Known For
Acting
Born
Nov 11, 1928
Died
Jun 07, 2002
Place of Birth
New York City, New York, USA
Credits
79 titles
James Luisi
Biography
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
Filmography
The Rockford Files: Friends and Foul Play
Capt. Doug Chapman
The Rockford Files: If the Frame Fits...
Capt. Doug Chapman
Baywatch Nights
Murray
Silk Stalkings
Dark Justice
Lethal Woman
Colonel Jerry Maxim
Feds!
Sperry
The Hidden
Ferrari Salesman
L.A. Law
Paul Viola
Murphy's Law
Ed Reineke
The Hogan Family
Hell Town
Partners in Crime
Finder of Lost Loves
Jordan Hollis
The Red-Light Sting
Renny Lucas
Star 80
Roy
Sunset Limousine
Angel
The Renegades
Lt. Marciano
The A-Team
Jimmy Durkee
Knight Rider
D.G. Grebs
Matt Houston
The Renegades
Lt. Joe Marciano
T. J. Hooker
George Laszlo
The Fall Guy
Our Family Business
Frank
Here's Boomer
Magnum, P.I.
John Walter Costa
The Asphalt Cowboy
Lt. Lassiter
Fade to Black
Capt. M.L. Gallagher
Knots Landing
Lieutenant Gilbert Garcia
Hart to Hart
Buck Rogers in the 25th Century
Hood
Harris and Company
Norma Rae
George Benson
Moment by Moment
Dan Santini
One in a Million: The Ron LeFlore Story
Jimmy Karalla
Vega$
Sword of Justice
The Eddie Capra Mysteries
Love Is Not Enough
Harry Foreman
Killer's Delight
Sgt. Vince De Carlo
Fantasy Island
Arbogast
A Love Affair: The Eleanor and Lou Gehrig Story
Lazzeri
Contract on Cherry Street
Al Palmini / Arnold Palmer
CHiPs
Stunts
Alvin Blake
Hunter
Quincy, M.E.
Spencer's Pilots
Future Cop
Paterno