Peter Graves Found Dead in Home

Just days before his 84th birthday, Peter Graves collapsed and died outside his Pacific Palisades home.

The actor was returning home from brunch with his family, and his daughter administered CPR, to no avail. The family doctor visited the house and believes he had a heart attack, according to his publicist Sandy Brokaw.

Peter Graves never became as famous as his brother James Arness, the actor who played Matt Dillon of TV's 'Gunsmoke', but after two years in the Air Force and a brief stint at the University of Minnesota, Graves changed his last name to that of his grandfather, and followed his brother to Hollywood.

He began acting in several cheaply made films like 'It Conquered the World' and 'Beginning of the World', before moving on to bigger and better things.

"Good morning, Mr. Phelps..."

This was the greeting TV viewers heard each week, as they tuned in to 'Mission: Impossible', where Graves played Agent Phelps. The greeting, recorded on a tape recorder, was followed by instructions on the team's latest mission, and then self-destructed in seconds. The show ran for 6 years, 1967-1973, on CBS, and ABC revived the show in 1988, with Graves as the only original cast member. The show ran for two years, and closed in 1990.

Peter Graves had roles in more than 70 productions such as 'Fury', a television show filmed in Australia, 'The Long Gray Line', 'The Ballad of Josie, 'Airplane' and other films.

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.'"

In later years, he brought that demeanor to shows such as 'Discover: The World of Science' and A&E's 'Biography'.

He is survived by his wife of 50 years, Joan Endress, three daughters and six grandchildren.

Sources:

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/blogs/abraham/detail??blogid=95&entry_id=59136
http://www.laobserved.com/archive/2010/03/peter_graves_actor_was_83.php