James Gregory (actor)
| James Gregory | |
|---|---|
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| Born | December 23, 1911 Bronx, New York, U.S. |
| Died | September 16, 2002 (aged 90) Sedona, Arizona, U.S. |
| Years active | 1939 - 2000 |
| Spouse | Ann Miltner (1944-2002) (his death) |
James Gregory (December 23, 1911 – September 16, 2002) was an American character actor noted for his deep, gravelly voice and playing brash roles such as McCarthy-like Senator John Iselin in The Manchurian Candidate (1962), the audacious General Ursus in Beneath the Planet of the Apes, and loudmouthed Inspector Luger in Barney Miller (TV-Series 1975 - 1982). He also played Dean Martin's spy boss MacDonald, in the Matt Helm movie series, and is fondly remembered for his role as Dr. Tristan Adams, the villainous director of the Tantalus IV Penal Colony on the Star Trek Original Series episode, "Dagger of the Mind". Another of his roles many recall was playing the father of Scott Hayward in Elvis Presley's 1967 musical Clambake.
[edit] Biography
Gregory was born in The Bronx, New York City, New York and grew up in New Rochelle, New York. In high school he was president of the Drama Club. He briefly worked on Wall Street as a runner in 1929 and thought of being a stockbroker but, by 1935, had become a professional actor instead. In 1939, he made his Broadway debut in a production of Key Largo and did about twenty-five more Broadway productions over the next sixteen years. Gregory served three years in the United States Navy and Marine Corps during World War II. His early acting work included Army training films; one such appearance is excerpted in The Atomic Café.
From 1959-1961, Gregory had his own NBC series, a 1920s crime drama entitled The Lawless Years. He played a New York City police detective named Barney Ruditsky. Robert Karnes costarred as Max Fields.
He also starred in PT 109 with Cliff Robertson in 1963.
He died in Sedona, Arizona, of natural causes.
[edit] Selected filmography
- Justice (NBC, 1955, "The Big Frame")
- The Scarlet Hour (1956)
- Nightfall (1957)
- Onionhead (1958)
- The Twilight Zone Episode 001 "Where Is Everybody?", (10/02/1959)
- The DuPont Show with June Allyson as John Kramer in "I Hit And Ran" (CBS, 1960)
- Wagon Train episode "The Ricky and Laura Bell Story" (1960)
- X-15 (1961)
- The Twilight Zone Episode 069 "The Passersby", (10/06/1961)
- The Manchurian Candidate (1962)
- The Virginian, NBC, Season 1, Episode 12, 50 Days to Moosejaw (12/12/1962), joins the Shiloh hands for a cattle drive to Moose Jaw, Canada and befriends a "greenhorn" (Brandon De Wilde)
- PT 109 (1963)
- The Eleventh Hour, NBC medical drama, as Eddie Forman in episode "Try to Keep Alive Until Next Tuesday" (1963)
- The Alfred Hitchcock Hour, CBS anthology series, as Fred in episode "The Dividing Wall" (1963)
- Breaking Point, ABC medical drama, as Malcolm in episode "Glass Flowers Never Drop Petals" (1964)
- A Distant Trumpet (1964)
- Gunsmoke Episode "Two tall men" (TV series) 1965
- The Sons of Katie Elder (1965)
- The Big Valley "The Pursuit" (1966) as Simon Carter
- The Wild Wild West (1965–1969) as Ulysses S. Grant
- F Troop "Too Many Cooks Spoil The Troop" (TV Series) (ABC, 1966)
- The Silencers (1966)
- Hogan's Heroes Episode "Hogan Gives a Birthday Party. German General Biedenbender; a general who seems to know everything about Hogan, except his final trick.
- Murderers' Row (1966)
- The Fugitive Episode "Wine Is A Traitor" (1966)
- Star Trek: The Original Series "Dagger of the Mind" (1966) (TV series)
- The Virginian Episode "Without Mercy" (TV Series) 1967
- The Ambushers (1967)
- The Secret War of Harry Frigg (1968)
- Clambake (1968)
- The Mod Squad - Episode "A Quiet Weekend in the Country" (1968)
- The Love God? (1969)
- Beneath the Planet of the Apes (1970)
- Columbo "Short Fuse" (1972)
- Mission: Impossible "The Bride" (1972) (TV series)
- Miracle on 34th Street (1973)(TV) as Deputy District Attorney Thomas Mara
- M*A*S*H "Iron Guts Kelly" (1974)(TV)
- Barney Miller (1975- 1982) as Inspector Frank Luger (TV series)
- The Strongest Man in the World (1975)
- Wait Till Your Mother Gets Home! (1983) (TV)
