JL
James Luisi
Actor
Born November 11, 1928Died June 7, 2002 (73 years)
A native New Yorker, James Luisi attended St. Francis College in Brooklyn Heights on a basketball scholarship. He served in the Army during the Korean War. He then played one season (1953-54) with the Baltimore Bullets in the National Basketball Association. His acting career began on the stage with early parts coming in the Broadway musicals "Sweet Charity" and "Zorba". His early movies were minor, though his "beefcake" appeal was evident in 1973's I Escaped from Devil's Island (1973) in which he rarely wore a shirt. Most of his later work was on TV. In 1976 he shared a "best actor" daytime Emmy for playing George Washington in a daytime drama special titled First Ladies Diaries: Martha Washington (1975). Also in 1976 he started his four-season role as Jim Rockford's (James Garner) nemesis Lt. Chapman in The Rockford Files (1974). In 1983 he played the cop in charge of some street-gang-members-turned-undercover-agents in the short-lived series The Renegades (1983), which provided a boost for Patrick Swayze, who played one of the gang members. Along with guest spots on numerous TV shows, Luisi also appeared in the soap operas Days of Our Lives (1965) and Another World (1964).
In the 1990s he returned to acting in and directing stage work in the Los Angeles area. Stricken with cancer he passed away on 7 June 2002 and is survived by his wife of 41 years, the former Georgia Phillips.
In the 1990s he returned to acting in and directing stage work in the Los Angeles area. Stricken with cancer he passed away on 7 June 2002 and is survived by his wife of 41 years, the former Georgia Phillips.
Filmography
| 1998 | |
| 1996 | The Rockford Files: Friends and Foul Play · as Capt. Doug Chapman |
| 1996 | The Rockford Files: If the Frame Fits... · as Capt. Doug Chapman |
| 1995 | Baywatch Nights (TV Series) · as Murray |
| 1992 | Tequila and Bonetti (TV Series) · as Harry Dirday |
| 1991 | Silk Stalkings (TV Series) |
| 1991 | Dark Justice (TV Series) |
| 1988 | Feds · as Sperry |
| 1988 | The Most Dangerous Woman Alive · as Colonel Jerry Maxim |
| 1987 | The Hidden · as Ferrari Salesman |
| 1987 | Private Eye (TV Series) · as Geoffers |
| 1986 | L.A. Law (TV Series) · as Paul Viola |
| 1986 | Murphy's Law · as Ed Reineke |
| 1986 | The Hogan Family (TV Series) |
| 1985 | Hell Town (TV Series) |
| 1984 | Partners in Crime (TV Series) |
| 1984 | Finder of Lost Loves (TV Series) · as Jordan Hollis |
| 1984 | Santa Barbara (TV Series) · as Ben Clark |
| 1984 | The Red-Light Sting · as Renny Lucas |
| 1984 | Riptide (1984) (TV Series) · as Uptown Bill Brown |
| 1983 | Sunset Limousine · as Angel |
| 1983 | Whiz Kids (TV Series) · as Hicks |
| 1983 | Star 80 · as Roy |
| 1983 | Renegades (TV Series) · as Lt. Marciano |
| 1983 | The A-Team (TV Series) · as Jimmy Durkee |
| 1982 | Matt Houston (TV Series) |
| 1982 | Knight Rider (TV Series) · as D.g. Grebs |
| 1982 | The Renegades · as Lt. Joe Marciano |
| 1982 | T.J. Hooker (TV Series) · as Vincent Hazzard / George Laszlo |
| 1981 | Simon & Simon (TV Series) · as Jimmy Cole |
| 1981 | The Fall Guy (TV Series) |
| 1981 | Today's FBI (TV Series) · as Regosi |
| 1981 | The Sophisticated Gents (TV Series) · as Buonfiglio |
| 1980 | Magnum, P.I. (TV Series) |
| 1980 | It's a Living (TV Series) · as Roscoe Simpson |
| 1980 | Fade to Black · as Capt. M.l. Gallagher |
| 1980 | Here's Boomer (TV Series) |
| 1979 | Knots Landing (TV Series) · as Lieutenant Gilbert Garcia |
| 1979 | Hart to Hart (TV Series) |
| 1979 | Buck Rogers in the 25th Century (TV Series) · as Hood |
| 1979 | Norma Rae · as George Benson |
| 1978 | Moment by Moment · as Dan Santini |
| 1978 | One in a Million: The Ron LeFlore Story · as Jimmy Karalla |
| 1978 | Sword of Justice (TV Series) |
| 1978 | The Eddie Capra Mysteries (TV Series) |
| 1978 | Killer's Delight · as Sgt. Vince De Carlo |
| 1978 | Vega$ (TV Series) |
| 1978 | A Love Affair: The Eleanor and Lou Gehrig Story · as Lazzeri |
| 1977 | Contract on Cherry Street · as Al Palmini / Arnold Palmer |
| 1977 | CHiPs (TV Series) |
| 1977 | |
| 1977 | Fantasy Island (TV Series) · as Arbogast |
| 1976 | Quincy, M.E. (TV Series) |
| 1976 | Black Sheep Squadron (TV Series) · as Col. Frank Hutton |
| 1976 | Hunter (1977) (TV Series) |
| 1976 | Future Cop (TV Series) · as Paterno |
| 1976 | Most Wanted (TV Series) · as Johnny Moore |
| 1976 | Good Heavens (TV Series) |
| 1976 | City of Angels (1976) (TV Series) |
| 1975 | Wonder Woman (TV Series) · as George |
| 1975 | Starsky & Hutch (TV Series) |
| 1975 | S.W.A.T. (TV Series) |
| 1974 | The Take · as Benedetto |
| 1974 | Honky Tonk · as Blackie |
| 1974 | The Rockford Files (TV Series) · as Burt Stryker |
| 1974 | Manhunter (TV Series) · as Crowley |
| 1974 | Chopper One (TV Series) · as Eddie |
| 1973 | Cry Rape · as Det. Kroger |
| 1973 | I Escaped from Devil's Island · as Dazzas |
| 1973 | Kojak (TV Series) · as Capt. Henry 'hank' Rosseau |
| 1973 | Police Story (TV Series) |
| 1973 | Hawkins (TV Series) · as Andy Tyler |
| 1973 | Barnaby Jones (TV Series) · as Burt Logan |
| 1972 | Anna and the King (TV Series) · as Cast |
| 1972 | The Streets of San Francisco (TV Series) |
| 1972 | |
| 1972 | Ghost Story (TV Series) · as Rick |
| 1972 | The Rookies (TV Series) |
| 1971 | Cade's County (TV Series) · as Hal Claybourne |
| 1971 | Cannon (TV Series) |
| 1971 | Owen Marshall, Counselor At Law (TV Series) · as Tom Mundy |
| 1970 | The Mary Tyler Moore Show (TV Series) · as Doug |
| 1970 | The Interns (TV Series) · as Nick |
| 1968 | Adam-12 (TV Series) · as Antonio Minetti |
| 1967 | Mannix (TV Series) · as Bobby Quinn |
| 1967 | Ironside (TV Series) · as Mike Purcell |
| 1967 | The Tiger Makes Out · as Pete Copolla |
| 1965 | Days of our Lives (TV Series) · as Duke Johnson |
| 1965 | The F.B.I. (TV Series) · as Little Julio |
| 1964 | Another World (TV Series) |
| 1963 | East Side/West Side (TV Series) · as Walter (bartender) |
| 1963 | The Doctors (TV Series) · as Fred Dalton |
| 1961 | Target: The Corruptors (TV Series) · as Burt Granz |
| 1959 | |
| 1958 | Naked City (TV Series) · as Mark Andrew |
| 1958 | The Rifleman (TV Series) |
| 1955 | Gunsmoke (TV Series) · as Ivers |
| 1954 | Disneyland (TV Series) · as Foreman |
| 1952 | This Is The Life (TV Series) · as Pastor |