Gregory Jbara

Gregory Jbara is an American actor and singer born on September 28, 1961, in Nankin Township, now known as Westland, Michigan. He is of Lebanese and Irish descent. His father worked as an advertising office manager and his mother as an insurance claims adjuster. Both of his brothers pursued careers in entertainment: Mike served as President and CEO of WEA Corp. and later became CEO at MQA, while Dan built a career primarily as an unscripted television producer. Jbara also has a sister, Judy, who serves as Chief Supervision Officer at Northwestern Mutual Woodland Hills.

Jbara's formal training began at Wayne Memorial High School in Wayne, Michigan, after which he enrolled at the University of Michigan from 1979 to 1981, majoring in Communication Studies while also taking courses in Theatre and Musical Theatre. He subsequently left Michigan to attend the Juilliard School's drama division, where he studied from 1982 to 1986 as a member of Group 15, earning his Bachelor of Fine Arts degree.

His Broadway career spans from 1988 to 2008 and encompasses a range of productions across musical theatre and drama. He made his Broadway debut in 1988 playing LIFFE Trader John in Serious Money, alongside Alec Baldwin and Kate Nelligan. The following year he appeared in two productions: Privates on Parade with Jim Dale and Simon Jones, and the Broadway revival of Born Yesterday with Ed Asner and Madeline Kahn, in which he played Bellhop No. 1 and Bootblack. In 1994 he originated the role of Sohovik in the revival of Damn Yankees, and in 1995 he originated the role of Squash, also known as Mr. Bernstein, in Victor/Victoria. His subsequent Broadway credits include Born Yesterday, Serious Money, and Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, in which he originated the role of André Thibault in 2005. He also appeared in a revival of Chicago, playing Billy Flynn.

Jbara's most celebrated stage work came when he originated the role of Jackie Elliot, referred to in the show as Dad, in the Broadway production of Billy Elliot: The Musical, which opened on November 13, 2008. His portrayal earned him the Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Musical in 2009, the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Featured Actor in a Musical in 2009, and the Outer Critics Circle Award in the same category during the 2008–2009 Broadway awards season. On May 5, 2005, a caricature of Jbara was unveiled at Sardi's restaurant alongside those of his Dirty Rotten Scoundrels castmates Norbert Leo Butz, Jackie Hoffman, and Sherie Rene Scott, in a ceremony hosted by fellow cast member Sara Gettelfinger. In a 2008 interview with the Grand Rapids Press, Jbara remarked that the Sardi's caricature would outlast memories of any given awards season.

Beyond Broadway, Jbara has accumulated significant stage credits outside New York. He played Alfred P. Doolittle in My Fair Lady at the Kennedy Center in 2013 and appeared as Chick Clark in Wonderful Town for City Center Encores! in 2000. His West Coast stage work includes the premiere of Michael John LaChiusa's Little Fish, in which he played Mr. Bunder alongside Alice Ripley, and the West Coast premiere of LaChiusa's First Lady Suite, in which he played Ike and Bess Truman. He also appeared in the Geffen Playhouse premiere of Neil Simon's Oscar and Felix, an update of The Odd Couple, playing Vinnie. He received the BackStage West Garland 2000 Award for his performance in the West Coast premiere of George Furth's Precious Sons, a production that also featured Nora Dunn, Michael Malota, Ginger Williams, and Adam Wylie. In 2006, the New England Theatre Conference presented him with a Special Award for his achievement in theatre.

On television, Jbara is best known for two recurring roles. He played Dan O'Keefe in the Fox and WB sitcom Grounded for Life from 2002 to 2005, and he portrayed NYPD Deputy Commissioner of Public Information Garrett Moore in the CBS drama Blue Bloods across thirteen seasons from 2010 to 2023. His film work includes the role of Chairman Magnuson in Christopher Nolan's Oppenheimer, Sam Ringo in Adam Seidel's Alien Intervention, and Buck/Hector Scriggles in Oscar Brill's A Ramble Towards Rain, both released in 2023. He also serves as the voice of Pastor Wilson Knox in the Adventures in Odyssey radio series produced by Focus on the Family. In 2007, he appeared as an on-camera spokesperson for TV Land in a series of spots that first aired during the TV Land Awards broadcast on April 22 of that year.