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 A-Team
Jimmy Durkee
Knight Rider
D.G. Grebs
Magnum, P.I.
John Walter Costa
Adam-12
Antonio Minetti
The Rifleman
Ironside
Mike Purcell
Quincy, M.E.
The Rockford Files
Lt. Doug Chapman
The Rockford Files
Burt Stryker
L.A. Law
Paul Viola
Barnaby Jones
Nick Gorman
Barnaby Jones
Burt Logan
Cannon
Hart to Hart
Knots Landing
Lieutenant Gilbert Garcia
The F.B.I.
Sam Kehoe
The F.B.I.
Little Julio
Silk Stalkings
Gunsmoke
Ivers
T. J. Hooker
George Laszlo
T. J. Hooker
Vincent Hazzard
Starsky & Hutch
Naked City
Mark Andrew
The Fall Guy
Kojak
Det. Geno Alessi
Kojak
Capt. Henry 'Hank' Rosseau
Buck Rogers in the 25th Century
Hood
The Rookies
Vega$
The Streets of San Francisco
Matt Houston
Wonder Woman
George
Lethal Woman
Colonel Jerry Maxim
Police Story
The Take
Benedetto
Ghost Story
Rick
CHiPs
First Ladies Diaries: Martha Washington
George Washington
Baywatch Nights
Murray
The Hogan Family
Finder of Lost Loves
Jordan Hollis
Dark Justice
Norma Rae
George Benson
Our Family Business
Frank
The Red-Light Sting
Renny Lucas
Feds!
Sperry
Killer's Delight
Sgt. Vince De Carlo
Contract on Cherry Street
Al Palmini / Arnold Palmer
S.W.A.T.
Partners in Crime
Hunter
Hawkins
Andy Tyler
Cry Rape
Det. Kroger
Sword of Justice
The Eddie Capra Mysteries
Hell Town
City of Angels
The Hidden
Ferrari Salesman
The Renegades
Lt. Marciano
Here's Boomer
Stunts
Alvin Blake
Cat Ballou
Spider Levinsky
Good Heavens
Spencer's Pilots
Star 80
Roy
Murphy's Law
Ed Reineke
Ben
Ed
Another World
I Escaped from Devil's Island
Dazzas
The Rockford Files: Friends and Foul Play
Capt. Doug Chapman
Fade to Black
Capt. M.L. Gallagher
Moment by Moment
Dan Santini
A Love Affair: The Eleanor and Lou Gehrig Story
Lazzeri
Harris and Company
The Renegades
Lt. Joe Marciano
The Rockford Files: If the Frame Fits...
Capt. Doug Chapman
Future Cop
Paterno
Love Is Not Enough
Harry Foreman
Honky Tonk
Blackie
The Man from Independence
Stranger
Sunset Limousine
Angel
One in a Million: The Ron LeFlore Story
Jimmy Karalla