James Gregory

Known for ActingBorn 1911-12-23Died 2002-09-16Bronx, New York, USA

James Gregory (December 23, 1911 – September 16, 2002) was an American actor. His best-known roles include Schaffer in Al Capone (1959), the McCarthy-like Sen. John Iselin in The Manchurian Candidate (1962), General Ursus in Beneath the Planet of the Apes (1970), and Inspector Frank Luger in the television sitcom Barney Miller (1975–1982). Gregory grew up in New Rochelle, NY. 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. 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, 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 WWII; 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. He married Anne Miltner in 1944; they were married for 58 years (until his death). During his Broadway career, Gregory earned consistently favorable reviews by drama critics from the New York Press, Boston Globe, New York Times, Chicago Tribune, Hollywood Reporter and Variety. 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, 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. 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). One of his final roles, perhaps his most acclaimed, was as Inspector Frank Luger for the entire run of Barney Miller (1975 - 1982). As the Inspector, he would be lovable, irritating, ingratiating, exasperating, and humorous, sometimes all at the same time. Gregory retired from acting in 1983, with over 100 TV and movie credits.Read more

Movies & web series

Hey Boy! Hey Girl!

The Twilight Zone

Goldie and the Boxer Go to Hollywood

Columbo

The Abduction of Saint Anne

The Late Liz

M*A*S*H

Star Trek

Emergency!

Night Gallery

Inner Sanctum

A Very Missing Person

The Alfred Hitchcock Hour

All in the Family

All's Fair

Kolchak: The Night Stalker

Cocoon

Judd, for the Defense

Alfred Hitchcock Presents

The New Breed

Kraft Television Theatre

Quincy, M.E.

Mission: Impossible

The Wild Wild West

Sanford and Son

Temperatures Rising

Danger

Barney Miller

Hogan's Heroes

The Manchurian Candidate

Bonanza

The Fugitive

McCloud

Hawaii Five-O

Rawhide

The Streets of San Francisco

Search

The Bastard

Off the Wall

Francis Gary Powers: The True Story of the U-2 Spy Incident

Police Story

The Weekend Nun

Schlitz Playhouse of Stars

The Headmaster

The Sons of Katie Elder

The Naked City

Daniel Boone

The Lieutenant

MAS*H