- His son, John, graduated with a degree in Physics from the United States Naval Academy, went on to become a decorated Navy pilot in the second Gulf War, subsequently earned dual Master's degrees in Business and Environment at Stanford University, and is an executive with a national social media company. Greg's older daughter, Jacqueline, earned her Bachelor's degree in Political Science and Communications from Northern Arizona University, attended law school, and after stints with Disney and PBS, owns and operates her own eBay company. His younger daughter, Caroline, earned a Bachelor's degree in Psychology from Arizona State University, worked as a special education teacher, and now is a consultant at a financial firm aiding those studying for their doctorates.
- At the age of 14, met then-Sen. John F. Kennedy during a campaign rally in October of 1960 at a shopping center near Greg's home in Kansas City, Missouri. He was so moved by the experience that he named his three children after the Kennedys -- John, Jacqueline, and Caroline.
- In preparing for his starring role as astronaut Henry Taylor in the science fiction TV pilot, "H.O.P.E.: Life Alone," Greg not only draws upon his NASA contacts _ as a newspaper reporter years before he profiled Richard Covey, who was about to command the first U.S. shuttle flight after the Challenger tragedy, and Sally Ride, a pioneering U.S. woman astronaut _ he also taps into the experiences of his son, a decorated Navy pilot in the Iraq War and graduate of the United States Naval Academy who had aspired to be an astronaut and had met Covey and other astronauts himself. In the TV series, Greg wears a ring patterned after his son's Naval Academy graduation ring.
- His first college acting teacher was Robin Humphrey, one of the New York Actors Studio's first class of 13 students (one of her classmates was Marlon Brando).
- His classmate at Rockhurst High School in Kansas City, Missouri, seated one desk over, was an excruciatingly shy boy who drew chuckles for his deep red blushing whenever the teacher called on him. The boy: Jack Soden -- now Chief Executive Officer of Elvis Presley Enterprises, Inc.
- Greg had been in Hollywood less than an hour when an actor friend invited him to the set of a TV movie in which he was working titled Wild Women (1970). Greg was immediately introduced to the star -- his boyhood idol, "Wyatt Earp," aka 'Hugh O'Brian (I)'.
- His mother, Marcella, was a graduate of the Kansas City Art Institute, where she studied with artist Thomas Hart Benton - whose murals adorn The Truman Presidential Library in Independence, Missouri.
- His father, Ted Joseph, left Cleveland in 1937 at age 19 and headed for Hollywood to become an actor. But he stopped in Kansas City, Missouri, met Greg's mother, Marcella, married her and stayed there instead, making his livelihood as a jeweler. Greg didn't know the story until he himself headed for Hollywood as a young actor in 1970.
- His parents named him after their favorite actor, Gregory Peck -- whom Greg wound up profiling for The San Diego Tribune at the star's Los Angeles home in 1984 (it became the first of several interviews). They learned they had even more in common: Greg's best man (Greg Moore) was the nephew of actor Roy Roberts -- who played the anti-Semitic hotel manager who turned away Peck's character, a writer posing as Jewish -- in the film Gentleman's Agreement (1947).
- Taught Speech and Drama at The Barstow School, a private school in Kansas City, Missouri, in 1969-1970 on an assistantship through the University of Missouri. Among his students: the granddaughter of Joyce Hall, patriarch of the Hallmark card empire.
- When Greg was living in Hollywood, his best friend was engaged to one of Dean Martin's Golddiggers, a group of young dancers and actresses who appeared on the singer's classic series. Since Greg had a piano, his friend asked if the Golddiggers could rehearse in his apartment occasionally. Greg said yes - and they did.
- Greg's mentor as a TV critic was Howard Rosenberg, the influential Pulitzer Prize-winning TV critic of The Los Angeles Times. Greg's parents lived across the street from Rosenberg's family in Kansas City, Mo., but the two did not become acquainted until they were working as writers in Southern California. They met through a Kansas City neighbor who was visiting both separately on a vacation to the West Coast.
- As a struggling young actor in Hollywood, he took a variety of odd jobs to make ends meet. He ushered at the Hollywood Pacific Theater on Hollywood Boulevard - tearing the tickets of, among others, Mary Tyler Moore and a very young Melanie Griffith and her mother, Tippi Hedren. As a clothing salesman at the Robinson's department store in downtown Los Angeles, he sold Bela Lugosi Jr. a suit (with the help of fellow salesman Bruce Brown, the brother of actor Robert Lansing).
- In 1971, Elinor Karpf, who co-wrote "Adam at 6 A.M." - Greg's first feature, in which he played a young pharmacist - asked him to audition for a two-hour series pilot starring Sally Field, "Marriage: Year One," for the role of a young doctor and best friend of the Field character's husband.
- Conducted one of the last newspaper interviews with Cary Grant.
- His maternal grandparents, Allan W. and Lillian Nelson, were married 72 years.
- As an out-of-work actor writing to make ends meet, he went to MGM to profile legendary casting director Joyce Selznick -- the niece of Gone with the Wind (1939) producer David O. Selznick. She told him to stick with writing -- he was too shy to be an actor.
- His late father-in-law, agricultural chemist Dr. Leonard Stahler, was the head of marketing and research for Borax, and served on the company's panel that hired Ronald Reagan to replace the Old Ranger as host of the series Death Valley Days (1952). Dr. Stahler also managed orange groves for Borax on land where Disneyland now stands.
- Actor Richard Dean Anderson's mother and grandmother were long-time family friends and attended Greg's wedding.
- As a young actor in Hollywood, was mentored by character actor Ed Call, a fellow Kansas Citian he met during the filming of "Adam at 6 A.M.".
- At The San Diego Tribune, worked with Robert Blair Kaiser - journalist and author of "RFK Must Die" about the assassination of Robert F. Kennedy, and the first newsman to interview RFK killer Sirhan Sirhan in prison (for Life magazine).
- Became friends with actor/stunt man Chuck Hicks ("Dirty Harry," "Dick Tracy"), who asked him to write brochures for colleges about different aspects of getting into the movie business.
- Greg's best childhood friend, Joseph Waeckerle, became a doctor and was hailed as the hero of the Hyatt Regency hotel disaster in Kansas City, Mo., in 1981 - the greatest hotel disaster in U.S. history.
- Interviewed Bob Hope a number of times between 1973 and the comedian's death, and was invited to take a trip overseas with him when Hope entertained the troops.
- Met and profiled Sally Forrest, star of the first movie he ever saw - 1950's "Mystery Street" - 30 years later when she was starring in a San Diego stage show.
- Met Johnny Carson during his Las Vegas act, and became his unwitting foil for the show.
- An editor asked Greg whom he would most like to interview for a story, and he answered the heroes of his baby-boom generation. And so he did: Fess Parker (Davy Crockett), Robert Young (Jim Anderson of "Father Knows Best"), Barbara Billingsley (June Cleaver of "Leave It to Beaver") and baseball great Willie Mays.
- He was college friends with actor Everett McGill ("Twin Peaks," "Licence to Kill") and they were in several plays together.
- As a young reporter for The Pasadena (Calif.) Star-News in 1973, Greg conducted a three-month investigative series on illegal funeral home practices. In the 2007 film, "Jake's Corner," he plays a mortician.
- Recipient of a famous Dr. Seuss "Cat Note" - a personalized Cat in the Hat drawing in thank-you note form from Theodor "Dr. Seuss" Geisel.
- Greg's wife, Mary, grew up in Hollywood and was close childhood friends with Melinda Marx, younger daughter of Groucho, and the late William "Billy" Lancaster, son of Burt and creator of "The Bad News Bears".
- Has played piano since the age of 7.
- His brother-in-law, Dr. John F. Stahler, M.D., an orthopedic surgeon in San Jose, Calif., was a member of the first M*A*S*H unit in Vietnam.
- Numerous op-ed letters he's written on subjects ranging from politics to entertainment and the media have been published in national periodicals including The New York Times, USA Today, TIME, Newsweek, U.S. News & World Report, TV Guide and SAG-AFTRA Magazine (the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists magazine). In June 2019, The Times invited him to meet with its op-ed editors at the paper for the second annual "Evening with Letters" conference as one of its top 25 letter contributors from throughout the United States.
- Wrote a piano piece, "I Have Learned to Say," as a possible theme for the sequel to the movie "Charly," a 1968 picture that had been an Oscar-winner for its star, Cliff Robertson, whom Greg profiled and knew. But the sequel never got made.
- As a young actor-writer, sent a letter to Oscar-winning screenwriter Stirling Silliphant ("In the Heat of the Night") seeking career advice and received a detailed, encouraging note in response.
- Profiled Mario Lopez while the "Dancing with the Stars" standout was attending Chula Vista High School near San Diego and lectured his class.
- Very first wedding gift was from composer Frederick Loewe -- Loewe's second night tickets to "Gigi" at the Los Angeles Music Center.
- As TV critic of The Arizona Republic, was the first print journalist inside CNN at the start of the 1991 Persian Gulf War. CNN, the only news organization able to broadcast live from inside Iraq as it was under siege, made history as it became the first to cover a war in real time, bringing a conflict to people as it was happening.
- Was part of San Diego Evening Tribune staff that won 1979 Pulitzer Prize for general local reporting of commercial airliner crash in San Diego.
- As judge at the San Diego Improv in the late 1980s, helped give Bill Engvall his first stand-up comedy competition triumph. In 2008, acted opposite Engvall in the comedy short, "Cowboy Dreams".
- His first newspaper boss in California, Harold Hubbard, had been editor of The Hollywood Citizen-News during the film industry's golden age.
- Is a Disneyland freak. As an entertainment writer, he was invited to the openings of Space Mountain, Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, Bear Country Jamboree, America Sings, and Captain EO. He also was invited to the 20th anniversary of Walt Disney World. (He also attended events at non-Disney Southern California amusement parks, including the opening of Magic Mountain and several new attractions at Knott's Berry Farm.).
- Reviewed a number of major stage productions in Los Angeles and San Diego.
- Took a screenwriting class from actress Maureen O'Hara's brother, producer Charles B. Fitzsimons, who became a mentor and friend.
- As TV columnist, was offered a cameo on the soap "One Life to Live" - but his editor made him turn down the role.
- Profiled TV's very first network news anchor, Douglas Edwards (and later, also interviewed his successor, Walter Cronkite).
- Got his first newspaper job in California through actor Robert Lansing's father.
- As young reporter for The Kansas City Star in 1966, covered what was billed as the last Texas trail drive" and met Western star Chill Wills.
- His late father was a jeweler whose customers included Ethel Merman and Jerry Lewis.
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