murderers' Row (1966) and The Ambushers (1967). But he won his biggest acclaim as Inspector Frank Luger for the entire run of the TV series Barney Miller (1974) (1975-1982). This was his signature role; as the Inspector, he would be lovable, irritating, ingratiating, exasperating and humorous, sometimes all at the same time. He was Barney's buddy for 7 years, and the series ended with the Inspector getting himself a mail-order bride. James Gregory retired from acting in 1983, with over 100 TV and movie credits. He has entertained, uplifted and captivated us with his performances. He has endeared himself to a legion of fans. When asked to define his life's work, he simply said, "I am an actor". Fans would disagree with him. James Gregory is so much more -- role model and inspiration.
Movie | 4/20 Massacre | The Shape | 2018-04-03 |
Movie | Carnival of Souls | Headless demon | 1998-08-21 |
Movie | Wait 'Till Your Mother Gets Home | Dan Peters | 1983-01-17 |
Movie | The Flight of Dragons | Bryagh / Smrgol | 1982-08-17 |
Movie | Goldie and the Boxer Go to Hollywood | Leo Hackett | 1981-02-19 |
Movie | The Comeback Kid | Scotty | 1980-04-11 |
Movie | Gridlock | Gen. Caribou Caruthers | 1980-10-02 |
Movie | The Main Event | Gough | 1979-06-22 |
Series | Detective School | 1979-07-31 | |
Series | Flying High | Unknown | 1978-09-29 |
Movie | The Bastard | Will Campbell | 1978-05-22 |
Series | The Love Boat | Milton Benson | 1977-09-24 |
Series | All's Fair | Unknown | 1976-09-20 |
Series | Quincy, M.E. | Unknown | 1976-10-03 |
Movie | Francis Gary Powers: The True Story of the U-2 Spy Incident | James Donovan | 1976-09-29 |
Movie | The Abduction of Saint Anne | Pete Haggerty | 1975-01-21 |
Series | Barney Miller | Frank Luger | 1975-01-23 |
Movie | The Strongest Man in the World | Chief Blair | 1975-02-06 |
Series | Kolchak: The Night Stalker | Captain Quill | 1974-09-13 |
Series | Police Story | Unknown | 1973-03-20 |
Movie | Miracle on 34th Street | District Attorney | 1973-12-14 |
Movie | A Very Missing Person | Oscar Piper | 1972-03-04 |
Series | Emergency! | Unknown | 1972-01-22 |
Series | Temperatures Rising | James Jerome | 1972-09-12 |
Movie | The Marshal of Madrid | Oil Tycoon | 1972-01-01 |
Series | Sanford and Son | Unknown | 1972-01-14 |
Series | The Paul Lynde Show | Unknown | 1972-09-13 |
Movie | The Weekend Nun | Sid Richardson | 1972-12-21 |
Series | M*A*S*H | General Kelly | 1972-09-17 |
Series | The Streets of San Francisco | Unknown | 1972-09-23 |
Series | Search | Unknown | 1972-09-13 |
Movie | The Million Dollar Duck | Rutledge | 1971-06-30 |
Series | All in the Family | William R. Kirkwood | 1971-01-12 |
Movie | Shoot Out | Sam Foley | 1971-07-02 |
Movie | The Late Liz | Sam Burns | 1971-09-01 |
Series | Columbo | David Buckner | 1971-09-15 |
Series | Cannon | Unknown | 1971-09-14 |
Series | McCloud | Unknown | 1970-02-17 |
Movie | The Hawaiians | Dr. Whipple Sr. (uncredited) | 1970-06-17 |
Movie | Beneath the Planet of the Apes | Ursus | 1970-04-23 |
Series | The Headmaster | Unknown | 1970-09-18 |
Series | Night Gallery | Unknown | 1970-12-16 |
Movie | The Love God? | Darrell Evans Hughes | 1969-08-01 |
Series | My World and Welcome to It | Unknown | 1969-09-15 |
Series | The Outsider | Unknown | 1968-09-18 |
Series | Premiere | Unknown | 1968-07-01 |
Series | Hawaii Five-O | Mike Finney | 1968-09-20 |
Movie | The Secret War of Harry Frigg | Gen. Homer Prentiss | 1968-02-29 |
Movie | Cocoon | Jonathan Kaye | 1968-09-20 |
Series | The Mod Squad | Unknown | 1968-09-24 |
Series | Lancer | Unknown | 1968-09-24 |
Series | The Outcasts | Unknown | 1968-09-23 |
Series | Cimarron Strip | Unknown | 1967-09-07 |
Series | Judd for the Defense | Unknown | 1967-09-08 |
Series | Ironside | Unknown | 1967-03-28 |
Series | The High Chaparral | Jake Stoner | 1967-09-10 |
Movie | The Ambushers | MacDonald | 1967-12-22 |
Movie | Clambake | Duster Heyward | 1967-12-04 |
Series | Tarzan | Unknown | 1966-09-08 |
Movie | The Silencers | MacDonald | 1966-02-18 |
Series | That Girl | Unknown | 1966-09-08 |
Series | Star Trek | Dr. Tristan Adams | 1966-09-08 |
Movie | Murderers' Row | MacDonald | 1966-12-20 |
Series | Mission: Impossible | Unknown | 1966-09-17 |
Series | F Troop | Unknown | 1965-09-14 |
Movie | The Sons of Katie Elder | Morgan Hastings | 1965-06-23 |
Series | The Big Valley | Harry Bodine | 1965-09-15 |
Movie | Quick, Before It Melts | Vice Admiral | 1965-01-20 |
Movie | A Rage to Live | Dr. O'Brien | 1965-10-20 |
Series | Hogan's Heroes | Unknown | 1965-09-17 |
Series | The F.B.I. | Bert Anslem | 1965-09-19 |
Series | The Loner | Unknown | 1965-09-18 |
Series | The Wild Wild West | Unknown | 1965-09-17 |
Movie | A Distant Trumpet | Maj. Gen. Alexander Upton Quaint | 1964-05-20 |
Series | Daniel Boone | Captain Asa Webb | 1964-09-24 |
Series | The Lieutenant | Unknown | 1963-09-14 |
Movie | PT 109 | Commander C.R. Ritchie | 1963-06-26 |
Series | The Fugitive | Pete Crandall | 1963-09-17 |
Movie | Captain Newman, M.D. | Col. Edgar Pyser | 1963-12-25 |
Series | Kraft Suspense Theatre | Lieutenant Wade | 1963-10-10 |
Movie | Twilight of Honor | Norris Bixby | 1963-11-13 |
Movie | Two Weeks in Another Town | Brad Byrd | 1962-08-17 |
Series | Sam Benedict | Unknown | 1962-09-15 |
Series | The Alfred Hitchcock Hour | Fred Kruger | 1962-09-20 |
Series | The Virginian | Cal Young | 1962-09-19 |
Movie | The Manchurian Candidate | Sen. John Yerkes Iselin | 1962-10-24 |
Series | Target: The Corruptors! | Unknown | 1961-09-29 |
Series | Ben Casey | Unknown | 1961-10-02 |
Series | The Defenders | Paul Tasso | 1961-09-16 |
Series | The New Breed | Father Al | 1961-10-03 |
Movie | X-15 | Tom Deparma | 1961-12-22 |
Movie | The Snows of Kilimanjaro | Editor | 1960-03-25 |
Series | Thriller | Howard Yates | 1960-09-13 |
Series | My Three Sons | Unknown | 1960-09-29 |
Movie | Hey Boy! Hey Girl! | Father Burton | 1959-08-05 |
Series | Rawhide | Lash Whitcomb | 1959-01-09 |
Movie | Al Capone | Schaefler (narrator) | 1959-03-25 |
Series | The Lawless Years | Barney Ruditsky | 1959-04-16 |
Series | Bonanza | Mulvaney | 1959-09-12 |
Series | The Twilight Zone | Air Force General | 1959-10-02 |
Series | The DuPont Show with June Allyson | John Kramer | 1959-09-21 |
Series | Laramie | Unknown | 1959-09-15 |
Movie | Underwater Warrior | Lt. William Arnold | 1958-02-14 |
Movie | A Town Has Turned to Dust | Hennify | 1958-06-19 |
Movie | Onionhead | Lt. Cmdr. Fox aka The Skipper | 1958-10-25 |
Series | Westinghouse Desilu Playhouse | Unknown | 1958-10-06 |
Movie | The Young Stranger | Sergeant Shipley | 1957-02-01 |
Movie | The Big Caper | Flood | 1957-03-28 |
Movie | Gun Glory | Grimsell | 1957-07-19 |
Movie | The Scarlet Hour | Ralph Nevins | 1956-04-01 |
Movie | Nightfall | Ben Fraser | 1956-11-09 |
Series | Alfred Hitchcock Presents | John Gregory | 1955-10-02 |
Series | Gunsmoke | Wes Martin | 1955-09-10 |
Series | Playwrights '56 | Unknown | 1955-10-04 |
Movie | At This Moment | Bill Ritter | 1954-01-01 |
Series | Inner Sanctum | Unknown | 1954-01-09 |
Series | Climax! | Dr. Froelich | 1954-10-07 |
Movie | Knife in the Dark | Willie | 1954-12-07 |
Series | General Electric Theater | Sandy Green | 1953-02-01 |
Series | Letter to Loretta | Jim Patton | 1953-09-20 |
Movie | The Frogmen | Chief Petty Officer Lane | 1951-01-25 |
Series | Schlitz Playhouse of Stars | Unknown | 1951-10-05 |
Series | Robert Montgomery Presents | Unknown | 1950-01-30 |
Series | Lux Video Theatre | Mr. Randolph | 1950-10-02 |
Series | Danger | Unknown | 1950-09-26 |
Series | Suspense | Jerry | 1949-01-06 |
Movie | The Things People Want | Pete | 1948-01-01 |
Movie | The Naked City | Patrolman Albert Hicks (uncredited) | 1948-03-04 |
Series | The Philco Television Playhouse | Angus | 1948-10-03 |
Series | Studio One | Mr. Bales | 1948-11-07 |