James Gregory
Acting
Born: December 23, 1911 · Bronx, New York, USA
Died: September 16, 2002 (aged 90)
Highest Rated
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.
Known for
Star Trek
1966
Beneath the Planet of the Apes
1970
The Twilight Zone
1959
Columbo
1971
The Manchurian Candidate
1962
M*A*S*H
1972
Bonanza
1959
Mission: Impossible
1966
The Sons of Katie Elder
1965
The Naked City
1948
Alfred Hitchcock Presents
1955
The Love Boat
1977
Photos (5)
Movies (51)
Beneath the Planet of the Apes
Ursus
The Manchurian Candidate
Sen. John Yerkes Iselin
The Naked City
Patrolman Albert Hicks (uncredited)
The Flight of Dragons
Bryagh / Smrgol (voice)
The Sons of Katie Elder
Morgan Hastings
Clambake
Duster Heyward
The Million Dollar Duck
Rutledge
The Strongest Man in the World
Chief Blair
The Silencers
MacDonald
Shoot Out
Sam Foley
A Distant Trumpet
Maj. Gen. Alexander Upton Quaint
Murderers' Row
MacDonald
The Ambushers
MacDonald
Two Weeks in Another Town
Brad Byrd
Nightfall
Ben Fraser
The Love God?
Darrell Evans Hughes
Onionhead
Lt. Cmdr. Fox aka The Skipper
The Hawaiians
Dr. Whipple Sr. (uncredited)
Captain Newman, M.D.
Col. Edgar Pyser
The Secret War of Harry Frigg
Gen. Homer Prentiss
Al Capone
Schaefler (narrator)
The Main Event
Gough
The Frogmen
Chief Petty Officer Lane
PT 109
Commander C.R. Ritchie
The Big Caper
Flood
The Scarlet Hour
Ralph Nevins
The Young Stranger
Sergeant Shipley
The Comeback Kid
Scotty
A Rage to Live
Dr. O'Brien
Miracle on 34th Street
District Attorney
Gun Glory
Grimsell
Hey Boy! Hey Girl!
Father Burton
The Marshal of Madrid
Oil Tycoon
Francis Gary Powers: The True Story of the U-2 Spy Incident
James Donovan
X-15
Tom Deparma
Twilight of Honor
Norris Bixby
Wait Till Your Mother Gets Home
Dan Peters
Cocoon
Jonathan Kaye
Gridlock
Gen. Caribou Caruthers
Goldie and the Boxer Go to Hollywood
Leo Hackett
The Hunted
Buckman
A Very Missing Person
Oscar Piper
The Snows of Kilimanjaro
Editor
The Late Liz
Sam Burns
The Weekend Nun
Sid Richardson
The Abduction of Saint Anne
Pete Haggerty
A Town Has Turned to Dust
Hennify
Quick, Before It Melts
Vice Admiral
Journey to the Day
Endicott
The Things People Want
Pete
At This Moment
Bill Ritter
TV Shows (106)
Columbo
David Buckner · 2 eps
The Love Boat
Milton Benson · 1 eps
Star Trek
Dr. Tristan Adams · 1 eps
Ironside
Herb Jarman · 1 eps
Ironside
TV Presenter · 1 eps
Ironside
Tony Hudson · 1 eps
Hawaii Five-O
Jonathan Kaye · 1 eps
Hawaii Five-O
Mike Finney · 1 eps
The Alfred Hitchcock Hour
Fred Kruger · 1 eps
Bonanza
Mulvaney · 1 eps
Bonanza
Sgt. Mike Russell · 1 eps
Bonanza
Whitney Parker · 1 eps
Hogan's Heroes
General Biedenbender · 1 eps
M*A*S*H
General Kelly · 1 eps
The Fugitive
Pete Crandall · 1 eps
Robert Montgomery Presents
1 eps
The Virginian
Slim Jessup · 1 eps
The Virginian
Cal Young · 1 eps
The Wild Wild West
1 eps
The Twilight Zone
Confederate Sergeant · 1 eps
The Twilight Zone
Air Force General · 1 eps
Quincy, M.E.
1 eps
Quincy, M.E.
Tony Gordon · 1 eps
The Philco Television Playhouse
2 eps
The Philco Television Playhouse
Lester Thompson · 1 eps
The Philco Television Playhouse
Angus · 1 eps
My Three Sons
1 eps
Mission: Impossible
1 eps
The Partridge Family
Claude Tubbles · 1 eps
Climax!
Joe McCarthy · 1 eps
Climax!
Dr. Froelich · 1 eps
Emergency!
1 eps
Rawhide
Owen Spencer · 1 eps
Rawhide
Mister Brothers · 1 eps
Rawhide
Lash Whitcomb · 1 eps
Daniel Boone
Captain Asa Webb · 1 eps
Cannon
1 eps
The Streets of San Francisco
1 eps
Studio One
Gas Man · 1 eps
Studio One
Mr. Black · 1 eps
Studio One
James Metcalf · 1 eps
Studio One
Mr. Bales · 1 eps
Studio One
George Monzo · 1 eps
Studio One
Corey · 1 eps
Studio One
Private Alan Pomeroy · 1 eps
Tarzan
1 eps
Barney Miller
Inspector Frank Luger · 40 eps
Barney Miller
Frank Luger · 23 eps
The Big Valley
Simon Carter · 1 eps
The Big Valley
Senator Jim Bannard · 1 eps
The Big Valley
Harry Bodine · 1 eps
The F.B.I.
Bert Anslem · 1 eps
Thriller
Howard Yates · 1 eps
Night Gallery
1 eps
Gunsmoke
Scanlon, Sr. · 1 eps
Gunsmoke
Judge Calvin Strom · 1 eps
Gunsmoke
Wes Martin · 1 eps
The High Chaparral
Jake Stoner · 1 eps
Ben Casey
1 eps
All in the Family
William R. Kirkwood · 1 eps
Alfred Hitchcock Presents
Mr. Wescott · 1 eps
Alfred Hitchcock Presents
Wayne Campbell · 1 eps
Alfred Hitchcock Presents
John Gregory · 1 eps
Sanford and Son
3 eps
The Defenders
Paul Tasso · 1 eps
Medical Center
Col. Whittendale · 1 eps
Kraft Television Theatre
Steve · 1 eps
That Girl
4 eps
McCloud
1 eps
Suspense
1 eps
Suspense
Jerry · 1 eps
Police Story
4 eps
Judd, for the Defense
1 eps
Kraft Suspense Theatre
Lieutenant Wade · 1 eps
Laramie
1 eps
Kolchak: The Night Stalker
Captain Quill · 1 eps
Lancer
1 eps
Westinghouse Desilu Playhouse
Martin Burke · 1 eps
The DuPont Show with June Allyson
John Kramer · 1 eps
F Troop
3 eps
The Mod Squad
1 eps
Cimarron Strip
1 eps
Sam Benedict
1 eps
The Lawless Years
Barney Ruditsky · 48 eps
Inner Sanctum
2 eps
The New Breed
Father Al · 1 eps
Flying High
1 eps
The Outsider
1 eps
The Lieutenant
2 eps
Temperatures Rising
James Jerome · 1 eps
Target: The Corruptors!
1 eps
The Loner
1 eps
My World and Welcome to It
1 eps
The Paul Lynde Show
2 eps
Search
1 eps
Supertrain
Griswald · 1 eps
The Outcasts
1 eps
General Electric Theater
Sandy Green · 1 eps
Letter to Loretta
Jim Patton · 1 eps
All's Fair
1 eps
The Headmaster
1 eps
Schlitz Playhouse of Stars
Morgan · 1 eps
Schlitz Playhouse of Stars
Lieutenant Billy Kyle · 1 eps
Schlitz Playhouse of Stars
1 eps
The Bastard
Will Campbell · 1 eps
Detective School
23 eps
