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