James Gregory (actor)

James Gregory was an American character actor known for his deep, gravelly voice and playing brash roles such as the McCarthylike Sen. John Iselin in The Manchurian Candidate , the audacious General Ursus in Beneath the Planet of the Apes , and loudmouthed Inspector Frank Luger in Barney Miller .

Gregory was born in the Bronx, New York City, New York, and raised 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 twentyfive more Broadway productions over the next sixteen years. Gregory served three years in the United States Navy and United States Marine Corps during World War II. His early acting work included Army training films one such appearance is excerpted in The Atomic Caf .

Source: Wikipedia