James Luisi
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.
Known for
ActingBirthday
November 11, 1928Deathday
June 7, 2002Gender
MaleKnown Movie Credits
28Place of birth
New York City, New York, USACast credits
Star 80
RoyThe Hidden
Ferrari SalesmanMurphy's Law
Ed ReinekeFade to Black
Capt. M.L. GallagherKiller's Delight
Sgt. Vince De CarloI Escaped from Devil's Island
DazzasMoment by Moment
Dan SantiniContract on Cherry Street
Al Palmini / Arnold PalmerOne in a Million: The Ron LeFlore Story
Jimmy KarallaThe Take
BenedettoNorma Rae
George BensonLethal Woman
Colonel Jerry MaximStunts
Alvin BlakeThe Rockford Files: Friends and Foul Play
Capt. Doug ChapmanBen
EdThe Red-Light Sting
Renny LucasFeds
SperrySunset Limousine
AngelCry Rape
Det. KrogerHonky Tonk
BlackieCat Ballou
Spider Levinsky