Gregory Jbara (; born September 28, 1961) is an American actor and singer. He is known for his roles as

Deputy Commissioner A deputy commissioner is a police, income tax or administrative official in many countries. The rank is commonplace in police forces of Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth countries, usually ranking below the Commissioner. Australia In all Aust ...

Garrett Moore in the

CBS CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS (an abbreviation of its original name, Columbia Broadcasting System), is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainme ...

police procedural ''Blue Bloods'' (2010-2023), Dan O'Keefe in the

Fox Foxes are small-to-medium-sized omnivorous mammals belonging to several genera of the family Canidae. They have a flattened skull; upright, triangular ears; a pointed, slightly upturned snout; and a long, bushy tail ("brush"). Twelve species ...

sitcom Grounded for Life, and for his performance as Jackie Elliot in ''

Billy Elliot the Musical ''Billy Elliot: The Musical'' is a Coming-of-age story, coming-of-age stage musical based on the Billy Elliot, 2000 film of the same name. The music is by Elton John, and the book and lyrics are by Lee Hall (playwright), Lee Hall, who wrote th ...

'' (2009), for which he earned a

Tony Award The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Broadway Theatre, more commonly known as a Tony Award, recognizes excellence in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual ce ...

Early life and education

Jbara was born in Nankin Township (now Westland), Michigan, the son of an advertising office manager and an insurance claims adjuster. He is of Lebanese and Irish descent. After graduating from Wayne Memorial High School in Wayne, Michigan, Jbara attended the

University of Michigan The University of Michigan (U-M, U of M, or Michigan) is a public university, public research university in Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States. Founded in 1817, it is the oldest institution of higher education in the state. The University of Mi ...

from 1979 to 1981. He majored in Communication Studies and took classes in Theatre and Musical Theatre. He left Michigan to attend the

Juilliard School The Juilliard School ( ) is a Private university, private performing arts music school, conservatory in New York City. Founded by Frank Damrosch as the Institute of Musical Art in 1905, the school later added dance and drama programs and became ...

's drama division (1982–1986, ''Group 15''), where he received his

Bachelor of Fine Arts A Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) is a standard undergraduate degree for students pursuing a professional education in the visual arts, Fine art, or performing arts. In some instances, it is also called a Bachelor of Visual Arts (BVA). Background ...

degree. Both of Jbara's brothers also have careers in the entertainment industry. Mike, formerly President and CEO, WEA Corp., is now CEO at MQA. Brother Dan had a career primarily as an unscripted TV show producer.SonyPictures.com: Ripley's Believe It or Not: Production Bio
Jbara also has a sister, Judy, who is Chief Supervision Officer at Northwestern Mutual Woodland Hills.

Career

Jbara is featured as Chairman Magnuson in Christopher Nolan's ''Oppenheimer'' and has completed 13 Seasons as "DCPI Garrett Moore" on the hit CBS police drama ''Blue Bloods''. Upcoming film roles include "Sam Ringo" in Adam Seidel's ''Alien'' ''Intervention'' (2023) and "Buck/Hector Scriggles" in Oscar Brill's ''A Ramble Towards Rain'' (2023). Jbara originated the role of "Jackie Elliot" (known as "Dad") in the Broadway production of ''

'', which opened on November 13, 2008. For his portrayal of "Dad," Jbara received the Outer Critics Circle, Drama Desk, and Tony awards for Best Featured Actor in a Musical during the 2008-2009 Broadway awards season. He is the voice of "Pastor Wilson Knox" in the

Adventures in Odyssey ''Adventures in Odyssey'' (AIO), or simply ''Odyssey'', is an Evangelical Christian radio drama and Radio comedy, comedy series created and produced by Focus on the Family. Aimed at families with children age 12 and younger, the series first air ...

radio series for Focus On The Family. On May 5, 2005, Sardi's caricatures of ''Dirty Rotten Scoundrels'' stars Butz, Gleason, Jbara and Scott were unveiled in a ceremony hosted by fellow co-star Sara Gettelfinger. (''Scoundrels'' star

John Lithgow John Arthur Lithgow ( ; born , 1945) is an American actor. He studied at Harvard University and the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art before becoming known for his John Lithgow filmography, diverse work on stage and screen. He has rece ...

had already been caricatured at Sardi's.) In a 2008 ''

Grand Rapids Press ''The Grand Rapids Press'' is a daily newspaper published in Grand Rapids, Michigan. It is the largest of the print publications of MLive Media Group. It is sold for $1.50 daily and $7.99 on Sunday. AccuWeather provides weather content to the '' ...

'' interview, Jbara (noting the importance of being caricatured at the landmark Broadway restaurant) said, "You don't remember a year later who won the Tonys, but that picture will be in Sardi's for the rest of my life." Jbara received the ''BackStageWest Garland 2000 Award'' for his performance in the West Coast premiere of George Furth's play ''Precious Sons'', co-starring

Nora Dunn Nora Dunn (born April 29, 1952) is an American actress and comedian. She first garnered popularity during her tenure as a cast member on the NBC sketch comedy series ''Saturday Night Live'' from 1985 to 1990. Following her departure from ''SNL'' ...

, Michael Malota, Ginger Williams and Adam Wylie. In 2006, Jbara received a Special Award from the New England Theatre Conference for his achievement in theatre.NETC Online: Excellence in Theatre Awards
/ref> Jbara appeared as TV Land's on-camera spokesperson in eight different spots featuring three generations sitting on a couch: grandpa (William Severs), father/ boomer (Jbara) and teenage son (Dylan Kepp). The spots focused, humorously, on the contrasts among those generations and were first shown on TV Land during the TV Land Awards broadcast on April 22, 2007. Jbara's most prominent TV roles to date have been as NYPD Deputy Commissioner of Public Information Garrett Moore on the

drama '' Blue Bloods'' (2010–present) and as Dan O'Keefe in the

/ WB sitcom '' Grounded for Life'' (2002–05).

Filmography

Film

Television

Stage

* "Dad" in ''

'' (2008) (originated role) * "André Thibault" in '' Dirty Rotten Scoundrels'' (2005) (originated role) * "Billy Flynn" in ''

Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

'' (revival) * "Squash (Mr. Bernstein)" in '' Victor/Victoria'' (1995) (originated role) * "Sohovik" in ''

Damn Yankees ''Damn Yankees'' is a 1955 musical comedy with a book by George Abbott and Douglass Wallop, music and lyrics by Richard Adler and Jerry Ross. The story is a modern retelling of the Faust legend set during the 1950s in Washington, D.C., d ...

'' (1994) (revival; originated role) * "Bellhop #1/Bootblack" in '' Born Yesterday'' (1989) with

Ed Asner Eddie Asner (; November 15, 1929 – August 29, 2021) was an American actor. He is most notable for portraying Lou Grant on the sitcom ''The Mary Tyler Moore Show'' (1970–1977) and drama '' Lou Grant'' (1977–1982), making him one of the few ...

and

Madeline Kahn Madeline Gail Kahn (''née'' Wolfson; September 29, 1942 – December 3, 1999) was an American actress, comedian, and singer. She was known for her comedic roles in films directed by Peter Bogdanovich and Mel Brooks, including '' What's Up, Doc ...

(Broadway revival) * "LIFFE Trader, John" in ''Serious Money'' (1988) with

Alec Baldwin Alexander Rae Baldwin III (born April 3, 1958) is an American actor and film producer. He is known for his leading and supporting roles in a variety of genres, from comedy to drama. He has received List of awards and nominations received by A ...

and

Kate Nelligan Patricia Colleen Nelligan (born March 16, 1950), known professionally as Kate Nelligan, is a Canadian stage, film and television actress. She was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for the 1991 film '' The Prince of Tid ...

(Jbara's Broadway debut) * "Alfred P. Doolittle" in ''

My Fair Lady ''My Fair Lady'' is a musical theatre, musical with a book and lyrics by Alan Jay Lerner and music by Frederick Loewe. The story, based on George Bernard Shaw's 1913 play ''Pygmalion (play), Pygmalion'' and on the Pygmalion (1938 film), 1938 film ...

'' (2013) for the

Kennedy Center The John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts, commonly known as the Kennedy Center, is the national cultural center of the United States, located on the eastern bank of the Potomac River in Washington, D.C. Opened on September 8, ...

* "Mr. Bunder" in the West Coast Premiere of

Michael John LaChiusa Michael John LaChiusa (born July 24, 1962) is an American musical theatre and opera composer, lyricist, and librettist. He is best known for musically esoteric shows such as '' Hello Again'', '' Marie Christine'', '' The Wild Party'', and '' See W ...

's play, ''Little Fish'' (2007) starring

Alice Ripley Alice Ripley (born December 14, 1963) is an American actress, singer, songwriter and mixed media artist. She is known, in particular, for her various roles on Broadway in musicals, including the Pulitzer Prize-winning '' Next to Normal'' (2009 T ...

* "Vinnie" in the Geffen Playhouse Premier of

Neil Simon Marvin Neil Simon (July 4, 1927 – August 26, 2018) was an American playwright, screenwriter and author. He wrote more than 30 plays and nearly the same number of movie screenplays, mostly film adaptations of his plays. He received three ...

's ''Oscar and Felix'' (update to '' The Odd Couple'') * "Ike/Bess Truman" in the West Coast Premiere of

's play, ''First Lady Suite'' * "Clark Gable" in The Blank Theatre Company's ''The Living Room Series'' presentation of

Mark Saltzman Mark Saltzman is an American script writer who has written films, plays and musicals and for TV. He worked for several years for ''Sesame Street''. He has been given seven Emmy Awards for Best Writing for a Children's Show. TV and film work He g ...

's new play, ''Mr. Shaw Goes To Hollywood'' * "Chick Clark" in ''

Wonderful Town ''Wonderful Town'' is a 1953 musical theatre, musical with book written by Joseph A. Fields and Jerome Chodorov, lyrics by Betty Comden and Adolph Green, and music by Leonard Bernstein. The musical tells the story of two sisters who aspire to be ...

'' (2000) for City Center Encores! * "Kevin Cartwright" in ''Privates On Parade'' (1989) with Jim Dale and Simon Jones * "Smudge" in '' Forever Plaid'' * "Gunther, Wotan, Hagen, Dwarf, Giant" in ''Das Barbecü'' (Goodspeed Opera House,

East Haddam, Connecticut East Haddam is a town in Middlesex County, Connecticut, United States. The town is part of the Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region. The population was 8,875 at the time of the 2020 census. History Until 1650, the area of East Hadd ...

) * "The Frankenstein Monster" in ''Have I Got A Girl For You!'' (Jbara's Off-Broadway debut)

Awards

References

External links

Official Site: GregoryJbara.com

Broadway.com: Backstage at Billy Elliot With Billy's Dad Starring Gregory Jbara
* *
Voice Actor Profile: VoiceChasers.com

Gregory Jbara
at the Internet Off-Broadway Database
Gregory Jbara
on Instagram {{DEFAULTSORT:Jbara, Gregory 1961 births Living people People from Westland, Michigan American people of Lebanese descent Male actors from Michigan American male film actors American male musical theatre actors American male television actors American male voice actors American people of Irish descent Juilliard School alumni University of Michigan School of Music, Theatre & Dance alumni Back Stage West Garland Award recipients Tony Award winners Drama Desk Award winners