James Luisi, known for his tough guy roles, was a guard for the Baltimore Bullets in the 1950s before becoming a stage and screen actor. Luisi left the basketball court to study acting at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts, and he began winning parts in musical theater productions, including the Bob Fosse-directed "Sweet Charity" in 1966. After working on many television shows, Luisi won his most famous role, as Lt. Doug Chapman on the classic James Garner adventure series "The Rockford Files." Luisi would play Lt. Chapman for four seasons, from 1976 to the end of the series in 1980. Fosse cast Luisi in 1983 in the impressive, despairing biopic "Star 80," which was Fosse's last movie. Luisi was mainly restricted to action on television, but he did win some acclaim, and a Daytime Emmy Award, for his portrayal of George Washington in a 1975 special called "First Ladies Diaries: Martha Washington." Luisi worked on daytime soap operas like "Santa Barbara," but he also made an impression in the Sally Field union drama, "Norma Rae." After some undistinguished television work in the 1980s, Luisi returned to his most famous part in a "Rockford Files" TV movie, "The Rockford Files: Friends and Foul Play" in 1996, and then had just one more credit before his death from cancer in 2002.
Highest rated movies
Filmography
Movies
Credit | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
No Score Yet | | Wanted | Vincent Argento (Character) | - | 1999 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | The Rockford Files: If the Frame Fits | Police Capt. Doug Chapman (Character) | - | 1996 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | The Rockford Files: Friends and Foul Play | Capt. Doug Chapman (Character) | - | 1996 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Lethal Woman | Colonel Jerry Maxim (Character) | - | 1989 |
33% | | Feds | Sperry (Character) | $3.5M | 1988 |
33% | | Murphy's Law | Ed Reineke (Character) | $9.1M | 1986 |
No Score Yet | | Sunset Limousine | Angel (Character) | - | 1983 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Our Family Business | Frank (Character) | - | 1981 |
42% | | Fade to Black | Captain M.L. Gallagher (Character) | - | 1980 |
91% | | Norma Rae | George Benson (Character) | - | 1979 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | A Love Affair: The Eleanor and Lou Gehrig Story | Tony Lazzeri (Character) | - | 1978 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | One in a Million: The Ron LeFlore Story | Jimmy Karalla (Character) | - | 1978 |
22% | | Moment by Moment | Dan Santini (Character) | - | 1978 |
No Score Yet | | Who Is Killing the Stuntmen? | Alvin Blake (Character) | - | 1977 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Contract on Cherry Street | Al Palmini/ | - | 1977 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Killer's Delight | Sgt. Vince De Carlo (Character) | - | 1976 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Future Cop | Paterno (Character) | - | 1976 |
No Score Yet | | The Dark Ride | Sgt. Vince De Carlo (Character) | - | 1976 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | The Take | Benedetto (Character) | - | 1974 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Cry Rape! | Det. Kroger (Character) | - | 1973 |
No Score Yet | | I Escaped From Devil's Island | Dazzas (Character) | - | 1973 |
TV
Credit | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
17% | No Score Yet | Baywatch Nights | Unknown (Guest Star) | 1996 |
0% | No Score Yet | Tequila and Bonetti | Unknown (Guest Star) | 1992 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Hogan Family | Unknown (Guest Star) | 1989 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | It's a Living | Roscoe (Guest Star) | 1988 |
No Score Yet | 95% | Magnum, P.I. | John Walter Costa (Guest Star) | 1987 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | The Fall Guy | Unknown (Guest Star) | 1985 |
No Score Yet | 80% | Knight Rider | D.G. Grebs (Guest Star) | 1985 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Partners in Crime | Captain Caslin (Guest Star) | 1984 |
No Score Yet | 71% | The A-Team | Jimmy Durkee (Guest Star) | 1984 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Hart to Hart | Unknown (Guest Star) | 1981 1984 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | CHiPs | Unknown (Guest Star) | 1980 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | The Rockford Files | Lt. Doug Chapman (Character), Burt Stryker (Guest Star) | 1976-1980 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Barnaby Jones | Unknown (Guest Star) | 1973-1974 1976 1979 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Fantasy Island | Unknown (Guest Star) | 1978 |
100% | 82% | Wonder Woman | Unknown (Guest Star) | 1978 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Good Heavens | Unknown (Guest Star) | 1976 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | The Mary Tyler Moore Show | Doug (Guest Star) | 1976 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Kojak | Capt. Henry 'Hank' Rosseau (Guest Star) | 1973 1976 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Starsky and Hutch | Unknown (Guest Star) | 1976 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Gunsmoke | Ivers (Guest Star) | 1974 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | The Streets of San Francisco | Lloyd Davies (Guest Star) | 1974 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Mannix | John Larkin (Guest Star) | 1974 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Police Story | Toby O'Brien (Character) | 1973 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | The Rookies | Unknown (Guest Star) | 1972 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Cannon | Sonny Burns (Guest Star) | 1972 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | The Interns | Unknown (Guest Star) | 1971 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Bonanza | Unknown (Guest Star) | 1963-1964 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | East Side/West Side | Unknown (Guest Star) | 1964 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | The Rifleman | Unknown (Guest Star) | 1962 |