New York-born James Gregory gave up a career as a stockbroker to take up the Broadway stage.
He made his film debut in 1948. Gregory specialized in playing loud, brash, tough cops or businessmen. 
Memorable as the opinionated, loudmouthed Inspector Luger in the television series "Barney Miller." 

One of the most beloved actors of all, James Gregory was born December 23, 1911, in the Bronx and grew up in New Rochelle, N.Y. 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 W.W.II; 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 in 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 "Twilight Zone"; 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" (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. As of this writing, James Gregory is living with his beloved wife in Arizona. 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. 
 
 

APEMAN'S NOTE:  We here at APEMANIA will be adding more to this page in honor of Mr. Gregory in the days and weeks to come.  Please come back and visit often.  Mr. Gregory was always gracious and good humored when dealing with us.  We are happy that he shared with us as he did.

James Gregory  (1911 - 2002)
James Gregory is a great character actor but his work as Inspector Luger on the "Barney Miller" TV series (1975-82) was his masterwork. Of  medium build with brown wavy hair, a rubbery face and a moaning drawl he was perfect for character roles. He was a master at adding small idiosyncrasies and mannerisms to his character portrayals; a twitch here, a nervous rasp there, finger twiddling and the like. Born in The Bronx, New York on December 23, 1911 he was raised in suburban New Rochelle, New York City. As early as high school he was involved in acting and was elected President of his school Drama Club. He also excelled at golf but he chose to work on Wall Street and became a successful stockbroker for a time. He became involved in local community theatre and summer stock and made his Broadway debut in 1939 in a production of "Key Largo", beginning a long and successful acting career. His career was interrupted when he served in the Pacific with the Navy and Marine Corps during World War II. After the War he resumed his career and by the 1950s he was working on television in live productions and in films. His films include: "Naked City" (1948) uncredited, as Patrolman Albert Hicks, his film debut; "The Frogmen" (1951) uncredited, as Chief Petty Officer Lane; "The Scarlet Hour" (1956) as Ralph, "Nightfall" (1956) as Ben Fraser; "The Young Stranger" (1957) as Sgt. Shipley; "Gun Glory" (1957) as Grimsell; "The Big Caper" (1957) as Flood; "Onionhead" (1958) with Andy Griffith, as The Skipper; "Underwater Warrior" (1958) as Dr./Lt. William Arnold; "Al Capone" (1959) as Sgt., Capt., Inspector Schaefler/Narrator; "Hey Boy! Hey Girl!" (1959) as Father Burton; "X-15" (1961) as Tom Deparma; "The Manchurian Candidate" (1962) as Sen. John Iselin; "Two Weeks in Another Town" (1962) as Brad Byrd; "P.T. 109" (1963) as Commander C. R. Ritchie; "Captain Newman, M.D." (1963) as Col. Edgar Pyser; "Twilight of Honor" (1963) as Norris Bixby; "A Distant Trumpet" (1964) as Maj. Gen. Alexander Upton Quaint; "Quick Before It Melts" (1964) as Vice Admiral; "The Sons of Katie Elder" (1965) as Morgan Hastings; "A Rage to Live" (1965) as Dr. O'Brien; "The Silencers" and "Murderer's Row" (1966) as MacDonald, two of his Matt Helm series appearances; "Clambake" (1967) as Duster Heyward; "The Secret War of Harry Frigg" (1968) as Gen. Prentiss; "The Love God?" (1969) as Hughes; "The Hawaiians" (1970) uncredited, as Dr. Whipple Sr.; "Beneath the Planet of the Apes" (1970) as Ursus; "Shoot Out" (1971) as Sam Foley; "$1,000,000 Duck" (1971) as Rutledge; "The Late Liz" (1971) as Sam Burns; "The Main Event" (1979) as Gough and "The Flight of Dragons" (1982) as Smrgol, his last theatrical film. On television he was quite prolific appearing on many TV series in guest roles: "Bonanza"; "The Big Valley"; "Ironsides"; "M*A*S*H"; "Cannon"; etc. and as a regular on "Barney Miller" (1975-82) as Inspector Frank Luger; "The Paul Lynde Show" (1972-73) as T.R. Scott; "The Lawless Years" (1959-61) as Barney Ruditsky and "Detective School" (1979) as Nick Hannigan. He has also appeared in many TV Movies including: "The Weekend Nun" (1972); "The Abduction of Saint Anne" (1975); "The Bastard" (1978); "Gridlock" (1980) and "Wait 'Til Your Mother Gets Home!" (1983). He married his wife, Anne Miltner, in 1944. He died of natural causes on September 16, 2002 at his home in Sedona, Arizona at age 90.