James Gregory

James Gregory

  • Birthday: 1911-12-23
  • Deathday: 2002-09-16
  • Place of birth: Bronx, New York, USA
  • Also know as: Robert Dixon

Biography

One of the most beloved actors of all, James Gregory was born December 23, 1911, in the Bronx and 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. James 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, James 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). One good thing that came out of the war years is that he married Anne in 1944, and they would stay together always. During his Broadway career, James Gregory earned consistently favorable reviews by drama critics from the New York Press, Boston Globe, New York Times, Chicago Tribune, Hollywood Reporter and Variety. James 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, James 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. James 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). But he won his biggest acclaim as Inspector Frank Luger for the entire run of the TV series Barney Miller (1974) (1975-1982). This was his signature role; as the Inspector, he would be lovable, irritating, ingratiating, exasperating and humorous, sometimes all at the same time. He was Barney's buddy for 7 years, and the series ended with the Inspector getting himself a mail-order bride. James Gregory retired from acting in 1983, with over 100 TV and movie credits. He has entertained, uplifted and captivated us with his performances. He has endeared himself to a legion of fans. When asked to define his life's work, he simply said, "I am an actor". Fans would disagree with him. James Gregory is so much more -- role model and inspiration.

Filmography

The Flight of Dragons

1984

As Bryagh / Smrgol (voice)

Underwater Warrior

1958

As Lt. William Arnold

A Very Missing Person

1972

As Oscar Piper

Knife in the Dark

1954

As Willie

PT 109

1963

As Commander C.R. Ritchie

Al Capone

1959

As Schaefler (narrator)

The Big Caper

1957

As Flood

Hey Boy! Hey Girl!

1959

As Father Burton

The Late Liz

1971

As Sam Burns

At This Moment

1954

As Bill Ritter

Nightfall

1956

As Ben Fraser

The Ambushers

1967

As MacDonald

A Distant Trumpet

1964

As Maj. Gen. Alexander Upton Quaint

The Scarlet Hour

1956

As Ralph Nevins

Quick, Before It Melts

1965

As Vice Admiral

The Weekend Nun

1972

As Sid Richardson

The Young Stranger

1957

As Sergeant Shipley

The Marshal of Madrid

1972

As Oil Tycoon

The Comeback Kid

1980

As Scotty

The Manchurian Candidate

1962

As Sen. John Yerkes Iselin

Captain Newman, M.D.

1963

As Col. Edgar Pyser

Murderers' Row

1966

As MacDonald

Gun Glory

1957

As Grimsell

Twilight of Honor

1963

As Norris Bixby

The Love God?

1969

As Darrell Evans Hughes

Cocoon

1968

As Jonathan Kaye

Shoot Out

1971

As Sam Foley

Clambake

1967

As Duster Heyward

The Silencers

1966

As MacDonald

Two Weeks in Another Town

1962

As Brad Byrd

The Sons of Katie Elder

1965

As Morgan Hastings

Onionhead

1958

As Lt. Cmdr. Fox aka The Skipper

The Abduction of Saint Anne

1975

As Pete Haggerty

Gridlock

1980

As Gen. Caribou Caruthers

The Hunted

1967

As Buckman

The Main Event

1979

As Gough

X-15

1961

As Tom Deparma

The Secret War of Harry Frigg

1968

As Gen. Homer Prentiss

Miracle on 34th Street

1973

As District Attorney

The Strongest Man in the World

1975

As Chief Blair

A Rage to Live

1965

As Dr. O'Brien

The Frogmen

1951

As Chief Petty Officer Lane

The Bastard

1978

As Will Campbell

The Hawaiians

1970

As Dr. Whipple Sr. (uncredited)

The Million Dollar Duck

1971

As Rutledge

The Naked City

1948

As Patrolman Albert Hicks (uncredited)

Production

Off the Wall

1977

As Producer

keyboard_arrow_up