Peter Graves (actor)
| Peter Graves | |
|---|---|
Graves in 1967
|
|
| Born |
Peter Duesler Aurness March 18, 1926 Minneapolis, Minnesota, U.S. |
| Died | March 14, 2010 (aged 83) Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Cause of death | Heart attack |
| Nationality | American |
| Education | Southwest High School |
| Alma mater | University of Minnesota |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1942–2010 |
| Spouse(s) | Joan Endress (m.1950–2010, his death) |
| Children | 3 daughters |
| Family |
James Arness (brother, deceased) |
Peter Graves (born Peter Duesler Aurness; March 18, 1926 – March 14, 2010) was an American film and television actor. He was best known for his role as Jim Phelps in the CBS television series Mission: Impossible from 1967 to 1973 (original) and from 1988 to 1990 (revival). His elder brother was actor James Arness (1923–2011). Graves was also known for his portrayal of airplane pilot Captain Clarence Oveur in the 1980 comedy film Airplane! and its 1982 sequel Airplane II: The Sequel.
Peter Graves was born Peter Duesler Aurness on March 18, 1926, in Minneapolis, Minnesota, the son of Rolf Cirkler Aurness (1894–1982), a businessman, and his wife Ruth (née Duesler, died 1986), a journalist. Graves' ancestry was Norwegian, German, and English. The family name originally was "Aursnes", but when Rolf's Norwegian father, Peter Aursnes, immigrated to New York City in 1887, he changed the spelling. Peter used the stage name "Graves", a maternal family name, to honor his mother's family, and also so as to not be confused with his older brother, James Arness, the star of the television series Gunsmoke.
Graves graduated from Southwest High School in 1944, and spent two years in the United States Army Air Forces during World War II. He then enrolled at the University of Minnesota on the G.I. Bill, and was a member of Phi Kappa Psi fraternity.
Graves appeared in more than 70 films, television shows, and television movies during his career. In 1955, Graves joined the NBC television series Fury, as the rancher and adoptive single father, Jim Newton. Graves also was featured in the 1953 World War II film, Stalag 17.
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