![James Luisi](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w185/lDtFhVuMvsrnmaFhuQyoaeoHT9I.jpg)
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 | Acting |
---|---|
Most Rating | 10.555 |
Birthday | 1928-11-11 |
Place of Birth | New York City, New York, USA |
Also Known As |
![Star 80](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/b2SkA02fXbZYnV1qjOIQprjXloF.jpg)
1983
![Star 80](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/b2SkA02fXbZYnV1qjOIQprjXloF.jpg)
Star 80
6.438/120
Paul Snider is a narcissistic, small time hustler who fancies himself a ladies man. His life changes when he meets Dorothy Stratten working behind the...
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Star 80
![The Hidden](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/pCoFtULUIebq13EU9glcZjfdC1a.jpg)
1987
![The Hidden](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/pCoFtULUIebq13EU9glcZjfdC1a.jpg)
The Hidden
6.881/398
When average, law-abiding citizens suddenly turn to a life of hedonistic behavior and violent crime, Detective Tom Beck is tasked with helping young F...
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The Hidden
![Murphy's Law](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/YqnhhLlv3ISBeIvN0zVO8cUWZe.jpg)
1986
![Murphy's Law](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/YqnhhLlv3ISBeIvN0zVO8cUWZe.jpg)
Murphy's Law
6.029/140
A tough police detective escapes from custody after being framed and arrested for the murder of his ex-wife, and must now find the real killer and pro...
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Murphy's Law
![Fade to Black](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/wQA5HMwryIjOwnmN6uumCz6mjJs.jpg)
1980
![Fade to Black](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/wQA5HMwryIjOwnmN6uumCz6mjJs.jpg)
Fade to Black
5.538/65
A shy, lonely film buff embarks on a killing spree against those who browbeat and betray him, all the while stalking his idol, a Marilyn Monroe lookal...
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Fade to Black
![Killer's Delight](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/ip1p1GnQBy5g4bxDA8amYXgN1t5.jpg)
1978
![Killer's Delight](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/ip1p1GnQBy5g4bxDA8amYXgN1t5.jpg)
Killer's Delight
5/5
A detective tracks a serial killer through San Francisco.
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Killer's Delight
![I Escaped from Devil's Island](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/h73njjMtS62sZXRnJov3LkOZyuo.jpg)
1973
![I Escaped from Devil's Island](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/h73njjMtS62sZXRnJov3LkOZyuo.jpg)
I Escaped from Devil's Island
4.7/18
In 1916, a group of prisoners plot their escape from the notorious fortress located in French Guiana.
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I Escaped from Devil's Island
![Moment by Moment](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/pubJy2ZBPbqXI8LqRDfdCMrWgoj.jpg)
1978
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Moment by Moment
3.4/20
Trisha Rawlings, a Beverly Hills socialite suffering from loneliness following the separation from her womanizing husband, develops a May–December rom...
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Moment by Moment
![Contract on Cherry Street](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/kbGf7VXP2A3oYrKsx5x7OKXxzw3.jpg)
1977
![Contract on Cherry Street](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/kbGf7VXP2A3oYrKsx5x7OKXxzw3.jpg)
Contract on Cherry Street
6.3/3
A policeman devises an unorthodox plan for bringing criminals to justice after his partner is brutally gunned down.
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Contract on Cherry Street
![One in a Million: The Ron LeFlore Story](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/weGFduQgSlj3XdALdmgLiELMUni.jpg)
1978
![One in a Million: The Ron LeFlore Story](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/weGFduQgSlj3XdALdmgLiELMUni.jpg)
One in a Million: The Ron LeFlore Story
5.5/3
The true story of baseball star Ron LeFlore, from his days as a street-corner punk with no future to his days behind bars on a petty robbery convictio...
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One in a Million: The Ron LeFlore Story
![The Take](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/lni9a6mbFHQpxBI9i4IAGgh3auC.jpg)
1974
![The Take](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/lni9a6mbFHQpxBI9i4IAGgh3auC.jpg)
The Take
6.3/3
A policeman in New Mexico takes payoff money but still manages to go after a racketeer.
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The Take
![Norma Rae](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/6au7WBVYoKhV1jORyFSIRszb46S.jpg)
1979
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Norma Rae
7.15/167
Norma Rae is a southern textile worker employed in a factory with intolerable working conditions. This concern about the situation gives her the gumpt...
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Norma Rae
![Lethal Woman](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/iDVBICFDy7x3neTx3m7XFerIoTQ.jpg)
1989
![Lethal Woman](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/iDVBICFDy7x3neTx3m7XFerIoTQ.jpg)
Lethal Woman
3.2/5
A group of men are told that they have won an "erotic vacation" at a fantasy island. In reality, they are being lured to the island by women they have...
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Lethal Woman
![Stunts](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/egxNZZhoEpqpA3a3TbTCA1tujbv.jpg)
1977
![Stunts](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/egxNZZhoEpqpA3a3TbTCA1tujbv.jpg)
Stunts
5.1/11
After a stunt man dies while he is involved in the making of a motion picture, his brother takes his place in order to find out what really happened.
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Stunts
![The Rockford Files: Friends and Foul Play](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/nHhvm62BYYJDm27xtOILp0vVeCf.jpg)
1996
![The Rockford Files: Friends and Foul Play](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/nHhvm62BYYJDm27xtOILp0vVeCf.jpg)
The Rockford Files: Friends and Foul Play
6.5/2
An friend of Jim's continues to seek his help for her murdered son, but when she winds up dead not long after an altercation with the mafia man, Jim m...
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The Rockford Files: Friends and Foul Play
![Ben](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/LvTapjbjdg9bGzt79hZAp2idcn.jpg)
1972
![Ben](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/LvTapjbjdg9bGzt79hZAp2idcn.jpg)
Ben
5.825/97
A lonely boy becomes good friends with Ben, a rat. This rat is also the leader of a pack of vicious killer rats, killing lots of people.
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Ben
![The Red-Light Sting](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/nx41B6f3MojGdubNvErylW6iW8B.jpg)
1984
![The Red-Light Sting](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/nx41B6f3MojGdubNvErylW6iW8B.jpg)
The Red-Light Sting
2.5/2
Government agent Frank Powell is determined to bring down racketeering crime lord Oliver Sully but cannot find any evidence. Powell concocts a plan to...
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The Red-Light Sting
![Feds](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/a8g0q2R4cwLc5a9SSBuqq6GhSlq.jpg)
1988
![Feds](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/a8g0q2R4cwLc5a9SSBuqq6GhSlq.jpg)
Feds
5.8/74
Ellie DeWitt and Janis Zuckermann are admitted to the very strict FBI Training Academy. They get a hard course, in which they learn to deal with guns...
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Feds
![Sunset Limousine](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/mg4q663fOO1vgwIvfufjHgNsONy.jpg)
1983
![Sunset Limousine](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/mg4q663fOO1vgwIvfufjHgNsONy.jpg)
Sunset Limousine
4/7
Alan O'Black is a comic who wants to hit it big. But his endless attempts at stardom have worn down his relationship with his ex-girlfriend, Julie. Th...
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Sunset Limousine
![Cry Rape](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/lNmhNLw1Vv1cbBHQm1BzqGkDz2C.jpg)
1973
![Cry Rape](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/lNmhNLw1Vv1cbBHQm1BzqGkDz2C.jpg)
Cry Rape
6.7/3
A man who is arrested for rape swears it wasn't him but somebody who looks just like him, but the victim insists it was him.
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Cry Rape
![Honky Tonk](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/53qk1HbOkSEUptsZtU8BEiM9ucN.jpg)
1974
![Honky Tonk](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/53qk1HbOkSEUptsZtU8BEiM9ucN.jpg)
Honky Tonk
0/0
In the wild west con-man 'Candy' Johnson heads to Nevada to set up his own gambling den and teams up with Lucy Cotton, a young woman he meets there. T...
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Honky Tonk
![Cat Ballou](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/3Z363D39A7o2JBJZhyXBvEvaE9i.jpg)
1971
![Cat Ballou](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/3Z363D39A7o2JBJZhyXBvEvaE9i.jpg)
Cat Ballou
0/0
A pretty ranch owner hires an alcoholic gunfighter to protect her ranch and her adopted boy from an outlaw gang's depredations.
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Cat Ballou
![The Rockford Files: If the Frame Fits...](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/yXsxYJbkglk5YV7y5JvCJP0KqGk.jpg)
1996
![The Rockford Files: If the Frame Fits...](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/yXsxYJbkglk5YV7y5JvCJP0KqGk.jpg)
The Rockford Files: If the Frame Fits...
6.8/5
Jim Rockford, is framed for the murder of another rival detective with whom Jim was seen having an argument.
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The Rockford Files: If the Frame Fits...
![Our Family Business](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/e8Qe9vc4wr4R0JPLm9HlmwUYmbj.jpg)
1981
![Our Family Business](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/e8Qe9vc4wr4R0JPLm9HlmwUYmbj.jpg)
Our Family Business
0/0
A syndicate mob boss doesn't realize that his eldest son, Gep, has been informing to the police on the family's dealings in exchange for protection, w...
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Our Family Business
![Love Is Not Enough](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/uL2MVuMeiT9a8NwUH2zutaZFo5w.jpg)
1978
![Love Is Not Enough](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/uL2MVuMeiT9a8NwUH2zutaZFo5w.jpg)
Love Is Not Enough
0/0
A black family leaves the ghetto of Detroit to look for a better life in Los Angeles.
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Love Is Not Enough
![A Love Affair: The Eleanor and Lou Gehrig Story](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/uG9jAnxGhB4tat5AkvZXrUGLIEW.jpg)
1978
![A Love Affair: The Eleanor and Lou Gehrig Story](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/uG9jAnxGhB4tat5AkvZXrUGLIEW.jpg)
A Love Affair: The Eleanor and Lou Gehrig Story
9/1
Legendary ballplayer and humanitarian Lou Gehrig and his relationship with his stalwart wife, Eleanor, are portrayed in this film that focuses on the...
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A Love Affair: The Eleanor and Lou Gehrig Story
![Future Cop](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/tuJHsgvKjov91e5Y8YmbR2x3shK.jpg)
1976
![Future Cop](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/tuJHsgvKjov91e5Y8YmbR2x3shK.jpg)
Future Cop
5/1
A veteran street cop is assigned a new partner. The partner is not exactly what he seems to be, though--he is an experimental android who has been pro...
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Future Cop
![The Man from Independence](https://nicosiaefe.gov.cy/video/assets/no-poster.png)
1974
![The Man from Independence](https://nicosiaefe.gov.cy/video/assets/no-poster.png)
The Man from Independence
0/0
The Story of Harry S. Truman as he begins his political career in 1929.
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The Man from Independence
![The Renegades](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/esNt2bHTFd3MvAwKN1XJcOhuBDC.jpg)
1982
![The Renegades](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/esNt2bHTFd3MvAwKN1XJcOhuBDC.jpg)
The Renegades
7.6/4
In this drama, undercover investigators are recruited from the streets to prevent arms smugglers from getting their weapons to street gangs.
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