5.0
Wait Till Your Mother Gets Home
1983
James Gregory
Acting
Born December 23, 1911Died September 16, 2002Bronx, New York, USA
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.
Movies
See All
6.8
The Flight of Dragons
1982
8.0
Goldie and the Boxer Go to Hollywood
1981
5.7
Gridlock
1980
6.0
The Comeback Kid
1980
5.3
The Main Event
1979
7.0
Francis Gary Powers: The True Story of the U-2 Spy Incident
1976
6.2
The Strongest Man in the World
1975
8.0
The Abduction of Saint Anne
1975
7.0
Miracle on 34th Street
1973
7.0
The Weekend Nun
1972
7.8
A Very Missing Person
1972
0.0
The Marshal of Madrid
1972
8.0
The Late Liz
1971
6.3
Shoot Out
1971
5.8
The Million Dollar Duck
1971
5.5
The Hawaiians
1970
6.1
Beneath the Planet of the Apes
1970
6.0
The Love God?
1969
7.7
Cocoon
1968
6.2
The Secret War of Harry Frigg
1968
5.1
The Ambushers
1967
5.8
Clambake
1967
0.0
The Hunted
1967
5.7
Murderers' Row
1966
6.1
The Silencers
1966
4.8
A Rage to Live
1965
7.0
The Sons of Katie Elder
1965
4.4
Quick, Before It Melts
1965
5.5
A Distant Trumpet
1964
6.8
Captain Newman, M.D.
1963
6.5
Twilight of Honor
1963
6.1
PT 109
1963
7.5
The Manchurian Candidate
1962
5.9
Two Weeks in Another Town
1962
5.7
X-15
1961
0.0
Journey to the Day
1960
0.0
The Snows of Kilimanjaro
1960
10.0
Hey Boy! Hey Girl!
1959
6.6
Al Capone
1959
5.5
Onionhead
1958
5.5
A Town Has Turned to Dust
1958
Underwater Warrior
6.0
Underwater Warrior
1958
6.2
Gun Glory
1957
6.3
The Big Caper
1957
5.9
The Young Stranger
1957
6.9
Nightfall
1956
5.3
The Scarlet Hour
1956
6.0
At This Moment
1954
6.2
The Frogmen
1951
7.2
The Naked City
1948
0.0
The Things People Want
1948
TV Shows
See All
6.0
Detective School
5.6
Supertrain
6.3
Flying High
7.0
The Bastard
6.2
The Love Boat
7.5
Quincy, M.E.
7.5
Quincy, M.E.
7.7
All's Fair
7.4
Barney Miller
7.4
Barney Miller
7.7
Kolchak: The Night Stalker
7.0
Police Story
7.1
The Streets of San Francisco
7.9
M*A*S*H
7.1
Search
5.2
The Paul Lynde Show
7.5
Temperatures Rising
8.0
Emergency!
7.5
Sanford and Son
8.1
Columbo
6.7
Cannon
7.8
All in the Family
7.8
Night Gallery
6.8
The Partridge Family
7.0
The Headmaster
7.2
McCloud
6.4
Medical Center
6.3
My World and Welcome to It
7.2
Hawaii Five-O
7.2
Hawaii Five-O
6.1
The Mod Squad
5.6
Lancer
6.1
The Mod Squad
6.5
The Outcasts
6.0
The Outsider
Premiere
0.0
Premiere
6.8
The High Chaparral
7.7
Judd, for the Defense
5.8
Cimarron Strip
6.8
Ironside
6.8
Ironside
6.8
Ironside
7.6
Mission: Impossible
8.0
Star Trek
6.2
That Girl
6.9
Tarzan
5.6
The F.B.I.
6.2
The Loner
7.6
The Wild Wild West
7.5
Hogan's Heroes
6.2
The Big Valley
6.2
The Big Valley
6.2
The Big Valley
6.3
F Troop
7.0
Daniel Boone
6.5
Kraft Suspense Theatre
7.3
The Fugitive
7.0
The Lieutenant
7.9
The Alfred Hitchcock Hour
6.5
The Virginian
6.5
The Virginian
6.7
Sam Benedict
7.7
The New Breed
5.9
Ben Casey
5.7
Target: The Corruptors!
6.3
The Defenders
6.6
My Three Sons
6.7
Thriller
8.5
The Twilight Zone
8.5
The Twilight Zone
6.8
The DuPont Show with June Allyson
6.7
Laramie
7.5
Bonanza
7.5
Bonanza
7.5
Bonanza
7.0
The Lawless Years
7.3
Rawhide
7.3
Rawhide
7.3
Rawhide
6.3
Westinghouse Desilu Playhouse
Playwrights '56
6.2
Playwrights '56
7.8
Alfred Hitchcock Presents
7.8
Alfred Hitchcock Presents
7.8
Alfred Hitchcock Presents
6.7
Gunsmoke
6.7
Gunsmoke
6.7
Gunsmoke
3.8
Climax!
3.8
Climax!
8.0
Inner Sanctum
6.6
Letter to Loretta
6.8
General Electric Theater
7.2
Schlitz Playhouse of Stars
7.2
Schlitz Playhouse of Stars
7.2
Schlitz Playhouse of Stars
6.7
Lux Video Theatre
6.7
Lux Video Theatre
Danger
7.7
Danger
Danger
7.7
Danger
6.0
Robert Montgomery Presents
5.1
Suspense
5.1
Suspense
5.4
Studio One
5.4
Studio One
5.4
Studio One
5.4
Studio One
5.4
Studio One
5.4
Studio One
5.4
Studio One
6.6
The Philco Television Playhouse
6.6
The Philco Television Playhouse
6.6
The Philco Television Playhouse
7.8