James Gregory
Acting
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
Acting133
movieWait Till Your Mother Gets Home
1983
Dan Peters
movieThe Flight of Dragons
1982
Bryagh / Smrgol (voice)
movieGridlock
1980
Gen. Caribou Caruthers
tvSupertrain
1979
Griswald
tvThe Bastard
1978
Will Campbell
tvThe Love Boat
1977
Milton Benson
tvQuincy, M.E.
1976
Tony Gordon
movieThe Strongest Man in the World
1975
Chief Blair
tvBarney Miller
1975
Inspector Frank Luger / Frank Luger
movieThe Abduction of Saint Anne
1975
Pete Haggerty
tvKolchak: The Night Stalker
1974
Captain Quill
movieMiracle on 34th Street
1973
District Attorney
movieThe Weekend Nun
1972
Sid Richardson
tvM*A*S*H
1972
General Kelly
tvTemperatures Rising
1972
James Jerome
movieA Very Missing Person
1972
Oscar Piper
movieThe Marshal of Madrid
1972
Oil Tycoon
tvColumbo
1971
David Buckner
movieThe Late Liz
1971
Sam Burns
movieShoot Out
1971
Sam Foley
movieThe Million Dollar Duck
1971
Rutledge
tvAll in the Family
1971
William R. Kirkwood
tvThe Partridge Family
1970
Claude Tubbles
movieThe Hawaiians
1970
Dr. Whipple Sr. (uncredited)
tvMedical Center
1969
Col. Whittendale
movieThe Love God?
1969
Darrell Evans Hughes
movieCocoon
1968
Jonathan Kaye
tvHawaii Five-O
1968
Jonathan Kaye / Mike Finney
movieThe Secret War of Harry Frigg
1968
Gen. Homer Prentiss
movieThe Ambushers
1967
MacDonald
movieClambake
1967
Duster Heyward
movieThe Hunted
1967
Buckman
tvThe High Chaparral
1967
Jake Stoner
tvIronside
1967
Herb Jarman / TV Presenter / Tony Hudson
movieMurderers' Row
1966
MacDonald
tvStar Trek
1966
Dr. Tristan Adams
movieThe Silencers
1966
MacDonald
movieA Rage to Live
1965
Dr. O'Brien
tvThe F.B.I.
1965
Bert Anslem
tvHogan's Heroes
1965
General Biedenbender
tvThe Big Valley
1965
Simon Carter / Harry Bodine / Senator Jim Bannard
movieThe Sons of Katie Elder
1965
Morgan Hastings
movieQuick, Before It Melts
1965
Vice Admiral
tvDaniel Boone
1964
Captain Asa Webb
movieA Distant Trumpet
1964
Maj. Gen. Alexander Upton Quaint
movieCaptain Newman, M.D.
1963
Col. Edgar Pyser
movieTwilight of Honor
1963
Norris Bixby
tvKraft Suspense Theatre
1963
Lieutenant Wade
tvThe Fugitive
1963
Pete Crandall
moviePT 109
1963
Commander C.R. Ritchie
movieThe Manchurian Candidate
1962
Sen. John Yerkes Iselin
tvThe Alfred Hitchcock Hour
1962
Fred Kruger
tvThe Virginian
1962
Slim Jessup / Cal Young
movieTwo Weeks in Another Town
1962
Brad Byrd
movieX-15
1961
Tom Deparma
tvThe New Breed
1961
Father Al
tvThe Defenders
1961
Paul Tasso
tvThriller
1960
Howard Yates
movieJourney to the Day
1960
Endicott
tvThe Twilight Zone
1959
Confederate Sergeant / Air Force General
tvThe DuPont Show with June Allyson
1959
John Kramer
tvBonanza
1959
Mulvaney / Sgt. Mike Russell / Whitney Parker
movieHey Boy! Hey Girl!
1959
Father Burton
tvThe Lawless Years
1959
Barney Ruditsky
movieAl Capone
1959
Schaefler (narrator)
tvRawhide
1959
Owen Spencer / Lash Whitcomb / Mister Brothers
movieOnionhead
1958
Lt. Cmdr. Fox aka The Skipper
tvWestinghouse Desilu Playhouse
1958
Martin Burke
Underwater Warrior
1958
Lt. William Arnold
movieGun Glory
1957
Grimsell
movieThe Young Stranger
1957
Sergeant Shipley
movieNightfall
1956
Ben Fraser
movieThe Scarlet Hour
1956
Ralph Nevins
tvAlfred Hitchcock Presents
1955
Mr. Wescott / Wayne Campbell / John Gregory
tvGunsmoke
1955
Scanlon, Sr. / Judge Calvin Strom / Wes Martin
tvClimax!
1954
Joe McCarthy / Dr. Froelich
movieAt This Moment
1954
Bill Ritter
tvLetter to Loretta
1953
Jim Patton
tvGeneral Electric Theater
1953
Sandy Green
tvSchlitz Playhouse of Stars
1951
Morgan / Lieutenant Billy Kyle
movieThe Frogmen
1951
Chief Petty Officer Lane
Lux Video Theatre
1950
Mac / Mr. Randolph
Danger
1950
Willie
tvSuspense
1949
Jerry
tvStudio One
1948
Gas Man / Mr. Black / James Metcalf / Mr. Bales / George Monzo / Corey / Private Alan Pomeroy
tvThe Philco Television Playhouse
1948
Lester Thompson / Angus
movieThe Naked City
1948
Patrolman Albert Hicks (uncredited)
Production1
movieOff the Wall
1977
Producer