James Whitmore Jr.

James Allen Whitmore Jr. (born October 24, 1948), is an American actor and director, best known for his roles as Captain Jim Gutterman on the television program Baa Baa Black Sheep, Freddie Beamer in The Rockford Files (1977–1979), and Sgt Bernie Terwilliger in Hunter (1984–1986), and since the 1980s as a prolific television director.

He is the son of actor James Whitmore.

Born in Manhattan, New York, James Whitmore Jr. is the son of Emmy and Golden Globe award-winning actor James Whitmore.

James Whitmore Jr. began his acting career relatively late.

He has had recurring guest-starring roles on the TV series The Rockford Files and Hunter.

He also appeared in two episodes of Magnum, P.I. and an episode of Battlestar Galactica before directing many episodes of series by Donald P. Bellisario, the creator of Magnum and a writer on Galactica.

Whitmore occasionally acts in the episodes he directs, such as two episodes of Quantum Leap ("8 1/2 Months" and "Trilogy, Pt. 1").

In that series, as well as several others, he played different characters in each appearance, rather than recurring roles.

In addition to directing episodes of shows for Bellisario (Quantum Leap, Tequila and Bonetti, JAG, NCIS, and NCIS: Los Angeles), Whitmore directed episodes of more than one series for Joss Whedon.

Whitmore directed the final episodes of two different series (Dawson's Creek and the aforementioned Quantum Leap).

After Leap, Whitmore again directed Scott Bakula in episodes of Star Trek: Enterprise, NCIS: New Orleans (including the Dean Stockwell reunion episode), and Mr. and Mrs. Smith. He also directed David Boreanaz in both Angel and Bones.

The Pretender reunited Whitmore with many of the same writing staff as Quantum Leap.