'Airplane' film star Peter Graves dies
Source: Agencies |
March 16, 2010, Tuesday
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Print Edition
Print Edition
ACTOR Peter Graves, whose calm and intelligent demeanor was a good fit for the intrigue of "Mission Impossible" as well as the satire of the "Airplane" films, has died.
Graves died on Sunday just a few days before his 84th birthday outside his home in Los Angeles, publicist Sandy Brokaw said. Graves was returning from brunch with his wife of nearly 60 years and his family when he had what doctors believed was a heart attack, Brokaw said.
Graves first gained the attention of many baby boomers with the 1950s TV series "Fury," but remained best known for the role of Jim Phelps, leader of a gang of special agents who battled evil conspirators in TV's "Mission: Impossible" in the 1970s.
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."
Normally cast as a hero, he turned in an unforgettable performance 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 television shows in a career of nearly 60 years. His authority made him a favorite for commercials and he was often encouraged to go into politics.
Graves died on Sunday just a few days before his 84th birthday outside his home in Los Angeles, publicist Sandy Brokaw said. Graves was returning from brunch with his wife of nearly 60 years and his family when he had what doctors believed was a heart attack, Brokaw said.
Graves first gained the attention of many baby boomers with the 1950s TV series "Fury," but remained best known for the role of Jim Phelps, leader of a gang of special agents who battled evil conspirators in TV's "Mission: Impossible" in the 1970s.
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."
Normally cast as a hero, he turned in an unforgettable performance 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 television shows in a career of nearly 60 years. His authority made him a favorite for commercials and he was often encouraged to go into politics.
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