Best
remembered as Frank Luger, the irascible inspector with the heart of gold in
Barney Miller (1975-1985), James Gregory, who died at 91 years of
age, played over a thousand parts in an acting career that spanned more than
50 years.
As a highly regarded stage actor, Gregory appeared in
numerous Broadway productions during the 1940s, including the stage version
of key Largo.
One of James Gregory's greatest claims to fame was his
appearance in the 1959 pilot episode of The Twilight Zone, "Where Is
Everybody?"
Gregory frequently donned Western garb for the camera,
playing roles as diverse as a peace officer, a cowpuncher, and a scalphunter,
in movies such as Gun Glory, Shoot Out, Distant Trumpet,
and The Sons of Katie Elder, as well as TV shows such as The High
Chaparral, F Troop, The Big Valley, and Rawhide.
Perhaps most notably, the multi-faceted performer appeared in no less than
three episodes of Bonanza, including one of the series' most intense
episodes, "Second Chance" in 1967. For an extensive look at Gregory, the
actor and the man, see his last interview, published in Issue #2 of
Wildest Westerns. |
