Full Name James A. Luisi Role Basketball player Name James Luisi | Years active 1961–1999 Other names Jim Luisi Children Jamie Swartz | |
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Born November 2, 1928 ( 1928-11-02 ) East Harlem, New York, USA Occupation Former NBA player, actor Died June 7, 2002, Los Angeles, California, United States Spouse Georgia Phillips (m. 1961–2002) Movies and TV shows The Rockford Files, Killer's Delight, Murphy's Law, I Escaped from Devil's Island, Feds Similar People Gretchen Corbett, Stuart Margolin, Vernon Zimmerman, Daniel Goldberg, Roy Huggins | ||
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James A. Luisi (November 2, 1928 – June 7, 2002) was an American professional basketball player and actor. Luisi is perhaps best known for his role as Lt. Doug Chapman during Seasons 3 through 6 of the television series The Rockford Files.
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Career
Born in East Harlem, New York City, Luisi attended St. Francis College on a basketball scholarship before being drafted by the Boston Celtics in the sixth round of the 1951 N.B.A. draft. After serving in the US Army during the Korean War, he played with the Baltimore Bullets for one year in the 1953-54 season.
At 6'2" (1.88 m) and 180 lb (82 kg), he played guard for 31 games and averaged 3 points a game. Luisi then attended the American Academy of Dramatic Arts, and appeared on Broadway in productions of Alfie and Do I Hear a Waltz?, and the original 1966 production of Sweet Charity.
Luisi went on to appear in various television programs such as Naked City, Adam-12, The Rookies, The Rifleman, Kojak and Barnaby Jones. In 1976, he shared a Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Actor in a Daytime Drama Special for his portrayal of George Washington in the 1975 mini-series First Ladies Diaries: Martha Washington.
After his Emmy win, Luisi had guest roles on Matt Houston, Days of Our Lives, L.A. Law and Silk Stalkings. He also had roles in several films including Norma Rae (1979) and Star 80 (1983).
Death
Luisi died of cancer in 2002, aged 73. He was survived by his wife of 41 years, the former Georgia Phillips. He was also survived by his daughter, Jamie Swartz; his brother, Jerry Luisi; and two grandchildren. He is buried in Pierce Brothers Valhalla Memorial Park.