James Gregory
Acting
Biography
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.
Born: December 23, 1911
Place of Birth: Bronx, New York, USA
Known For
Filmography
as Dan Peters
as Bryagh / Smrgol (voice)
as Leo Hackett
as Gen. Caribou Caruthers
as Scotty
as Gough
as Will Campbell
as Milton Benson
as Tony Gordon
as James Donovan
as Chief Blair
as Inspector Frank Luger
as Frank Luger
as Pete Haggerty
as Captain Quill
as District Attorney
as Sid Richardson
as General Kelly
as Oscar Piper
as Oil Tycoon
as David Buckner
as Sam Burns
as Sam Foley
as Rutledge
as William R. Kirkwood
as Dr. Whipple Sr. (uncredited)
as Ursus
as Darrell Evans Hughes
as Jonathan Kaye
as Jonathan Kaye
as Mike Finney
as Gen. Homer Prentiss
as MacDonald
as Duster Heyward
as Buckman
as Jake Stoner
as Herb Jarman
as TV Presenter
as Tony Hudson
as MacDonald
as Dr. Tristan Adams
as MacDonald
as Dr. O'Brien
as Bert Anslem
as General Biedenbender
as Simon Carter
as Senator Jim Bannard
as Harry Bodine
as Morgan Hastings
as Vice Admiral
as Captain Asa Webb
as Maj. Gen. Alexander Upton Quaint
as Col. Edgar Pyser
as Norris Bixby
as Lieutenant Wade
as Pete Crandall
as Commander C.R. Ritchie
as Sen. John Yerkes Iselin
as Fred Kruger
as Slim Jessup
as Cal Young
as Brad Byrd
as Tom Deparma
as Father Al
as Paul Tasso
as Howard Yates
as Endicott
as Editor
as Confederate Sergeant
as Air Force General
as John Kramer
as Mulvaney
as Sgt. Mike Russell
as Whitney Parker
as Father Burton
as Barney Ruditsky
as Schaefler (narrator)
as Owen Spencer
as Mister Brothers
as Lash Whitcomb
as Lt. Cmdr. Fox aka The Skipper
as Hennify
as Grimsell
as Flood
as Sergeant Shipley
as Ben Fraser
as Ralph Nevins
as Mr. Wescott
as Wayne Campbell
as John Gregory
as Scanlon, Sr.
as Judge Calvin Strom
as Wes Martin
as Joe McCarthy
as Dr. Froelich
as Bill Ritter
as Jim Patton
as Sandy Green
as Morgan
as Lieutenant Billy Kyle
as Chief Petty Officer Lane
as Jerry
as Gas Man
as Mr. Black
as James Metcalf
as Mr. Bales
as George Monzo
as Corey
as Private Alan Pomeroy
as Lester Thompson
as Angus
as Patrolman Albert Hicks (uncredited)
as Pete
as Steve