James Luisi

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, the apoplectic foil to Jim Rockford, during Seasons 3 through 6 of the television series The Rockford Files.

Basketball 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.

Stage

Luisi then attended the American Academy of Dramatic Arts, and appeared on Broadway in productions of Alfie and Do I Hear a Waltz? as well as the original 1966 production of Sweet Charity.^[1]

Television

He went on to appear in various television programs such as Naked City, Adam-12, The Rookies, The Rifleman, In 1970 he appeared on The Mary Tyler Moore Show episode titled: Sue Ann Falls In Love. 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 miniseries First Ladies Diaries: Martha Washington.^[2] After his Emmy win, Luisi had guest roles on Matt Houston, Days of Our Lives, L.A. Law and Silk Stalkings. He had roles in such films as Norma Rae (1979) and Star 80 (1983).^[2]

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; a brother, Jerry Luisi; and two grandchildren. He is buried in Pierce Brothers Valhalla Memorial Park.^[1][2]

Selected filmography

References

External links

• James Luisi at the Internet Broadway Database
• NBA statistics at basketball-reference.com
• James Luisi at Find a Grave