Gregory Harrison was born on May 31, 1950 on Santa Catalina Island, California in the resort city of Avalon, located twenty-six miles offshore the teeming metropolis of Los Angeles. Gregory spent his youth swimming, fishing, and diving for coins tossed by the tourists who lined the railings of the two-thousand passenger S.S. Catalina as it sailed into the bay each summer’s day at noon. It was during these early years that Gregory first discovered his flair for acting, and his ability provided immediate rewards.
Gregory quickly learned that "the better the show, the better the dough", and he and his buddies would create dramatic scenarios that would thrill their spectators.
In 1966, a feature film crew came to Avalon to shoot “The Glassbottom Boat,” starring Doris Day, Rod Taylor and Arthur Godfrey. It was a turning point for him, as he realized that the magic he had always been so captivated by in the cinema was not some mysterious process beyond his understanding, but a craft that required dedication, discipline and occasional dashes of inspiration. These were things that he knew he possessed, and it was during this time that a dream began to grow inside him.
For the six years Gregory bounced around several well-known acting schools in Los Angeles, picking up the techniques, connections and life experience required to successfully create an acting career in Hollywood. He occasionally worked in educational films for their $25 a day paycheck, and once tried being a non-union extra in the film "The Harrad Experiment." Mostly, though, Gregory spent countless hours in his classes preparing to be a leading man, and avoided extra work and bit part opportunities as much as his limited funds would allow.
Gregory’s first big break came in 1976, when he was cast in a guest-star role in the CBS series "M*A*S*H." That was followed by roles in "Barnaby Jones" and the TV movie "Trilogy Of Terror" with Karen Black. In 1977, Harrison landed the title role in the science-fiction TV series "Logan's Run." The series was cancelled after one season, but Gregory was finally becoming an established leading man. Shortly after, Gregory was cast in the Christmas TV Movie "The Gathering," which was the first of many times he would work with Stephanie Zimbalist. After it won the Emmy® for best movie of the season, it also led to his biggest break, the 1978 mini-series "Centennial," in which he had the central role of Levi Zendt.
Gregory was cast into the pilot episode of "Trapper John, MD" for CBS’ 1979 season. Starring as Dr. Gonzo Gates, he was thrilled to be part of an immediate hit on the network’s Sunday night schedule. Eventually, Gregory directed eight of the later episodes of the show, but halfway through its seventh and final season he moved on.
In 1980 he formed, with Franklin R. Levy, the Catalina Production Group. Over the next eleven years, they produced numerous stage projects and nearly two dozen television movies. Catalina Productions was an important force in the Los Angeles theater scene from 1981 to 1992, and plays presented by the company were honored with over 150 local theater awards. Those plays included The Hasty Heart, which won the Los Angeles Drama Critics Award as Best Production (including Best Actor for Gregory) and Picnic, for which Gregory won a Dramalogue Award. In 1990, he was supremely honored with a L.A. Ovation Award for Outstanding Contribution to L.A. Theater.
Gregory is married to former "CHiPs" actress Randi Oakes. The couple has three girls and a boy: Emma, Lily, Kate and Quinn. They currently reside in southern Oregon.
