
James Gregory
Actor · Died September 16, 2002, aged 90 · Bronx, New York, USA
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.
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Biography from TMDB.
- December 23, 1911
- September 16, 2002 (aged 90)
- Bronx, New York, USA
- Actor
- 55 on MovieCove · 135 credits in all
Known for
What are James Gregory's films like?
Across their 32 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Morality and Bonds.
Genres
Their MovieCove films by primary genre. The badge is the typical Midcredits score of the genre's films, the median percentile; an up arrow marks a genre at or above their average across these genres.
Themes
What they feel like to watch
Ironic 5 · Wry 1 · Earnest 25
A split, not a type: Light 12 · Serious 10 · Dark 9
A split, not a type: Grounded 16 · Stylized 10 · Heightened 4
Gentle 11 · Charged 18 · Intense 2
Steady 15 · Shifting 16 · Whiplash 0
A split, not a type: Straight-faced 15 · Some laughs 6 · Funny 10
Slow burn 10 · Even-paced 21 · Relentless 0
Casual 19 · Engaged 11 · Full focus 1
A split, not a type: Easy watch 13 · Affecting 14 · Heavy 4
Resolved 27 · Open-ended 3 · Ambiguous 1
Roles they play
Usually the Shadow: 7 of 18 analyzed roles.
Show the 18 rolesHide the roles
- Shadowas Flood in The Big Caper (1957)
- Shadowas Grimsell in Gun Glory (1957)
- Shadowas Sgt. Shipley in The Young Stranger (1957)
- Heroas Sgt. Schaeffer in Al Capone (1959)
- Mentoras Col. James Craig in X-15 (1961)
- Threshold guardianas Col. Edgar Pyser in Captain Newman, M.D. (1963)
- Threshold guardianas Commander C.R. Ritchie in PT 109 (1963)
- Mentoras Maj. Gen. Alexander Upton Quaint in A Distant Trumpet (1964)
- Shadowas Morgan Hastings in The Sons of Katie Elder (1965)
- Threshold guardianas MacDonald in Murderers' Row (1966)
- Heraldas MacDonald in Murderers' Row (1966)
- Heraldas MacDonald in The Silencers (1966)
- Allyas Darrell Evans Hughes in The Love God? (1969)
- Shadowas Ursus in Beneath the Planet of the Apes (1970)
- Shadowas Rutledge in The Million Dollar Duck (1971)
- Shadowas Sam Foley in Shoot Out (1971)
- Mentoras Inspector Frank Luger in Barney Miller (1975)
- Allyas James Donovan in Francis Gary Powers: The True Story of the U-2 Spy Incident (1976)
Moods and endings
- Happy16
- Bittersweet10
- Tragic3
- Ambiguous3
AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.
Where can I watch James Gregory's films?
As of October 24, 2026, 31 of their 55 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Tubi (13).
- The Manchurian Candidate (1962) · actor · free
- Alfred Hitchcock Presents (1955) · actor · free
- Barney Miller (1975) · actor · free
- The Naked City (1948) · actor · free
- Bonanza (1959) · actor · free
- The Loretta Young Show (1953) · actor · free
- The Big Caper (1957) · actor · free
- The Hawaiians (1970) · actor · free
- The Silencers (1966) · actor · free
- Murderers' Row (1966) · actor · free
- Clambake (1967) · actor · free
- The Partridge Family (1970) · actor · free
- +1 more
- The Alfred Hitchcock Hour (1962) · actor · free
- Alfred Hitchcock Presents (1955) · actor · free
- Emergency! (1972) · actor · free
- Bonanza (1959) · actor · free
- The Loretta Young Show (1953) · actor · free
- McCloud (1970) · actor · free
- The Silencers (1966) · actor · free
- Murderers' Row (1966) · actor · free
- The Partridge Family (1970) · actor · free
- ScreenPix, show their 3 titles on ScreenPix
- Best TV Ever, show their 2 titles on Best TV Ever
- Howdy, show their 2 titles on Howdy
- Best Westerns Ever, show their title on Best Westerns Ever
- Cineverse, show their title on Cineverse
- Great American Pure Flix, show their title on Great American Pure Flix
- Shout! TV, show their title on Shout! TV
Subscription and free streaming for James Gregory's titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.
Filmography
135 credits, 55 with a MovieCove page.
Midcredits score: 35th percentile of all films
The Flight of Dragons(1982)
Midcredits score: 90th percentile of all films
The Atomic Cafe(1982)
Midcredits score: 94th percentile of all films
Midcredits score: 16th percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)
Gridlock (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1980)

The Comeback Kid (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1980)

Detective School (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1979)

The Main Event(1979)
Midcredits score: 31st percentile of all films
Supertrain (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1979)

Flying High (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1978)

The Bastard (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1978)

The Love Boat(1977)
Midcredits score: 20th percentile of all shows
Off the Wall (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1977)

Quincy, M.E. (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1976)
Midcredits score: 70th percentile of all films
All's Fair (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1976)
Midcredits score: 39th percentile of all films
Barney Miller(1975)
Midcredits score: 93rd percentile of all shows
Midcredits score: 49th percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)
Midcredits score: 95th percentile of all shows
Miracle on 34th Street(1973)
Midcredits score: 50th percentile of all films
Police Story (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1973)

The Weekend Nun (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1972)

The Streets of San Francisco (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1972)

M*A*S*H(1972)
Midcredits score: 95th percentile of all shows
Search (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1972)

The Paul Lynde Show (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1972)

Temperatures Rising (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1972)

A Very Missing Person (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1972)

Emergency!(1972)
Midcredits score: 90th percentile of all shows
Sanford and Son (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1972)

The Marshal of Madrid (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1972)

Columbo (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1971)

Cannon (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1971)

The Late Liz (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1971)

Shoot Out(1971)
Midcredits score: 50th percentile of all films
The Million Dollar Duck(1971)
Midcredits score: 32nd percentile of all films
All in the Family(1971)
Midcredits score: 93rd percentile of all shows
Night Gallery(1969)
Midcredits score: 86th percentile of all shows
The Partridge Family(1970)
Midcredits score: 31st percentile of all shows
The Headmaster (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1970)

The Hawaiians(1970)
Midcredits score: 46th percentile of all films
Midcredits score: 37th percentile of all films
McCloud(1970)
Midcredits score: 53rd percentile of all shows
Medical Center (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1969)

My World and Welcome to It (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1969)

The Love God?(1969)
Midcredits score: 55th percentile of all films
Lancer (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1968)

The Mod Squad (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1968)

The Outcasts (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1968)

Cocoon (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1968)

Hawaii Five-O(1968)
Midcredits score: 69th percentile of all shows
The Outsider (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1968)
Premiere (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1968)
Midcredits score: 55th percentile of all films
The Ambushers(1967)
Midcredits score: 23rd percentile of all films
Clambake(1967)
Midcredits score: 35th percentile of all films
The Hunted (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1967)

The High Chaparral (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1967)

Judd, for the Defense (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1967)

Cimarron Strip (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1967)

Ironside (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1967)

Murderers' Row(1966)
Midcredits score: 38th percentile of all films
Mission: Impossible(1966)
Midcredits score: 87th percentile of all shows
Star Trek(1966)
Midcredits score: 94th percentile of all shows
Tarzan (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1966)

That Girl (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1966)

The Silencers(1966)
Midcredits score: 42nd percentile of all films
A Rage to Live(1965)
Midcredits score: 49th percentile of all films
The F.B.I. (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1965)

The Loner (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1965)

Hogan's Heroes(1965)
Midcredits score: 84th percentile of all shows
The Wild Wild West (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1965)

The Big Valley (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1965)

F Troop(1965)
Midcredits score: 58th percentile of all shows
The Sons of Katie Elder(1965)
Midcredits score: 86th percentile of all films
Quick, Before It Melts(1964)
Midcredits score: 10th percentile of all films
Daniel Boone (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1964)

A Distant Trumpet(1964)
Midcredits score: 56th percentile of all films
Captain Newman, M.D.(1963)
Midcredits score: 76th percentile of all films
Twilight of Honor (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1963)

Kraft Suspense Theatre (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1963)

The Fugitive (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1963)

The Lieutenant (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1963)

PT 109(1963)
Midcredits score: 68th percentile of all films
The Manchurian Candidate(1962)
Midcredits score: 97th percentile of all films
Midcredits score: 97th percentile of all shows
The Virginian (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1962)

Sam Benedict (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1962)
Midcredits score: 58th percentile of all films
X-15(1961)
Midcredits score: 31st percentile of all films
The New Breed (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1961)

Ben Casey (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1961)

Target: The Corruptors! (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1961)

The Defenders (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1961)

My Three Sons (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1960)

Thriller (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1960)

Journey to the Day (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1960)

The Snows of Kilimanjaro (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1960)

The Twilight Zone(1959)
Midcredits score: 97th percentile of all shows
The DuPont Show with June Allyson (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1959)

Laramie (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1959)

Bonanza(1959)
Midcredits score: 69th percentile of all shows
Hey Boy! Hey Girl! (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1959)

The Lawless Years (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1959)

Al Capone(1959)
Midcredits score: 70th percentile of all films
Rawhide (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1959)

Onionhead(1958)
Midcredits score: 32nd percentile of all films
Westinghouse Desilu Playhouse (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1958)

A Town Has Turned to Dust (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1958)
Underwater Warrior (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1958)

Gun Glory(1957)
Midcredits score: 48th percentile of all films
The Big Caper(1957)
Midcredits score: 59th percentile of all films
The Young Stranger(1957)
Midcredits score: 55th percentile of all films
Nightfall(1956)
Midcredits score: 87th percentile of all films
The Scarlet Hour (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1956)
Playwrights '56 (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1955)
Midcredits score: 96th percentile of all shows
Gunsmoke (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1955)

Climax! (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1954)

Inner Sanctum (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1954)

At This Moment (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1954)

The Loretta Young Show(1953)
Midcredits score: 68th percentile of all shows
General Electric Theater (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1953)

Schlitz Playhouse of Stars (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1951)

The Frogmen(1951)
Midcredits score: 61st percentile of all filmsLux Video Theatre (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1950)
Danger (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1950)

Robert Montgomery Presents (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1950)

Suspense (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1949)

Studio One (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1948)

The Philco Television Playhouse (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1948)

The Naked City(1948)
Midcredits score: 93rd percentile of all films
The Things People Want (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1948)

Kraft Television Theatre (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1947)
Career shape
Star power in the 96th percentile of 239,109 people with a billed film role, over a full career of 134 titles from 1947 to 1983; peak year 1962.

Biggest box office
The Main Event (1979)

Highest rated
The Manchurian Candidate (1962)

Most popular right now
Barney Miller (1975)
Film career
Peak 1962 · fewer prominent film roles lately. Top draw in 4 MovieCove titles. Film roles by billing, audience size and rating; 25+ votes. A show carries a single first-air date, so shows are not on the curve.
- 1951Screen debut· The Frogmen
- 1982Career best· The Flight of Dragons
Billing
Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it. The ring is the typical Midcredits score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on MovieCove, shown from 5 scored. Billing is TMDB cast order for roles with 25+ votes, billed in the top 30; the columns are the share of top-billed roles in each era, 5-year spans from the year on the label, merged until each holds at least 5 roles.
How do James Gregory's films land?
Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 50th percentile, the median of all 36; across their 31 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 57th percentile for acclaim.
- 75th and up19
- 50th to 74th17
- 25th to 49th15
- Below 25th4
Shape of the crowd
22 of their 55 titles are Crowd Pleasers.
- Universally Loved12
- Divisive1
- Crowd Pleaser22
- Broadly Agreed6
- Mixed14
Reviewers score the acting 63/100 in their films, across 28 reviewed titles; fans 72, detractors 37. The element that speaks to their work as an actor.
Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on MovieCove; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their MovieCove titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.
Is James Gregory's work okay for kids?
Across up to 6 MovieCove titles with content scores, 1 of the 5 categories sits near the median of all films.
Severity 0–100 from the Content Guide. Categories with under 10 votes on a title are not counted. The band's colour is the severity of their median, named beside it.
Who does James Gregory work with?
People who share at least 2 of James Gregory's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Dean Martin shares the most, 4.
Directors
- David MillerShared titles: Goldie and the Boxer Go to Hollywood (1981), Captain Newman, M.D. (1963)See all 2 shared titles with David Miller

- Delbert MannShared titles: Francis Gary Powers: The True Story of the U-2 Spy Incident (1976), Quick, Before It Melts (1964)See all 2 shared titles with Delbert Mann

- Henry HathawayShared titles: Shoot Out (1971), The Sons of Katie Elder (1965)See all 2 shared titles with Henry Hathaway

- Henry LevinShared titles: The Ambushers (1967), Murderers' Row (1966)See all 2 shared titles with Henry Levin

Writers
- Donald HamiltonShared titles: The Ambushers (1967), Murderers' Row (1966), The Silencers (1966)See all 3 shared titles with Donald Hamilton
- Herbert BakerShared titles: The Ambushers (1967), Murderers' Row (1966)See all 2 shared titles with Herbert Baker

- Richard L. BreenShared titles: Captain Newman, M.D. (1963), PT 109 (1963)See all 2 shared titles with Richard L. Breen

Actors
- Dean MartinShared titles: The Ambushers (1967), Murderers' Row (1966), The Silencers (1966), The Sons of Katie Elder (1965)See all 4 shared titles with Dean Martin

- Victor BuonoShared titles: The Flight of Dragons (1982), Beneath the Planet of the Apes (1970), The Silencers (1966)See all 3 shared titles with Victor Buono

- Lynne MoodyShared titles: Wait Till Your Mother Gets Home! (1983), Goldie and the Boxer Go to Hollywood (1981)See all 2 shared titles with Lynne Moody

- Larry StorchShared titles: The Flight of Dragons (1982), Captain Newman, M.D. (1963)See all 2 shared titles with Larry Storch

Composers, cinematographers and editors
- Burnett GuffeyShared titles: The Ambushers (1967), The Silencers (1966), Nightfall (1956)See all 3 shared titles with Burnett Guffey

- J. Terry WilliamsShared titles: Goldie and the Boxer Go to Hollywood (1981), The Secret War of Harry Frigg (1968)See all 2 shared titles with J. Terry Williams
- Sam E. WaxmanShared titles: Francis Gary Powers: The True Story of the U-2 Spy Incident (1976), The Love God? (1969)See all 2 shared titles with Sam E. Waxman
- George DuningShared titles: The Abduction of Saint Anne (1975), Nightfall (1956)See all 2 shared titles with George Duning

Producers
- Irving AllenShared titles: The Ambushers (1967), Murderers' Row (1966), The Silencers (1966)See all 3 shared titles with Irving Allen

- Edward MontagneShared titles: Francis Gary Powers: The True Story of the U-2 Spy Incident (1976), The Love God? (1969)See all 2 shared titles with Edward Montagne
- Hal B. WallisShared titles: Shoot Out (1971), The Sons of Katie Elder (1965)See all 2 shared titles with Hal B. Wallis

- Paul NathanShared titles: Shoot Out (1971), The Sons of Katie Elder (1965)See all 2 shared titles with Paul Nathan
Mixed roles
- William H. WrightShared titles: The Sons of Katie Elder (1965), A Distant Trumpet (1964)See all 2 shared titles with William H. Wright
- Frank SinatraShared titles: The Manchurian Candidate (1962), X-15 (1961)See all 2 shared titles with Frank Sinatra



