James Luisi
A native New Yorker, James Luisi attended St. Francis College in Brooklyn Heights on a basketball scholarship. He served in the Army during the Korean War. He then played one season (1953-54) with the Baltimore Bullets in the National Basketball Association. His acting career began on the stage with early parts coming in the Broadway musicals "Sweet Charity" and "Zorba". His early movies were minor, though his "beefcake" appeal was evident in 1973's I Escaped from Devil's Island (1973) in which he rarely wore a shirt. Most of his later work was on TV. In 1976 he shared a "best actor" daytime Emmy for playing George Washington in a daytime drama special titled First Ladies Diaries: Martha Washington (1975). Also in 1976 he started his four-season role as Jim Rockford's (James Garner) nemesis Lt. Chapman in The Rockford Files (1974). In 1983 he played the cop in charge of some street-gang-members-turned-undercover-agents in the short-lived series The Renegades (1983), which provided a boost for Patrick Swayze, who played one of the gang members. Along with guest spots on numerous TV shows, Luisi also appeared in the soap operas Days of Our Lives (1965) and Another World (1964).
In the 1990s he returned to acting in and directing stage work in the Los Angeles area. Stricken with cancer he passed away on 7 June 2002 and is survived by his wife of 41 years, the former Georgia Phillips.
Known for
The Rifleman
Knight Rider
D.G. Grebs
Magnum, P.I.
John Walter Costa
Ironside
Mike Purcell
The A-Team
Jimmy Durkee
The Rockford Files
Lt. Doug Chapman
The Rockford Files
Burt Stryker
Quincy, M.E.
Knots Landing
Lieutenant Gilbert Garcia
Adam-12
Antonio Minetti
Naked City
Mark Andrew
Hart to Hart
Gunsmoke
Ivers
L.A. Law
Paul Viola
Matt Houston
The Fall Guy
Starsky & Hutch
Kojak
Det. Geno Alessi
Kojak
Capt. Henry 'Hank' Rosseau
Cannon
The F.B.I.
Sam Kehoe
The F.B.I.
Little Julio
Baywatch Nights
Murray
T. J. Hooker
George Laszlo
T. J. Hooker
Vincent Hazzard
Barnaby Jones
Nick Gorman
Barnaby Jones
Burt Logan
The Rookies
Silk Stalkings
Buck Rogers in the 25th Century
Hood
The Streets of San Francisco
Wonder Woman
George
Vega$
CHiPs
Contract on Cherry Street
Al Palmini / Arnold Palmer
The Hidden
Ferrari Salesman
The Hogan Family
Police Story
Finder of Lost Loves
Jordan Hollis
Star 80
Roy
Ghost Story
Rick
S.W.A.T.
Feds
Sperry
Honky Tonk
Blackie
Moment by Moment
Dan Santini
Fade to Black
Capt. M.L. Gallagher
Future Cop
Paterno
The Renegades
Lt. Joe Marciano
Dark Justice
Cry Rape
Det. Kroger
Hawkins
Andy Tyler
Norma Rae
George Benson
Lethal Woman
Colonel Jerry Maxim
Killer's Delight
Sgt. Vince De Carlo
The Take
Benedetto
City of Angels
Murphy's Law
Ed Reineke
Partners in Crime
Here's Boomer
Sword of Justice
Ben
Ed
Sunset Limousine
Angel
First Ladies Diaries: Martha Washington
George Washington
Good Heavens
The Eddie Capra Mysteries
Hunter
Hell Town
Spencer's Pilots
The Red-Light Sting
Renny Lucas
Cat Ballou
Spider Levinsky
Another World
The Renegades
Lt. Marciano
The Rockford Files: If the Frame Fits...
Capt. Doug Chapman
I Escaped from Devil's Island
Dazzas
Our Family Business
Frank
Stunts
Alvin Blake
The Rockford Files: Friends and Foul Play
Capt. Doug Chapman
Harris and Company
The Man from Independence
Stranger
Love Is Not Enough
Harry Foreman
A Love Affair: The Eleanor and Lou Gehrig Story
Lazzeri
One in a Million: The Ron LeFlore Story
Jimmy Karalla