On Sunday, actor Peter Graves was found dead in his home in Pacific Palisades, California. He was four days away from his 84th birthday.
Although best known for his roles in the “Mission: Impossible” TV series and Airplane!, Graves appeared in almost 50 films, as well as over 80 television programs.
Graves’ first starring role came in Billy Wilder’s Stalag 17, in which he played a Nazi spy, despite his distinctly American look. After years of playing arrow-straight characters, he turned down a role in Airplane! However, after meeting the film’s producer, he decided to go for it, saying, “They say you are supposed to stretch as an actor, so let’s go stretch it.”
Graves continued to work, always looking for his next part. In recent years he had been in an episode of “House M.D.” as well as a recurring role in “7th Heaven.”
In October, Graves received his star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. The L.A. Times quoted him as saying, “I think I have been hanging around so long, I guess they had to give it to me.” Graves is survived by his wife of 60 years, Joan Endress, and their three children.
