'Mission: Impossible' star Peter Graves dies

Graves, who starred as Jim Phelps, leader of the Impossible Missions Force (IMF) in the television series, ‘Mission Impossible’, died of an apparent heart attack, according to multiple tabloid reports, citing the actor’s publicist Sandy Brokaw.

Death of a screen icon
Brokaw told The Associated Press that the legendary actor died Sunday shortly after returning to his Los Angeles home from brunch with his wife and children. Graves collapsed before he made it into the house. One of his daughters reportedly tried to administer CPR, but was unable to save him.

Reportedly, Graves' family doctor visited the house and believed he had suffered a heart attack.

Citing Los Angeles Police Department officer Karen Rayner, Chicago Tribune reports that the coroner was not investigating the death, and that there was no indication of foul play.

The actor died of "apparent natural causes," said Officer Rayner.

Graves died Sunday shortly after returning to his Los Angeles home from brunch with his wife and children.

About the legendary actor
During his more than 60-year-long acting career, the square-jawed Graves starred in more than seventy films, TV series and TV movies.

Born Peter Aurness in Minneapolis, Graves is best known for his role as agent Phelps in the CBS television series ‘Mission Impossible’, and as Captain Clarence Oveur in the 1980 disaster movie spoof Airplane, which was released in Australia as Flying High.

He also appeared in golden-age Hollywood classics like Billy Wilder's ‘Stalag 17’ (1953) and ‘Night of the Hunter’ (1955).

Before heading to Hollywood, Graves served in the U.S. Air Force in 1944-45 and studied drama at the University of Minnesota.

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

The blond, 6-foot-2 Graves then followed his older brother, Gunsmoke star James Arness, to Hollywood, but his career began with cheaply made exploitation films like ‘It Conquered the World’, and ‘Beginning of the World’.

Big screen credits
His movie credits include ‘East of Sumatra’ (1953), ‘Beneath the 12-Mile Reef’ (1953), ‘A Rage to Live’ (1965), ‘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).

TV career
He appeared in hundreds of television series, some of which 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).

Graves served as a host or did narration for several 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).

More recently, he had made appearances on the TV series ‘7th Heaven,’ and lent his voice to several video games, including 2010’s ‘Darkstar.’

Graves was honored with a star on Hollywood's Walk of Fame in 2009. He won a Golden Globe in 1971 for his role as Jim Phelps, the cool-as-a-cucumber leader of a super-secret spy organization that conducted elaborate undercover operations, in the series ‘Mission: Impossible’. He was also nominated for an Emmy in 1969 in other seasons of that show.

Graves is survived by his wife of 59 years, Joan Endress, and three daughters.