The TV series' 'Mission: Impossible' star has been found dead of heart attack at his home in California, four days before his 84th birthday.
- Mar 15, 2010
AceShowbiz - A depicter of Jim Phelps in TV series' "Mission: Impossible", Peter Graves, has passed away on Sunday afternoon, March 14, four days prior to his 84th birthday, at his home in Pacific Palisades, California. His business manager Fred Barman, who came out with the sad news, revealed that the actor died of a heart attack.
Back in December 2009, Graves still showed his passion to play in movies. The actor, who had been acting for 60 years, stated, "There has got to be some good parts around for guys my age." For his dedication to movie industry, he was honored with a Lifetime Achievement Award at the Ojai Film Festival in November, the same year.
Graves debuted his acting career in "Winning You Wings" when he was 16 years old. Graves' famous roles include Jim Phelps in "Mission: Impossible", from which he won 1971 Golden Globe Awards, Captain Clarence Oveur in "Airplane!" and World War II prisoner named Price in "Stalag 17". He was also well known for serving as a host in A&E's "Biography" series. From the show, he received Emmy prize in 1997 for episode "Judy Garland: Beyond the Rainbow".
Personally, Peter Graves married his college sweetheart Joan Endress in 1950. They have three daughters, Kelly, Claudia and Amanda, and six grandchildren. On his early time with Endress, Graves shared, "Her father was a wonderful man, a doctor, but very conservative. He wasn't so hot about me being an actor. They made Joan work for a few months to earn the money to come out here. We didn't want to get married until we got their permission, and that hinged on whether I made a start."
