James Gregory
Acting • Born 1911-12-23 – Died 2002-09-16
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.
Filmography
163 credits
The Manchurian Candidate
Movie • 1962
Sen. John Yerkes Iselin
A Town Has Turned to Dust
Movie • 1958
Hennify
The Frogmen
Movie • 1951
Chief Petty Officer Lane
The Silencers
Movie • 1966
MacDonald
The Secret War of Harry Frigg
Movie • 1968
Gen. Homer Prentiss
Captain Newman, M.D.
Movie • 1963
Col. Edgar Pyser
The Flight of Dragons
Movie • 1982
Bryagh / Smrgol (voice)
PT 109
Movie • 1963
Commander C.R. Ritchie
Nightfall
Movie • 1956
Ben Fraser
The Main Event
Movie • 1979
Gough
Murderers' Row
Movie • 1966
MacDonald
The Ambushers
Movie • 1967
MacDonald
Al Capone
Movie • 1959
Schaefler (narrator)
Two Weeks in Another Town
Movie • 1962
Brad Byrd
The Snows of Kilimanjaro
Movie • 1960
Editor
The Sons of Katie Elder
Movie • 1965
Morgan Hastings
A Distant Trumpet
Movie • 1964
Maj. Gen. Alexander Upton Quaint
The Big Caper
Movie • 1957
Flood
The Scarlet Hour
Movie • 1956
Ralph Nevins
Shoot Out
Movie • 1971
Sam Foley
A Rage to Live
Movie • 1965
Dr. O'Brien
The Young Stranger
Movie • 1957
Sergeant Shipley
Gun Glory
Movie • 1957
Grimsell
Quick, Before It Melts
Movie • 1965
Vice Admiral
Twilight of Honor
Movie • 1963
Norris Bixby
The Weekend Nun
Movie • 1972
Sid Richardson
Hey Boy! Hey Girl!
Movie • 1959
Father Burton
Underwater Warrior
Movie • 1958
Lt. William Arnold
The Hunted
Movie • 1967
Buckman
Wait Till Your Mother Gets Home
Movie • 1983
Dan Peters
Goldie and the Boxer Go to Hollywood
Movie • 1981
Leo Hackett
X-15
Movie • 1961
Tom Deparma
Beneath the Planet of the Apes
Movie • 1970
Ursus
Miracle on 34th Street
Movie • 1973
District Attorney
The Hawaiians
Movie • 1970
Dr. Whipple Sr. (uncredited)
The Comeback Kid
Movie • 1980
Scotty
Gridlock
Movie • 1980
Gen. Caribou Caruthers
Clambake
Movie • 1967
Duster Heyward
Onionhead
Movie • 1958
Lt. Cmdr. Fox aka The Skipper
Francis Gary Powers: The True Story of the U-2 Spy Incident
Movie • 1976
James Donovan
The Late Liz
Movie • 1971
Sam Burns
At This Moment
Movie • 1954
Bill Ritter
The Strongest Man in the World
Movie • 1975
Chief Blair
The Love God?
Movie • 1969
Darrell Evans Hughes
A Very Missing Person
Movie • 1972
Oscar Piper
The Million Dollar Duck
Movie • 1971
Rutledge
The Abduction of Saint Anne
Movie • 1975
Pete Haggerty
The Naked City
Movie • 1948
Patrolman Albert Hicks (uncredited)
The Things People Want
Movie • 1948
Pete
Cocoon
Movie • 1968
Jonathan Kaye
The Marshal of Madrid
Movie • 1972
Oil Tycoon
Journey to the Day
Movie • 1960
Endicott
Star Trek
TV • 1966
Dr. Tristan Adams
M*A*S*H
TV • 1972
General Kelly
My World and Welcome to It
TV • 1969
F Troop
TV • 1965
My Three Sons
TV • 1960
Kraft Suspense Theatre
TV • 1963
Lieutenant Wade
The F.B.I.
TV • 1965
Bert Anslem
Hawaii Five-O
TV • 1968
Jonathan Kaye
All in the Family
TV • 1971
William R. Kirkwood
That Girl
TV • 1966
Quincy, M.E.
TV • 1976
The Streets of San Francisco
TV • 1972
Sanford and Son
TV • 1972
The Mod Squad
TV • 1968
Gunsmoke
TV • 1955
Scanlon, Sr.
All's Fair
TV • 1976
Studio One
TV • 1948
Gas Man
Night Gallery
TV • 1970
General Electric Theater
TV • 1953
Sandy Green
Emergency!
TV • 1972
Mission: Impossible
TV • 1966
Cannon
TV • 1971
The Twilight Zone
TV • 1959
Confederate Sergeant
Ironside
TV • 1967
Herb Jarman
Kolchak: The Night Stalker
TV • 1974
Captain Quill
Alfred Hitchcock Presents
TV • 1955
Mr. Wescott
Sam Benedict
TV • 1962
Target: The Corruptors!
TV • 1961
Westinghouse Desilu Playhouse
TV • 1958
The Lawless Years
TV • 1959
Barney Ruditsky
The Wild Wild West
TV • 1965
Rawhide
TV • 1959
Owen Spencer
Cimarron Strip
TV • 1967
The Outcasts
TV • 1968
Police Story
TV • 1973
Daniel Boone
TV • 1964
Captain Asa Webb
The Fugitive
TV • 1963
Pete Crandall
The High Chaparral
TV • 1967
Jake Stoner
The Virginian
TV • 1962
Slim Jessup
Lancer
TV • 1968
Thriller
TV • 1960
Howard Yates
Search
TV • 1972
Lux Video Theatre
TV • 1950
Mac
McCloud
TV • 1970
Schlitz Playhouse of Stars
TV • 1951
Morgan
The Headmaster
TV • 1970
Climax!
TV • 1954
Joe McCarthy
The Big Valley
TV • 1965
Simon Carter
The Loner
TV • 1965
Judd for the Defense
TV • 1967
The Paul Lynde Show
TV • 1972
Tarzan
TV • 1966
The Philco Television Playhouse
TV • 1948
Ben Casey
TV • 1961
Laramie
TV • 1959
The New Breed
TV • 1961
Father Al
Suspense
TV • 1949
Robert Montgomery Presents
TV • 1950
Inner Sanctum
TV • 1954
The Lieutenant
TV • 1963
Playwrights '56
TV • 1955
Danger
TV • 1950
Flying High
TV • 1978
The Defenders
TV • 1961
Paul Tasso
The DuPont Show with June Allyson
TV • 1959
John Kramer
Letter to Loretta
TV • 1953
Jim Patton
Barney Miller
TV • 1975
Inspector Frank Luger
Premiere
TV • 1968
The Outsider
TV • 1968
Detective School
TV • 1979
Hogan's Heroes
TV • 1965
General Biedenbender
Rawhide
TV • 1959
Mister Brothers
Rawhide
TV • 1959
Lash Whitcomb
The Big Valley
TV • 1965
Senator Jim Bannard
The Big Valley
TV • 1965
Harry Bodine
The Virginian
TV • 1962
Cal Young
Gunsmoke
TV • 1955
Judge Calvin Strom
Gunsmoke
TV • 1955
Wes Martin
Columbo
TV • 1971
David Buckner
Schlitz Playhouse of Stars
TV • 1951
Lieutenant Billy Kyle
Schlitz Playhouse of Stars
TV • 1951
Lux Video Theatre
TV • 1950
Mr. Randolph
Hawaii Five-O
TV • 1968
Mike Finney
Barney Miller
TV • 1975
Frank Luger
Studio One
TV • 1948
Mr. Black
Studio One
TV • 1948
James Metcalf
Studio One
TV • 1948
Mr. Bales
Studio One
TV • 1948
George Monzo
Studio One
TV • 1948
Corey
Bonanza
TV • 1959
Mulvaney
Studio One
TV • 1948
Private Alan Pomeroy
Climax!
TV • 1954
Dr. Froelich
Suspense
TV • 1949
Jerry
The Philco Television Playhouse
TV • 1948
Lester Thompson
The Philco Television Playhouse
TV • 1948
Angus
The Twilight Zone
TV • 1959
Air Force General
The Love Boat
TV • 1977
Milton Benson
Alfred Hitchcock Presents
TV • 1955
John Gregory
Alfred Hitchcock Presents
TV • 1955
Wayne Campbell
Temperatures Rising
TV • 1972
James Jerome
Bonanza
TV • 1959
Sgt. Mike Russell
The Alfred Hitchcock Hour
TV • 1962
Fred Kruger
Ironside
TV • 1967
TV Presenter
Ironside
TV • 1967
Tony Hudson
Quincy, M.E.
TV • 1976
Tony Gordon
Danger
TV • 1950
Willie
Kraft Television Theatre
TV • 1947
Steve
Bonanza
TV • 1959
Whitney Parker
The Partridge Family
TV • 1970
Claude Tubbles
The Bastard
TV • 1978
Will Campbell
Medical Center
TV • 1969
Col. Whittendale