Cast & creator
James Gregory
Best known for Columbo, Bonanza, Bonanza
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.
Also known as: Robert Dixon, Jim Gregory
53
film credits
113
television credits
165
1947–1983 · acting roles
6.6
average across scored titles
Signature credits
Known for
Across film & television
Filmography (166)
Showing 166 of 166 credits
Columbo
David Buckner
1971
Bonanza
Mulvaney
1959Bonanza
Sgt. Mike Russell
1959Bonanza
Whitney Parker
1959
The Love Boat
Milton Benson
1977
Hawaii Five-O
Jonathan Kaye
1969Hawaii Five-O
Mike Finney
1969
M*A*S*H
General Kelly
1972
Star Trek
Dr. Tristan Adams
1966
The Fugitive
Pete Crandall
1963
Ironside
Herb Jarman
1967Ironside
TV Presenter
1967Ironside
Tony Hudson
1967
Mission: Impossible
1966
Quincy, M.E.
1976Quincy, M.E.
Tony Gordon
1976
Climax!
Joe McCarthy
1954Climax!
Dr. Froelich
1954
Cannon
1971
The Alfred Hitchcock Hour
Fred Kruger
1962
Robert Montgomery Presents
1950
The Virginian
Slim Jessup
1962The Virginian
Cal Young
1962
Barney Miller
Inspector Frank Luger
1975Barney Miller
Frank Luger
1975
The Twilight Zone
Confederate Sergeant
1959The Twilight Zone
Air Force General
1959
Emergency!
1972
My Three Sons
1960
Hogan's Heroes
General Biedenbender
1965
Studio One
Gas Man
1948Studio One
Mr. Black
1948Studio One
James Metcalf
1948Studio One
Mr. Bales
1948Studio One
George Monzo
1948Studio One
Corey
1948Studio One
Private Alan Pomeroy
1948
The Philco Television Playhouse
1948The Philco Television Playhouse
Lester Thompson
1948The Philco Television Playhouse
Angus
1948
The Defenders
Paul Tasso
1961
The F.B.I.
Bert Anslem
1965
Ben Casey
1961
The Wild Wild West
1965
Daniel Boone
Captain Asa Webb
1964
Rawhide
Owen Spencer
1959Rawhide
Mister Brothers
1959Rawhide
Lash Whitcomb
1959
The Big Valley
Simon Carter
1965The Big Valley
Senator Jim Bannard
1965The Big Valley
Harry Bodine
1965
All in the Family
William R. Kirkwood
1971
Medical Center
Col. Whittendale
1969
Gunsmoke
Scanlon, Sr.
1955Gunsmoke
Judge Calvin Strom
1955Gunsmoke
Wes Martin
1955
The Streets of San Francisco
1972
McCloud
1970
Night Gallery
1970
Kraft Television Theatre
Steve
1947
The High Chaparral
Jake Stoner
1967
Thriller
Howard Yates
1960
That Girl
1966
The Partridge Family
Claude Tubbles
1970
Kraft Suspense Theatre
Lieutenant Wade
1963
Alfred Hitchcock Presents
Mr. Wescott
1955Alfred Hitchcock Presents
John Gregory
1955Alfred Hitchcock Presents
Wayne Campbell
1955
Laramie
1959
Police Story
1973
Judd, for the Defense
1967
The Mod Squad
1968The Mod Squad
Gus Williams
1968
Sanford and Son
1972
Suspense
1949Suspense
Jerry
1949
Kolchak: The Night Stalker
Captain Quill
1974
Westinghouse Desilu Playhouse
Martin Burke
1958
The DuPont Show with June Allyson
John Kramer
1959
Lancer
1968
Tarzan
1966
Temperatures Rising
James Jerome
1972Danger
1950Danger
Willie
1950Lux Video Theatre
Mac
1950Lux Video Theatre
Mr. Randolph
1950
F Troop
1965
Sam Benedict
1962
The New Breed
Father Al
1961
The Loner
1965
Target: The Corruptors!
1961
Cimarron Strip
1967
Inner Sanctum
1954
The Lieutenant
1963
Flying High
1978
The Outsider
1968
The Outcasts
1968
Letter to Loretta
Jim Patton
1953
The Lawless Years
Barney Ruditsky
1959
Beneath the Planet of the Apes
Ursus
1970
Supertrain
Griswald
1979
The Paul Lynde Show
1972Playwrights '56
1955
My World and Welcome to It
1969
The Bastard
Will Campbell
1978
General Electric Theater
Sandy Green
1953
Search
1972
All's Fair
1976
The Manchurian Candidate
Sen. John Yerkes Iselin
1962
The Sons of Katie Elder
Morgan Hastings
1965
The Headmaster
1970
Schlitz Playhouse of Stars
Morgan
1951Schlitz Playhouse of Stars
Lieutenant Billy Kyle
1951Schlitz Playhouse of Stars
1951
Detective School
1979
The Strongest Man in the World
Chief Blair
1975
The Flight of Dragons
Bryagh / Smrgol (voice)
1982
The Silencers
MacDonald
1966
Captain Newman, M.D.
Col. Edgar Pyser
1963
The Million Dollar Duck
Rutledge
1971
The Naked City
Patrolman Albert Hicks (uncredited)
1948
The Secret War of Harry Frigg
Gen. Homer Prentiss
1968
Murderers' Row
MacDonald
1966
Al Capone
Schaefler (narrator)
1959
Shoot Out
Sam Foley
1971
A Rage to Live
Dr. O'Brien
1965
The Hawaiians
Dr. Whipple Sr. (uncredited)
1970
Clambake
Duster Heyward
1967
Two Weeks in Another Town
Brad Byrd
1962
The Ambushers
MacDonald
1967
Nightfall
Ben Fraser
1956
Francis Gary Powers: The True Story of the U-2 Spy Incident
James Donovan
1976
A Town Has Turned to Dust
Hennify
1958
A Very Missing Person
Oscar Piper
1972
Onionhead
Lt. Cmdr. Fox aka The Skipper
1958
The Main Event
Gough
1979
A Distant Trumpet
Maj. Gen. Alexander Upton Quaint
1964
The Young Stranger
Sergeant Shipley
1957Premiere
1968
Goldie and the Boxer Go to Hollywood
Leo Hackett
1981
Hey Boy! Hey Girl!
Father Burton
1959
The Frogmen
Chief Petty Officer Lane
1951
The Love God?
Darrell Evans Hughes
1969
Miracle on 34th Street
District Attorney
1973
PT 109
Commander C.R. Ritchie
1963
Gun Glory
Grimsell
1957
Quick, Before It Melts
Vice Admiral
1965
The Abduction of Saint Anne
Pete Haggerty
1975
The Scarlet Hour
Ralph Nevins
1956
The Big Caper
Flood
1957Underwater Warrior
Lt. William Arnold
1958
Journey to the Day
Endicott
1960
The Marshal of Madrid
Oil Tycoon
1972
X-15
Tom Deparma
1961
The Weekend Nun
Sid Richardson
1972
Twilight of Honor
Norris Bixby
1963
Wait Till Your Mother Gets Home
Dan Peters
1983
The Snows of Kilimanjaro
Editor
1960
Gridlock
Gen. Caribou Caruthers
1980
The Comeback Kid
Scotty
1980
The Late Liz
Sam Burns
1971
Cocoon
Jonathan Kaye
1968
Off the Wall
Producer
1977
The Things People Want
Pete
1948
The Hunted
Buckman
1967
At This Moment
Bill Ritter
1954