Gregory Jbara

The Weight of the Father at the Imperial Theatre

Gregory Jbara belongs to that breed of actors who sustain an industry without needing fashion magazine covers. He was part of Juilliard's class of 15 in the early eighties and shared classrooms with names who would later fill cinemas across half the world. But his path was different and much more physical.

In 1997, he appeared in the film In & Out under the direction of Frank Oz. That comedy was one of his first serious encounters with a wide audience, although his natural habitat was always the Broadway stage. There he learned that a supporting actor can steal a scene with a single well-placed gesture.

Won the Tony Award in 2009 for his role as a coal miner father in Billy Elliot the Musical.

His recognition came late for someone who had already worked the stage in productions such as Dirty Rotten Scoundrels or Victor/Victoria. In the children's dance play Jbara brought a roughness that ended up breaking apart in front of the audience. And that capacity for male vulnerability opened the definitive doors of long-running television for him.

Because theater exhausts you, but the screen pays the bills.

Fourteen Years in the Commissioner's Office

Before joining New York's most famous police force, he appeared in comedies such as Grounded for Life between 2002 and 2005. But his definitive breakthrough came in 2010. That year he accepted the role of Garrett Moore in the police drama Blue Bloods, and his career changed pace completely.

His character is the press liaison and chief adviser to the commissioner played by Tom Selleck. It isn't an action role or a chase through the Bronx. It's a job of memos and dialogue heavy with internal politics, where Jbara must balance ethics with the institution's public image.

And the gamble paid off.

The series became a haven for millions of viewers looking for classic storytelling. Jbara shot more than 200 episodes while maintaining a steady sobriety rarely seen in today's productions. As a result, his face became familiar to a generation that didn't even know this man could sing and tap dance professionally.

Outside of TV sets, he lent his voice to animated projects and video games such as Grand Theft Auto V in 2013. He is a technical actor who understands that the job is to be available and deliver the tone the director asks for. In 2024, CBS announced the definitive end of the series that gave him stability for more than a decade.

Filming of the final episode of season fourteen wrapped in June 2024 at studios in Brooklyn.