Film and television star Peter Graves died Sunday of a heart attack outside his home in Pacific Palisades, California. He was 83.
The dashing actor (one of the few who could actually carry the term dashing) had just returned from brunch with his wife and children. One of his daughters administered CPR, but Heaven apparently needed one more dashing actor.
Peter Graves had an impressive career that spanned 60 years. He was best known for his Golden Globe-winning portrayal of James Phelps on the piece of Americana and pop culture we know as ‘Mission: Impossible.’ This outstanding spy drama ran for seven seasons on CBS and later would launch hugely successful (and equally outstanding) films starring Tom Cruise.
Peter Graves also graced other television series such as ‘Fury,’ ‘Whiplash,’ ‘Alfred Hitchcock Presents,’ ‘The Dean Martin Show,’ ‘Fantasy Island’ and ‘7th Heaven.’
In the mid-’90s, Peter Graves became the wonderful (and, yes, dashing) host of A&E’s ‘Biography,’ and received an Emmy for the 1997 special ‘Judy Garland: Beyond the Rainbow.’
The talented actor also appeared in a number of well-known and successful movies, including Billy Wilder’s ‘Stalag 17,’ opposite Oscar winner William Holden, ‘Court-Martial of Billy Mitchell’ and the 1955 thriller ‘Night of the Hunter.’
Of all of his films, however, it was the 1980 comedy ‘Airplane!’ that earned Graves the most fame in theaters. He turned in a hilarious performance as Captain Clarence Oveur in the film as well as its 1982 sequel.
Thankfully, just last October, Peter Graves received a much-deserved star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame to honor his career.
According to the Times, Graves is survived by his older brother, actor James Arness (Gunsmoke), his wife, Joan Graves, whom he married in 1950, and his three daughters. He died just four days shy of his 84th birthday.
How Much Do You Know About Peter Graves?
Peter Graves was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota on March 18, 1926
He was left-handed
Peter excelled in sports and music
He played the saxophone
Served two years in the Air Force
Studied drama at the University of Minnesota
When he first received the script for Airplane, he hated it! He called it “the worst piece of junk” he’d ever seen. However, he changed his mind when he met the writers.
Roseanne’s Laurie Metcalf (Jackie) created one of the all-time funniest characters ever. Heck, the whole cast did! Roseanne, John Goodman, Sara Gilbert, Alicia Goranson, Michael Fishman, Johnny Galecki – sheer brilliance.
I could watch the Conners all day and night, only quitting long enough to re-fill my Diet Dr. Pepper.
If you missed them the first time around and have never had the pleasure of enjoying their hilarious company, do your funny bone a huge favor and catch them in reruns or, better yet, buy the seasons on dvd. Or, you could do what I do – catch them on TV AND collect the seasons.
What an amazing mark Don Knotts left on television’s history and on all of our lives, for that matter. Can you even imagine life without Barney Fife?!?!
We all know a more beautiful actress has never graced the earth than Audrey Hepburn. We might as well enjoy a video tribute that supports this fact, right? After you’ve watched the video, be sure to check out the other articles, pictures, and featured stories on one of Hollywood Yesterday’s favorite actresses, Audrey Hepburn. You’ll find all of these and more in the Audrey Hepburn category.
Vera-Ellen (on the right when the video begins) Trivia:
Vera-Ellen was born in Cincinati, Ohio in 1921
Nicknamed “Bunny,” she was an only child.
Vera was painfully shy as a child and, by nine, had developed health problems.
She began dancing at 10.
This beautiful musical star silently battled anorexia before doctors even understoon the condition.
When musicals faded out in the 1950’s, Vera-Ellen sort of disappeared from the radar.
During the filming of White Christmas, the costumes were made to cover Vera-Ellen’s neck because, due to anorexia, it appeared much older than her face.
Once said, “Fred Astaire will never say, though he’s always asked, which of his dancing ladies was his favorite partner. If you ask me, he preferred the solo turns.”
Rosemary Clooney (on the left when the video begins) Trivia:
George Clooney is her nephew.
Was Mother in Law to singer Debby Boone.
Once Rosemary was performing with singer/pianist Michael Feinstein at the Hollywood Bowl. Before taking the stage, they were both noticably nervous. Expecting Rosemary to give him words of strength and encouragement, Michael Feinstein was shocked when she told him, “Don’t think this ever gets any easier.”
Her brother, veteran television newscaster Nick Clooney, gave a eulogy at the end of the hour-long traditional Catholic funeral mass. Actor George Clooney, Nick’s son, sat with more than three dozen family members and was one of 10 pallbearers. Also in the crowd were singer Debby Boone, Clooney’s daughter-in-law; actors Al Pacino and Beverly D’Angelo; and Maysville native and former Miss America Heather Renee French, the wife of Kentucky Lt. Gov. Steve Henry.
One of her more interesting quotes (and she had a lot of them!) was: “In the final analysis, it’s true that fame is unimportant. No matter how great a man is, the size of his funeral usually depends on the weather.”
Count on it. I’ll have this song playing (and playing and playing..) in my brain for days. I can’t get enough of these guys. They’re classic.
Speaking of classic, I’ll be returning the blog to the golden age of Hollywood, for the most part. I’ll still include the occasional movie review and what not, but this blog was built with Hollywood Yesterday in mind. I absolutely LOVE old movies, classic television, and the one of a kind stars that came with each.
I have a really pretty Audrey Hepburn banner that I’ll put up after Christmas. She’s a favorite and I couldn’t think of a star I’d rather kick the New Year off with.
I recently watched the first movie in the Transporter series and loved it. Jason Statham is perfect in this role and the action sequences and driving scenes blew me away.
Apparently, the 3rd movie plans on doing the same thing. Jason Statham says that Transporter 3 is “a fan’s dream come true.” He also says that in his opinion, the action scenes are quite a bit different than what we saw in the first two movies.
