James Gregory
Born
December 23, 1911
Died
September 16, 2002 (90 years old)
Known For
Acting
Place of Birth
Bronx, New York, USA
One of the most beloved actors of all, James Gregory was born December 23, 1911, in the Bronx and 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. 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 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). 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.
Known For

Wait Till Your Mother Gets Home
Dan Peters
1983

The Flight of Dragons
Bryagh / Smrgol (voice)
1982

Goldie and the Boxer Go to Hollywood
Leo Hackett
1981

Gridlock
Gen. Caribou Caruthers
1980

The Comeback Kid
Scotty
1980

Detective School
(23 episodes)
1979

The Main Event
Gough
1979

Flying High
(1 episode)
1978

The Bastard
Will Campbell
1978

The Love Boat
Milton Benson · (1 episode)
1977

Quincy, M.E.
(1 episode)
1976

Quincy, M.E.
Tony Gordon · (1 episode)
1976

Francis Gary Powers: The True Story of the U-2 Spy Incident
James Donovan
1976

All's Fair
(1 episode)
1976

The Strongest Man in the World
Chief Blair
1975

Barney Miller
Inspector Frank Luger · (40 episodes)
1975

Barney Miller
Frank Luger · (23 episodes)
1975

The Abduction of Saint Anne
Pete Haggerty
1975

Kolchak: The Night Stalker
Captain Quill · (1 episode)
1974

Miracle on 34th Street
District Attorney
1973

Police Story
(4 episodes)
1973

The Weekend Nun
Sid Richardson
1972

The Streets of San Francisco
(1 episode)
1972

M*A*S*H
General Kelly · (1 episode)
1972

Search
(1 episode)
1972

The Paul Lynde Show
(2 episodes)
1972
Temperatures Rising
James Jerome · (1 episode)
1972

A Very Missing Person
Oscar Piper
1972

Emergency!
(1 episode)
1972

Sanford and Son
(3 episodes)
1972

The Marshal of Madrid
Oil Tycoon
1972

Columbo
David Buckner · (2 episodes)
1971

Cannon
(1 episode)
1971

The Late Liz
Sam Burns
1971

Shoot Out
Sam Foley
1971

The Million Dollar Duck
Rutledge
1971

All in the Family
William R. Kirkwood · (1 episode)
1971

Night Gallery
(1 episode)
1970

The Headmaster
(1 episode)
1970

The Hawaiians
Dr. Whipple Sr. (uncredited)
1970

Beneath the Planet of the Apes
Ursus
1970

McCloud
(1 episode)
1970

My World and Welcome to It
(1 episode)
1969

The Love God?
Darrell Evans Hughes
1969

The Mod Squad
(1 episode)
1968

Lancer
(1 episode)
1968

The Outcasts
(1 episode)
1968

Cocoon
Jonathan Kaye
1968

Hawaii Five-O
Jonathan Kaye · (2 episodes)
1968

Hawaii Five-O
Mike Finney · (1 episode)
1968

The Outsider
(1 episode)
1968
Premiere
(1 episode)
1968

The Secret War of Harry Frigg
Gen. Homer Prentiss
1968

The Ambushers
MacDonald
1967

Clambake
Duster Heyward
1967

The Hunted
Buckman
1967

The High Chaparral
Jake Stoner · (1 episode)
1967

Judd for the Defense
(1 episode)
1967

Cimarron Strip
(1 episode)
1967

Ironside
Herb Jarman · (1 episode)
1967

Ironside
TV Presenter · (1 episode)
1967

Ironside
Tony Hudson · (1 episode)
1967

Murderers' Row
MacDonald
1966

Mission: Impossible
(1 episode)
1966

Star Trek
Dr. Tristan Adams · (1 episode)
1966

That Girl
(4 episodes)
1966

Tarzan
(1 episode)
1966

The Silencers
MacDonald
1966

A Rage to Live
Dr. O'Brien
1965

The F.B.I.
Bert Anslem · (1 episode)
1965

The Loner
(1 episode)
1965

The Wild Wild West
(1 episode)
1965

Hogan's Heroes
General Biedenbender · (1 episode)
1965

The Big Valley
Simon Carter · (1 episode)
1965

The Big Valley
Harry Bodine · (1 episode)
1965

The Big Valley
Senator Jim Bannard · (1 episode)
1965

F Troop
(3 episodes)
1965

The Sons of Katie Elder
Morgan Hastings
1965

Quick, Before It Melts
Vice Admiral
1965

Daniel Boone
Captain Asa Webb · (1 episode)
1964

A Distant Trumpet
Maj. Gen. Alexander Upton Quaint
1964

Captain Newman, M.D.
Col. Edgar Pyser
1963

Twilight of Honor
Norris Bixby
1963

Kraft Suspense Theatre
Lieutenant Wade · (1 episode)
1963

The Fugitive
Pete Crandall · (1 episode)
1963

The Lieutenant
(2 episodes)
1963

PT 109
Commander C.R. Ritchie
1963

The Manchurian Candidate
Sen. John Yerkes Iselin
1962

The Alfred Hitchcock Hour
Fred Kruger · (1 episode)
1962

The Virginian
Slim Jessup · (1 episode)
1962

The Virginian
Cal Young · (1 episode)
1962

Sam Benedict
(1 episode)
1962

Two Weeks in Another Town
Brad Byrd
1962

X-15
Tom Deparma
1961

The New Breed
Father Al · (1 episode)
1961

Ben Casey
(1 episode)
1961

Target: The Corruptors!
(1 episode)
1961

The Defenders
Paul Tasso · (1 episode)
1961

My Three Sons
(1 episode)
1960

Thriller
Howard Yates · (1 episode)
1960

The Snows of Kilimanjaro
Editor
1960

The Twilight Zone
Confederate Sergeant · (1 episode)
1959

The Twilight Zone
Air Force General · (1 episode)
1959

The DuPont Show with June Allyson
John Kramer · (1 episode)
1959

Laramie
(1 episode)
1959

Bonanza
Mulvaney · (1 episode)
1959

Bonanza
Sgt. Mike Russell · (1 episode)
1959

Hey Boy! Hey Girl!
Father Burton
1959

The Lawless Years
Barney Ruditsky · (48 episodes)
1959

Al Capone
Schaefler (narrator)
1959

Rawhide
Owen Spencer · (1 episode)
1959

Rawhide
Lash Whitcomb · (1 episode)
1959

Rawhide
Mister Brothers · (1 episode)
1959

Onionhead
Lt. Cmdr. Fox aka The Skipper
1958

Westinghouse Desilu Playhouse
(1 episode)
1958

A Town Has Turned to Dust
Hennify
1958
Underwater Warrior
Lt. William Arnold
1958

Gun Glory
Grimsell
1957

The Big Caper
Flood
1957

The Young Stranger
Sergeant Shipley
1957

Nightfall
Ben Fraser
1956

The Scarlet Hour
Ralph Nevins
1956
Playwrights '56
(1 episode)
1955

Alfred Hitchcock Presents
Mr. Wescott · (1 episode)
1955

Alfred Hitchcock Presents
Wayne Campbell · (1 episode)
1955

Alfred Hitchcock Presents
John Gregory · (1 episode)
1955

Gunsmoke
Scanlon, Sr. · (1 episode)
1955

Gunsmoke
Judge Calvin Strom · (1 episode)
1955

Gunsmoke
Wes Martin · (1 episode)
1955

Climax!
Joe McCarthy · (1 episode)
1954

Climax!
Dr. Froelich · (1 episode)
1954

Inner Sanctum
(2 episodes)
1954

At This Moment
Bill Ritter
1954

Letter to Loretta
Jim Patton · (1 episode)
1953

General Electric Theater
Sandy Green · (1 episode)
1953

Schlitz Playhouse of Stars
Morgan · (1 episode)
1951

Schlitz Playhouse of Stars
Lieutenant Billy Kyle · (1 episode)
1951

Schlitz Playhouse of Stars
(1 episode)
1951

The Frogmen
Chief Petty Officer Lane
1951
Lux Video Theatre
Mac · (1 episode)
1950
Lux Video Theatre
Mr. Randolph · (1 episode)
1950
Danger
(1 episode)
1950
Danger
Willie · (1 episode)
1950

Robert Montgomery Presents
(1 episode)
1950

Suspense
(1 episode)
1949

Suspense
Jerry · (1 episode)
1949

Studio One
Gas Man · (1 episode)
1948

Studio One
Mr. Black · (1 episode)
1948

Studio One
James Metcalf · (1 episode)
1948

Studio One
Mr. Bales · (1 episode)
1948

Studio One
George Monzo · (1 episode)
1948

Studio One
Corey · (1 episode)
1948

Studio One
Private Alan Pomeroy · (1 episode)
1948

The Philco Television Playhouse
(2 episodes)
1948

The Philco Television Playhouse
Lester Thompson · (1 episode)
1948

The Philco Television Playhouse
Angus · (1 episode)
1948

The Naked City
Patrolman Albert Hicks (uncredited)
1948

The Things People Want
Pete
1948