Actor Peter Graves Found Dead at His Home in Pacific Palisades - Updates and Obituaries

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/obituaries/article7062570.ece

From The Times Online
March 16, 2010
Peter Graves: Star of Mission: Impossible

Peter Graves had a fine career playing upright, slightly humourless heroes, most notably the leader of the Mission: Impossible team in almost 200 episodes of the 1960s hit TV series.

In the memorable opening sequence he would hear the details of the latest mission from a tape that would selfdestruct at the end of the message — a sign of the pyrotechnics to come.

One of his finest moments came when he lampooned his own heroic image in the comedy Airplane! (1980), delivering a wonderfully straight-faced performance as the pilot of the plane that looks as if it is headed for disaster.

At first glance the silver-haired Captain Clarence Oveur seemed like just another fatherly, old-school hero. “Have you ever been in a cockpit before,” he asks the excited boy who has come up front for a look at the controls. Then he adds, by way of further small talk: “Have you ever seen a grown man naked?” He also asks if the boy has ever been in a Turkish prison.

Graves initially turned the film down. “It was in terrible taste,” he said in one interview. But the film-makers Jim Abrahams and David and Jerry Zucker eventually persuaded him to join Leslie Nielsen, Lloyd Bridges and Robert Stack in sending themselves up.

The film was a belated spoof on Airport (1970) and it used its cast to undermine their established po-faced screen personae in a jamboree of silliness, visual gags and crazy non-sequiturs. It cost about $3.5 million, grossed $83.5 million in North America alone and prompted a spate of spoof movies. Graves also starred in the 1982 sequel.

Graves was born Peter Aurness in Minneapolis in 1926. He served in the USAAF during the war and studied drama at the University of Minnesota. His elder brother, James Arness, was starting out in Hollywood and went on to play Marshal Matt Dillon in more than 600 episodes of Gunsmoke between 1955 and 1975.

Peter was very much the little brother, a mere 6ft 2in (1.88m), compared with James’s 6ft 7in. He adopted his grandfather’s surname, landed a big role in the adventure film Rogue River (1950) and married his college girlfriend Joan Endress, to whom he remained married for 60 years.

He brought a distinctive earnestness to westerns, thrillers, dramas and science fiction — he was the US scientist who receives a message from space in Red Planet Mars (1952). Not all his early roles were heroic. He played the Nazi spy in the PoW drama Stalag 17 (1953) and the condemned man who shares a cell with Robert Mitchum in the classic thriller The Night of the Hunter (1955).

He cemented his heroic image on TV. He starred in the hit series Fury (1955-60), playing a rancher who adopts the orphan Bobby Diamond. He then starred in Whiplash (1960-61), which was essentially a western set in Australia, playing a stagecoach boss.

Mission: Impossible was first broadcast in 1966, at a time when espionage films and series were popular. But there was none of the humour of James Bond and its imitators. It was played straight, a quality Graves encapsulated.

It drew inspiration from the heist movie Topkapi (1964) in its detailed depiction of the elaborate preparation and execution of a daring and complicated scheme, which could be anything from the confiscation of warheads from a dangerous dictator to the rescue of some oppressed political good guy.

With its urgent theme tune, its animated fuse burning across the opening credits and its fairly rigid format, it acquired almost iconic status. It originally ran from 1966 to 1973 and was revived between 1988 and 1990, with Graves reprising his role as Jim Phelps.

Graves had the chance to play Phelps again in the 1996 film, in which it transpired that Phelps was a traitor, which was like asking audiences to believe that James Bond was working for the KGB. It was an insult to the show’s fans and heritage, and Graves turned it down, not that it did the film any harm at the box office. Jon Voight stepped into the breach, and the film was a hit.

Latterly Graves served as host and presenter of factual TV programmes. He is survived by his wife and three daughters.

Peter Graves, actor, was born on March 18, 1926. He died on March 14, 2010, aged 83

http://projects.latimes.com/hollywood/star-walk/peter-graves/

The Los Angeles Times Obituary

Peter Graves dies at 83; star of TV's 'Mission: Impossible'
Peter Graves

Graves starred as James Phelps, leader of the elite Impossible Missions Force, on "Mission: Impossible." (xx)

*
Peter Graves succeeds in an impossible mission Peter Graves succeeds in an impossible mission

By My-Thuan Tran

March 15, 2010

Peter Graves, the rugged actor who starred in the hit TV series "Mission: Impossible" and whose career took a comic turn in the disaster spoof "Airplane!" has died. He was 83.

Graves was found dead Sunday afternoon in front of his Pacific Palisades home from apparent natural causes, said Officer Karen Rayner of the Los Angeles Police Department.

Graves had just returned from brunch with his family to celebrate his upcoming 84th birthday. He collapsed on the driveway before he could reach his house, said Sandy Brokaw, his publicist. One of Graves' daughters administered cardiopulmonary resuscitation but was unable to revive him, Brokaw said.

Graves starred in more than 70 television series and feature films, typically playing the straight-laced hero. One of his first major roles was in the 1953 classic, "Stalag 17," in which he played an undercover Nazi spy placed among American POWs in a German camp.

His most memorable role was in "Mission: Impossible," the 1960s CBS series in which he played intelligence agent James Phelps, leader of the elite Impossible Missions Force. The show ran from 1967 to 1973 on CBS and 1988 to 1990 on ABC.

Every week, Graves could be seen listening to a tape of instructions for carrying out his team's secret missions. He won a Golden Globe in 1971 for his role.

"Mission: Impossible," along with other Western, military and action parts in the 1970s, branded Graves as an actor who could deliver solid, straight-shooting roles. But that changed in 1980, when he became the star of the comedy "Airplane!," in which he played Capt. Clarence Oveur, the bumbling pilot whose one-liners included, "Joey, do you like movies about gladiators?"

Graves initially turned down the role. "I read it and thought, 'Gee, this is dangerous,' " Graves told The Times in late 2009. "It was in terrible taste."

But the film's producer, Howard Koch, urged him to meet with the young filmmakers, David Zucker, Jim Abrahams and Jerry Zucker, who told him that they wanted somebody of stature and dignity to play the role "absolutely straight," Graves recalled.

"They say you are supposed to stretch as an actor, so let's go stretch it," he said.

He joined other actors known for serious roles, Robert Stack, Lloyd Bridges and Leslie Nielsen, in the film.

Graves was born Peter Aurness in 1926 in Minneapolis, the son of a journalist and a businessman. Graves' older brother, James Arness, would later play Marshal Matt Dillon on "Gunsmoke." Graves adopted his grandfather's last name to avoid confusion with his brother.

He studied drama at the University of Minnesota until arriving in Hollywood 60 years ago. He married his college sweetheart, Joan Endress, that same year.

One year later, he landed his first movie role in 1951's "Rogue River." He later starred in the TV show "Fury," playing a horse rancher who befriends an orphan. The contemporary Western series became a hit and ran on NBC between 1955 and 1960.

"I wanted Peter Graves to be my dad," Jerry Zucker, who directed "Airplane!" told the New Orleans Times-Picayune in 1997.

During the 1990s, Graves hosted the documentary series "Biography" on A&E.

In an interview with The Times in December, Graves said he wasn't ready to retire. "There has got to be some good parts around for guys my age," he said.

Recent roles included a guest part on "House" and 11 episodes on "7th Heaven."

He recently read for a part on a TV series as a grandfather, Brokaw said.

In addition to his wife, Graves is survived by three daughters and six grandchildren.

my-thuan.tran @latimes.com

Times staff writer Andrew Blankstein contributed to this report.

___________

Peter Graves
Actor
Born March 18, 1926 in Minneapolis, MN
Died March 14, 2010 of heart attack in Pacific Palisades, CA

Peter Graves was one of television's most venerable stars, having appeared in more than 70 dramatic series, made-for-TV movies and feature films. His most memorable role was as a star of "Mission: Impossible," which ran from 1967 to 1973, and was revived, with Graves still playing a lead, from 1988 to 1990.

Distinguished in later years by his thick shock of white hair, Graves possessed an authoritative persona, which struck some critics as rather stiff and over done. The image was so strong that Graves, a good sport about it, parodied himself in the lampoonish 1980 comedy, "Airplane!" In that hit film, he played a tough, all-business airline pilot who nonetheless leers at a young boy and asks, "Say . . . do you like gladiator movies?"

A younger brother of "Gunsmoke" star James Arness, with whom he maintained a longstanding sibling rivalry, Graves was born in Minneapolis in 1926 and was cast in one of his first major roles in "Stalag 17," a 1953 movie drama about a German prisoner-of-war camp. Graves won high praise for his portrayal of an all-American POW who turned out to be a dastardly Nazi spy—a part he may have played too well. Pigeon-holed as a Nazi, he found himself unable to secure other meaningful roles and his career languished while Arness was flying high as "Gunsmoke's" Matt Dillon.

Desperate, Graves signed on to play in a network children's series about a boy and a horse. "Fury," which ran for five years and played in reruns for many more, made Graves wealthy—and was a prelude to his selection for "Mission: Impossible."

— David Ferrell for the Los Angeles Times Feb. 11, 2010

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5iaFqKSXSuNP7TSKRGM5mS1Kmug9wD9...

'Mission: Impossible' star Peter Graves dies in LA

By BOB THOMAS (AP) – 35 minutes ago

LOS ANGELES — Peter Graves, the tall, stalwart actor likely best known for his portrayal of Jim Phelps, leader of a gang of special agents who battled evil conspirators in the long-running television series "Mission: Impossible," died Sunday.

Graves died of an apparent heart attack outside his Los Angeles home, about a week shy of his 84th birthday, publicist Sandy Brokaw said.

He had just returned from brunch with his wife and kids and collapsed before he made it into the house, Brokaw said. One of his daughters administered CPR but was unable to revive him. Graves' family doctor visited the house and believed he had a heart attack, Brokaw said.

Although Graves never achieved the stardom his older brother, James Arness, enjoyed as Marshall Matt Dillon on TV's "Gunsmoke," he had a number of memorable roles in both films and television.

Normally cast as a hero, he turned in an unforgettable performance early in his career as the treacherous Nazi spy in Billy Wilder's 1953 prisoner-of-war drama "Stalag 17."

He also masterfully lampooned his straight-arrow image when he portrayed bumbling airline pilot Clarence Oveur in the 1980 disaster movie spoof "Airplane!"

Graves appeared in dozens of films and a handful of television shows in a career of nearly 60 years.

The authority and trust he projected made him a favorite for commercials late in his life, and he was often encouraged to go into politics.

"He had this statesmanlike quality," Brokaw said. "People were always encouraging him to run for office. But he said, 'I like acting. I like being around actors.'"

Graves' career began with cheaply made exploitation films like "It Conquered the World," in which he battled a carrot-shaped monster from Venus, and "Beginning of the World," in which he fought a giant grasshopper.

He later took on equally formidable human villains each week on "Mission: Impossible."

Every show began with Graves, as agent Phelps, listening to a tape of instructions outlining his team's latest mission and explaining that if he or any of his agents were killed or captured "the secretary will disavow any knowledge of your actions."

The tape always self-destructed within seconds of being played.

The show ran on CBS from 1967 to 1973 and was revived on ABC from 1988 to 1990 with Graves back as the only original cast member.

The actor credited clever writing for the show's success.

"It made you think a little bit and kept you on the edge of your seat because you never knew what was going to happen next," he once said.

Associated Press Writer Andrew Dalton contributed to this report.

http://www.nj.com/entertainment/index.ssf/2010/03/peter_graves_dead_at_83.html

Peter Graves dead at 83
By Anthony Venutolo/The Star-Ledger
March 14, 2010, 9:44PM

peter-graves-dead-dies-airplane.jpgSTAR-LIEDGER FILE PHOTOEarly Sunday, actor Peter Graves was found dead at his home, says a spokeswoman for the Los Angeles Police Department. Officer Karen Rayner said there was no sign of foul play in the actor's death.
Early Sunday, actor Peter Graves was found dead at his home, says a spokeswoman for the Los Angeles Police Department.

Officer Karen Rayner said there was no sign of foul play in the actor's death.

Graves' publicist, Sandy Brokaw, says the actor died Sunday shortly after returning to his Los Angeles home from brunch with his family.

From 1960-1961, Graves starred as Christopher Cobb in 34 episodes of the TV series "Whiplash." It centered on an American who arrived in Australia in the 1850s to establish the country's first stagecoach line.

Graves also appeared in such TV shows as "Court Martial," "Alfred Hitchcock Presents" and "Route 66."

The 83 year-old actor is best known for his starring role on TV's "Mission: Impossible" as Jim Phelps for six seasons. In 1967, Graves was recruited by Desilu Studios to replace Steven Hill as the lead actor on the spy series. It centered the sometimes gruff leader of the Impossible Missions Force or IMF. The spy series ran on television from 1967-1973.

Graves also starred as Capt. Clarence Oveur in the 1980 movie spoof "Airplane!"

The actor is the younger brother of actor James Arness ("Gunsmoke").

Graves attended Southwest High School (Class of 1944) and the University of Minnesota, where he was a member of Phi Kappa Psi fraternity. He married Joan Endress in 1950. They had three daughters: Kelly, Claudia and Amanda, and six grandchildren.

E!

Peter Graves, Star of Mission: Impossible, Airplane!, Dies

Today 6:00 PM PDT by Joal Ryan

Read more: http://www.eonline.com/uberblog/b171677_peter_graves_star_of_mission_impossible....

Peter Graves' career was more like three careers. At least. He was Mission: Impossible's pre-Tom Cruise leading agent, Jim Phelps. He was Airplane's Turkish prison-curious pilot, Capt. Oveur. He was the Emmy-winning host of Biography.

The silver-haired star who lent a steadiness and voice of authority to 60 years' worth of TV and film was found dead today of apparently natural causes in his Los Angeles-area home. He was 83.

For all his work—Graves' credits include the Billy Wilder WWII classic, Stalag 17, to bits on House and American Dad—the actor may be best remembered for listening very carefully to the following taped greeting: "Good morning, Mr. Phelps…"

Or, then again, maybe he's best remembered for interrogating young Joey (Rossie Harris) from the cockpit: "Have you ever been in a Turkish prison?"

And it's possible he's best remembered for helping tell the stories of dozens and dozens, both the famous and the infamous.

Graves intercepted self-destructing tape messages on TV's M:I from 1967-1973, and again from 1988-1990, in the short-lived redo. He was not the franchise's original leading man—Steven Hill, later of Law & Order, was—but until the Cruise movie franchise, he was its signature star. Graves never appeared in one of the Cruise movies; Jon Voight played a treacherous Phelps in the first 1996 big-screen adventure.

Airplane! made Graves a new comedy star at middle age in 1980. He returned to Capt. Oveur's œuvre in 1982's Airplane II: The Sequel. Biography came along in the 1990s; Graves stayed for more than a decade, winning an Emmy for the cable series in 1997.

Born in 1926, Graves was the younger brother of fellow classic-TV icon James Arness, who starred on the marathon-long-running Western, Gunsmoke.

Last December, Graves sounded ready for more careers, telling the Los Angeles Times he had no intention of retiring. "There has got to be some good parts around for guys my age," he said.

Read more: http://www.eonline.com/uberblog/b171677_peter_graves_star_of_mission_impossible....

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/15/arts/television/15graves.html?ref=obituaries

The New York Times Obituary

Peter Graves, Spymaster and Host, Is Dead at 83

By MICHAEL POLLAK
Published: March 14, 2010

Peter Graves, the cool spymaster of television’s “Mission Impossible” and the dignified host of the “Biography” series, who successfully spoofed his own gravitas in the “Airplane” movie farces, died Sunday. He was 83.

He died of a heart attack at his home in Pacific Palisades, Calif., said Fred Barman, his business manager.

It was a testament to Mr. Graves’s earnest, unhammy ability to make fun of himself that after decades of playing square he-men and straitlaced authority figures, he was perhaps best known to younger audiences for a deadpan line in “Airplane!” (“Joey, do you like movies about gladiators?”) and one from a memorable Geico car insurance commercial (“I was one lucky woman”).

Born Peter Aurness in Minneapolis, the blond, 6-foot-2 Mr. Graves served in the Army Air Force in 1944-45, studied drama at the University of Minnesota under the G.I. Bill and played the clarinet in local bands before following his older brother, James Arness, to Hollywood.

His first film appearance was in “Rogue River” (1950), with Rory Calhoun. Mr. Graves’s getting a Hollywood contract for the picture persuaded his fiancée’s family to let her marry him. He changed his name for that movie to Graves, his maternal grandfather’s name, to avoid confusion with his older brother.

He soon found himself in classics like Billy Wilder’s “Stalag 17” (1953), where he played a security officer with a secret; Charles Laughton’s “Night of the Hunter” (1955); Otto Preminger’s “Court-Martial of Billy Mitchell” (1955); and John Ford’s “Long Gray Line” (1955).

Mr. Graves became known for taking all his roles seriously, injecting a certain believability into even the campiest plot. He appeared in westerns like “The Yellow Tomahawk” (1954) and “Wichita” (1955); a Civil War adventure, “The Raid” (1954); and gangster movies (“Black Tuesday,” 1954, and “The Naked Street,” 1955). He played earnest scientists in science fiction/horror films: “Killers From Space” (1954), “It Conquered the World” (1956) and “Beginning of the End” (1957), the latter movie about giant grasshoppers in Chicago. There was also Cold War science fiction anti-Communism: “Red Planet Mars” (1952).

Other movies included “East of Sumatra” (1953), “Beneath the 12-Mile Reef” (1953), “A Rage to Live” (1965), “Texas Across the River” (1966), “Sergeant Ryker” (1968), “The Ballad of Josie” (1968), “The Five-Man Army” (1969), “The Mysterious Monsters” (1976), “The Clonus Horror” (1979), “The Guns and the Fury” (1981), “Savannah Smiles” (1982), “Number One With a Bullet”(1986), “I’m Gonna Git You Sucka” (1988), “Addams Family Values” (1993), “The House on Haunted Hill” (1999) and “Men in Black II” (2002).

In 1955 Mr. Graves began his career as a television series regular as the star of “Fury,” a Western family adventure series about a rancher named Jim Newton, his orphaned ward and the boy’s black stallion. It ran until 1959 on NBC, helped pioneer television adventure series and solidified Mr. Graves’s TV credentials.

Some of his hundreds of television credits include “Alfred Hitchcock Presents,” “Whiplash” (1961), “The Dean Martin Show” (1970), the Herman Wouk miniseries “The Winds of War” (1983) and “War and Remembrance” (1988), “Fantasy Island” (1978-83) and “7th Heaven” (1999-2005). He served as the host or narrator for numerous television specials and performed in television movies of the week like “The President’s Plane Is Missing” (1973), “Where Have All the People Gone” (1974) and “Death Car on the Freeway” (1979).

Mr. Graves played his most famous television character from 1967 to 1973 in “Mission Impossible,” reprising it in 1988-1990. He was Jim Phelps, the leader of the Impossible Missions Force, a super-secret government organization that conducted dangerous undercover assignments (which he always chose to accept). After the tape summarizing the objective self-destructed, the team would use, not violence, but elaborate con games to trap the villains. In his role, Mr. Graves was a model of cool, deadpan efficiency.

But he was appalled when his agent sent him the script for the role of a pedophile pilot in “Airplane” (1980). “I tore my hair and ranted and raved and said, ‘This is insane,’ he recalled on “Biography” in 1997. Some of the role’s lines (“Have you ever been in a Turkish prison?”) looked at first as if they could get him thrown in jail, never mind ruining his career. He told his agent to tell David and Jerry Zucker and Jim Abrahams, the director-producers, to find themselves a comedian. He relented when the Zucker brothers explained that the secret of their spoof would be the deadpan behavior of the cast; they didn’t want a comedian, they wanted the Peter Graves of “Fury” and “Mission Impossible.”

Mr. Graves used his familiar earnest, all-American demeanor in service of some of the comic movie’s most outrageous moments. He reprised the role of Captain Oveur in “Airplane II” in 1982.

Starting in the mid-1980’s Mr. Graves was the host of a number of television science specials on “Discover.” In 1987, he became the host of the Arts and Entertainment Network’s long-running “Biography” series, narrating the lives of such figures as Prince Andrew, Muhammad Ali, pioneers of the space program, Churchill, Ernie Kovacs, Edward G. Robinson, Sophia Loren, Jackie Robinson, Howard Hughes, Steven Spielberg and Jonathan Winters.

In 1997, Mr. Graves was the subject of his own “Biography” presentation, “Peter Graves: Mission Accomplished.” In 2002, Mr. Graves was interviewed for a special about the documentary series, “Biography: 15 Years and Counting.”

Mr. Graves won a Golden Globe Award in 1971 for his performance in “Mission Impossible,” and in 1997, he and “Biography” won an Emmy Award for outstanding informational series.

In 1998, he joined his wife, Joan, in an effort to get Los Angeles to ban gasoline-powered leaf blowers from residential areas, testifying before the City Council, ”We’re all victims of these machines.”

Besides his brother, he is survived by his wife, Joan Graves, and three daughters, Amanda Lee Graves, Claudia King Graves and Kelly Jean Graves.

http://www.cnn.com/2010/SHOWBIZ/TV/03/14/obit.peter.graves/index.html?hpt=T1

'Mission: Impossible' actor Peter Graves found dead
March 14, 2010 10:19 p.m. EDT

Los Angeles, California (CNN) -- Actor Peter Graves, best known for his starring role on TV's "Mission: Impossible," was found dead Sunday at his home, according to a spokeswoman for the Los Angeles Police Department. He was 83.

There was no sign of foul play in the actor's death, officer Karen Rayner said.

Graves portrayed the character Jim Phelps for all but one of the seven years "Mission: Impossible" ran on CBS, from 1967-1973. He won a Golden Globe in 1971 for his work on the show, and he was also nominated for an Emmy.

He reprised the role from 1988 to 1990 when the show resurfaced on ABC.

In an interview with CNN in 1996, Graves expressed disappointment with Hollywood's movie version of "Mission: Impossible" -- starring Tom Cruise -- which included none of the stars from the original TV series. Actor Jon Voigt played the Phelps character.

"I am sorry that they chose to call him Phelps," he said at the time. "They could have solved that very easily by either having me in a scene in the very beginning, or reading a telegram from me saying, 'Hey boys, I'm retired, gone to Hawaii. Thank you, good-bye, you take over now.'"

Graves also appeared as Capt. Clarence Oveur in the 1980 movie spoof "Airplane!" -- a role he originally turned down, according to the Web's Internet Movie Database. He changed his mind after meeting with the film's writers, according to IMDb.

In recent years, Graves was part of a larger group that won an Outstanding Informational Series Emmy for the 1997 TV documentary "Judy Garland: Beyond the Rainbow." Graves hosted the documentary.

He is survived by his wife, Joan Endress, and three daughters, Kelly, Claudia and Amanda Graves, according to IMDb. Graves was the younger brother of actor James Arness, who starred in the long-running TV series "Gunsmoke" as Marshal Matt Dillon.

CNN's Douglas Hyde contributed to this report.

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/content_display/news/e3ic7094b13c12aa2ac26f6...

The Hollywood Reporter...

'Mission: Impossible' star Peter Graves dies
Known for portrayal of Jim Phelps on long-running TV series

Associated Press

March 14, 2010, 10:05 PM ET
Peter Graves, the tall, stalwart actor likely best known for his portrayal of Jim Phelps, leader of a gang of special agents who battled evil conspirators in the long-running television series "Mission: Impossible," died Sunday.

Graves died of an apparent heart attack outside his Los Angeles home, about a week shy of his 84th birthday, publicist Sandy Brokaw said.

He had just returned from brunch with his wife and kids and collapsed before he made it into the house, Brokaw said. One of his daughters administered CPR but was unable to revive him. Graves' family doctor visited the house and believed he had a heart attack, Brokaw said.

Although Graves never achieved the stardom his older brother, James Arness, enjoyed as Marshall Matt Dillon on TV's "Gunsmoke," he had a number of memorable roles in both films and television.

Normally cast as a hero, he turned in an unforgettable performance early in his career as the treacherous Nazi spy in Billy Wilder's 1953 prisoner-of-war drama "Stalag 17."

He also masterfully lampooned his straight-arrow image when he portrayed bumbling airline pilot Clarence Oveur in the 1980 disaster movie spoof "Airplane!"

Graves appeared in dozens of films and a handful of television shows in a career of nearly 60 years.

The authority and trust he projected made him a favorite for commercials late in his life, and he was often encouraged to go into politics.

"He had this statesmanlike quality," Brokaw said. "People were always encouraging him to run for office. But he said, 'I like acting. I like being around actors."'

Graves' career began with cheaply made exploitation films like "It Conquered the World," in which he battled a carrot-shaped monster from Venus, and "Beginning of the World," in which he fought a giant grasshopper.

He later took on equally formidable human villains each week on "Mission: Impossible."

Every show began with Graves, as agent Phelps, listening to a tape of instructions outlining his team's latest mission and explaining that if he or any of his agents were killed or captured "the secretary will disavow any knowledge of your actions."

The tape always self-destructed within seconds of being played.

The show ran on CBS from 1967 to 1973 and was revived on ABC from 1988 to 1990 with Graves back as the only original cast member.

The actor credited clever writing for the show's success.

"It made you think a little bit and kept you on the edge of your seat because you never knew what was going to happen next," he once said.
'Mission: Impossible' star Peter Graves dies
Known for portrayal of Jim Phelps on long-running TV series

Associated Press

March 14, 2010, 10:05 PM ET
Peter Graves, the tall, stalwart actor likely best known for his portrayal of Jim Phelps, leader of a gang of special agents who battled evil conspirators in the long-running television series "Mission: Impossible," died Sunday.

Graves died of an apparent heart attack outside his Los Angeles home, about a week shy of his 84th birthday, publicist Sandy Brokaw said.

He had just returned from brunch with his wife and kids and collapsed before he made it into the house, Brokaw said. One of his daughters administered CPR but was unable to revive him. Graves' family doctor visited the house and believed he had a heart attack, Brokaw said.

Although Graves never achieved the stardom his older brother, James Arness, enjoyed as Marshall Matt Dillon on TV's "Gunsmoke," he had a number of memorable roles in both films and television.

Normally cast as a hero, he turned in an unforgettable performance early in his career as the treacherous Nazi spy in Billy Wilder's 1953 prisoner-of-war drama "Stalag 17."

He also masterfully lampooned his straight-arrow image when he portrayed bumbling airline pilot Clarence Oveur in the 1980 disaster movie spoof "Airplane!"

Graves appeared in dozens of films and a handful of television shows in a career of nearly 60 years.

The authority and trust he projected made him a favorite for commercials late in his life, and he was often encouraged to go into politics.

"He had this statesmanlike quality," Brokaw said. "People were always encouraging him to run for office. But he said, 'I like acting. I like being around actors."'

Graves' career began with cheaply made exploitation films like "It Conquered the World," in which he battled a carrot-shaped monster from Venus, and "Beginning of the World," in which he fought a giant grasshopper.

He later took on equally formidable human villains each week on "Mission: Impossible."

Every show began with Graves, as agent Phelps, listening to a tape of instructions outlining his team's latest mission and explaining that if he or any of his agents were killed or captured "the secretary will disavow any knowledge of your actions."

The tape always self-destructed within seconds of being played.

The show ran on CBS from 1967 to 1973 and was revived on ABC from 1988 to 1990 with Graves back as the only original cast member.

The actor credited clever writing for the show's success.

"It made you think a little bit and kept you on the edge of your seat because you never knew what was going to happen next," he once said.

http://www.fiftiesweb.com/tv/peter-graves-1.jpg

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/35866150/ns/entertainment-movies/

Report: Actor Peter Graves dead at 83

Los Angeles Times says ‘Mission: Impossible’ star died of natural causes

BREAKING NEWS
msnbc.com
updated 14 minutes ago

Actor Peter Graves, 83, was found dead of natural causes at his southern California home on Sunday, the Los Angeles Times reported.

Graves, born in Minneapolis as Peter Aurness, is best known for his lead role in the TV program "Mission: Impossible," which ran from 1967 to 1973, and that show's 1988-1990 revival.

Actor James Arness is Graves' brother.

http://actors.pick2web.com/pics/1221835/petergraves.jpg