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 the McCarthy-like Senator John Iselin in The Manchurian Candidate (1962), the audacious General Ursus in Beneath the Planet of the Apes, and loudmouthed Inspector Frank Luger in Barney Miller (1975–1982).

Biography

Gregory was born in the Bronx, New York City, New York, and reared in New Rochelle north of the city. 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 worked in 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 to 1961, Gregory had his own series, a 1920s crime drama entitled The Lawless Years, which aired forty-five episodes on NBC. He played a New York City police detective named Barney Ruditsky. After his appearance as Senator Iselin in The Manchurian Candidate in 1962, Gregory starred in 1963 in the film PT 109 with Cliff Robertson.

He was also cast as Dean Martin's spy boss MacDonald, in the Matt Helm film 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 was playing the father of Scott Hayward in Elvis Presley's 1967 film Clambake.

Gregory was also a regular on the TV series "Barney Miller" as Deputy Inspector Frank Lugar.

Gregory died of natural causes in Sedona, Arizona. He and his wife, the former Anne Miltner, are interred at the Sedona Community Cemetery.