Personal Info
Birth date
1926-03-18 (99 Years)
Day of death
2010-03-14
Gender
Male
Known for
Acting
Place of birth
Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
Also known as
Peter Duesler Aurness
Peter Graves
Biography
Peter Graves (born Peter Duesler Aurness; March 18, 1926 – March 14, 2010) was an American actor. While growing up in Minnesota, he excelled at sports and music (as a saxophonist), and by age 16, he was a radio announcer at WMIN in Minneapolis. After two years in the United States Air Force, he studied drama at the University of Minnesota and then headed to Hollywood, where he first appeared on television and later made his film debut in Rogue River (1951). Numerous film appearances followed, especially in Westerns. However, Graves is primarily recognized for his television work, particularly as Jim Phelps in Mission: Impossible (1966). Peter Graves died of a heart attack on March 14, 2010, just four days before his 84th birthday.
Filmography
House
8.592
Overview:
Dr. Gregory House, a drug-addicted, unconventional, misanthropic medical genius, leads a team of diagnosticians at the fictional Princeton–Plainsboro Teaching Hospital in New Jersey.American Dad!
6.979
Overview:
The series focuses on an eccentric motley crew that is the Smith family and their three housemates: Father, husband, and breadwinner Stan Smith; his better half housewife, Francine Smith; their college-aged daughter, Hayley Smith; and their high-school-aged son, Steve Smith. Outside of the Smith family, there are three additional main characters, including Hayley's boyfriend turned husband, Jeff Fischer; the family's man-in-a-goldfish-body pet, Klaus; and most notably the family's zany alien, Roger, who is "full of masquerades, brazenness, and shocking antics."The Love Boat
6.3
Overview:
Passengers who search for romantic nights aboard a beautiful ship travelling to tropical or mysterious countries, decide to pass their vacation aboard the "Love Boat", where Gopher, Dr. Bricker, Isaac, Julie, and Captain Stubing try their best to please them, and sometimes help them fall in love. Things are not always so easy, but in the end, love wins.Murder, She Wrote
7.5
Overview:
An unassuming mystery writer turned sleuth uses her professional insight to help solve real-life homicide cases.Climax!
3.273
Overview:
Climax! is an American anthology series that aired on CBS from 1954 to 1958. The series was hosted by William Lundigan and later co-hosted by Mary Costa. It was one of the few CBS programs of that era to be broadcast in color. Many of the episodes were performed and broadcast live.The Virginian
6.344
Overview:
The Shiloh Ranch in Wyoming Territory of the 1890s is owned in sequence by Judge Henry Garth, the Grainger brothers, and Colonel Alan MacKenzie. It is the setting for a variety of stories, many more based on character and relationships than the usual western.The Mike Douglas Show
5.375
Overview:
The Mike Douglas Show is an American daytime television talk show hosted by Mike Douglas that originally aired only in the Cleveland area during much of its first two years on the air. It then went into syndication in 1963 and remained on television until 1982. It was distributed by Westinghouse Broadcasting and for much of its run, originated from studios of two of the company's TV stations in Cleveland and Philadelphia.Golden Globe Awards
7.2
Overview:
An annual awards ceremony recognizing excellence in film and television, both domestic and foreign, bestowed by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association.Mission: Impossible
7.6
Overview:
Mission: Impossible is an American television series that was created and initially produced by Bruce Geller. It chronicles the missions of a team of secret government agents known as the Impossible Missions Force. In the first season, the team is led by Dan Briggs, played by Steven Hill; Jim Phelps, played by Peter Graves, takes charge for the remaining seasons. A hallmark of the series shows Briggs or Phelps receiving his instructions on a recording that then self-destructs, followed by the theme music composed by Lalo Schifrin. The series aired on the CBS network from September 1966 to March 1973, then returned to television for two seasons on ABC, from 1988 to 1990, retaining only Graves in the cast. It later inspired a popular series of theatrical motion pictures starring Tom Cruise, beginning in 1996.Cold Case
7.8
Overview:
The Philadelphia homicide squad's lone female detective finds her calling when she is assigned cases that have never been solved. Detective Lilly Rush combines her natural instincts with the updated technology available today to bring about justice for all the victims she can.Diagnosis: Murder
7.1
Overview:
Dr. Mark Sloan is a good-natured, offbeat physician who is called upon to solve murders.The Alfred Hitchcock Hour
7.822
Overview:
A continuation of the anthology series “Alfred Hitchcock Presents”, hosted by the master of suspense and featuring thrillers and mysteries.Daniel Boone
6.867
Overview:
Daniel Boone is an American action-adventure television series starring Fess Parker as Daniel Boone that aired from September 24, 1964 to September 10, 1970 on NBC for 165 episodes, and was made by 20th Century Fox Television. Ed Ames co-starred as Mingo, Boone's Cherokee friend, for the first four seasons of the series. Albert Salmi portrayed Boone's companion Yadkin in season one only. Dallas McKennon portrayed innkeeper Cincinnatus. Country Western singer-actor Jimmy Dean was a featured actor as Josh Clements during the 1968–1970 seasons. Actor and former NFL football player Rosey Grier made regular appearances as Gabe Cooper in the 1969 to 1970 season. The show was broadcast "in living color" beginning in fall 1965, the second season, and was shot entirely in California and Kanab, Utah.Studio One
5
Overview:
An American radio–television anthology series, created in 1947 by Canadian director Fletcher Markle, who came to CBS from the CBC. Studio One, presented by Westinghouse, was one of the first of the anthology TV programs. The episodes were often abridged remakes of movies from years gone by and many future well-known television and movie actors appeared in the productions.The Golden Girls
7.541
Overview:
Four Southern Florida seniors share a house, their dreams, and a whole lot of cheesecake. Bright, promiscuous, clueless and hilarious, these lovely, mismatched ladies form the perfect circle of friends.The F.B.I.
5.455
Overview:
The F.B.I. is an American television series that was broadcast on ABC from 1965 to 1974. It was sponsored by the Ford Motor Company, and the characters almost always drove Ford vehicles in the series. Alcoa was co-sponsor of Season One only.Matinee Theater
5
Overview:
Matinee Theater is an American anthology series that aired on NBC during the Golden Age of Television, from 1955 to 1958. The series, which ran daily in the afternoon, was frequently live. It was produced by Albert McCleery, Darrell Ross, George Cahan and Frank Price with executive producer George Lowther. McCleery had previously produced the live series Cameo Theatre which introduced to television the concept of theater-in-the-round, TV plays staged with minimal sets. Jim Buckley of the Pewter Plough Playhouse recalled: When Al McCleery got back to the States, he originated a most ambitious theatrical TV series for NBC called Matinee Theater: to televise five different stage plays per week live, airing around noon in order to promote color TV to the American housewife as she labored over her ironing. Al was the producer. He hired five directors and five art directors. Richard Bennett, one of our first early presidents of the Pewter Plough Corporation, was one of the directors and I was one of the art directors and, as soon as we were through televising one play, we had lunch and then met to plan next week’s show. That was over 50 years ago, and I’m trying to think; I believe the TV art director is his own set decorator —yes, of course! It had to be, since one of McCleery’s chief claims to favor with the producers was his elimination of the setting per se and simply decorating the scene with a minimum of props. It took a bit of ingenuity.Kraft Suspense Theatre
5.3
Overview:
Kraft Suspense Theatre is an American anthology series that was telecast from 1963 to 1965 on NBC. Sponsored by Kraft Foods, it was seen three weeks out of every four and was pre-empted for Perry Como's Kraft Music Hall specials once monthly. Como's production company, Roncom Films, also produced Kraft Suspense Theatre. Writer, editor, critic and radio playwright Anthony Boucher served as consultant on the series. Later syndicated under the title Crisis, it was one of the few suspense series telecast in color at the time. While most of NBC's shows were in color then, all-color network line-ups did not become the norm until the 1966-67 season.7th Heaven
6.357
Overview:
Reverend Eric Camden and his wife Annie have always had their hands full caring for seven children, not to mention the friends, sweethearts and spouses that continually come and go in the Camden household.Simon & Simon
6.685
Overview:
A.J. Simon is a polished fellow with a taste for classic cars and tailored suits. Rick Simon is his less refined (but still pleasant) older brother who has a taste for cowboy boots and four-wheel drive pickups. The two of them live in San Diego, where they own a private detective agency.Route 66
6.3
Overview:
After discovering that his late father has gone through most of the family fortune, Tod Stiles hits the title trans-America highway in his Corvette in search of adventure with friend Buz Murdock, a survivor of New York's mean streets. The two work odd jobs as they meet and interact with colorful characters and find themselves plunged into one situation after another, some of them romantic, some of them very dangerous. Later, Linc Case, a Vietnam war hero trying to find himself, takes over as Tod's travel companion.The Angry Beavers
6.898
Overview:
The Angry Beavers is an American animated television series created by Mitch Schauer for the Nickelodeon channel. The series revolves around Daggett and Norbert Beaver, two young beaver brothers who have left their home to become bachelors in the forest near the fictional Wayouttatown, Oregon.Cavalcade of America
3.5
Overview:
Cavalcade of America is an anthology drama series that was sponsored by the DuPont Company, although it occasionally presented a musical, such as an adaptation of Show Boat, and condensed biographies of popular composers. It was initially broadcast on radio from 1935 to 1953, and later on television from 1952 to 1957. Originally on CBS, the series pioneered the use of anthology drama for company audio advertising. Cavalcade of America documented historical events using stories of individual courage, initiative and achievement, often with feel-good dramatizations of the human spirit's triumph against all odds. This was consistent with DuPont's overall conservative philosophy and legacy as an American company dating back to 1802. The company's motto, "Maker of better things for better living through chemistry," was read at the beginning of each program, and the dramas emphasized humanitarian progress, particularly improvements in the lives of women, often through technological innovation.Addams Family Values
6.968
Overview:
Siblings Wednesday and Pugsley Addams will stop at nothing to get rid of Pubert, the new baby boy adored by parents Gomez and Morticia. Things go from bad to worse when the new "black widow" nanny, Debbie Jellinsky, launches her plan to add Fester to her collection of dead husbands.Buck Rogers in the 25th Century
6.975
Overview:
20th-century astronaut Buck Rogers awakens in the 25th century after a freak accident puts him in suspended animation for 500 years. Upon returning to Earth and discovering the planet is recovering from a nuclear war, Buck uses his combat skills and ingenuity to protect Earth and fight evil throughout the galaxy alongside starfighter pilot Colonel Wilma Deering and robot companion Twiki.Burke's Law
6.7
Overview:
Burke's Law, a revival of the 1960s cop television series of the same name, aired on CBS from 1994 to 1995. The series centers on Amos Burke, a senior Los Angeles police officer and millionaire, and his son, Peter, who is a detective under his command.The Invaders
6.807
Overview:
The Invaders, alien beings from a dying planet. Their destination: the Earth. Their purpose: to make it their world. David Vincent has seen them, for him it began one lost night on a lonely country road, looking for a shortcut that he never found. It began with a closed deserted diner, and a man too long without sleep to continue his journey. It began with the landing of a craft from another galaxy. Now, David Vincent knows that the Invaders are here, that they have taken human form. Somehow he must convince a disbelieving world that the nightmare has already begun.The Ed Sullivan Show
6.8
Overview:
The Ed Sullivan Show is an American TV variety show that originally ran on CBS from Sunday June 20, 1948 to Sunday June 6, 1971, and was hosted by New York entertainment columnist Ed Sullivan. It was replaced in September 1971 by the CBS Sunday Night Movie, which ran only one season and was eventually replaced by other shows. In 2002, The Ed Sullivan Show was ranked #15 on TV Guide's 50 Greatest TV Shows of All Time.Acting
TBAAliens from Space as Doug Martin
TBADarkstar: Terror at The Edge of Time as Narrator
2022Mystery Reel as Unknown
2014Gettysburg - An American Story as Narrator
2009What a Difference a Day Made: Doris Day Superstar as Self
2005Minoriteam (1 Episode) as Sheldon Miller
2005American Dad! (1 Episode) as Mr. Pibb (voice)
2004House (1 Episode) as Myron
2004The 50 Worst Movies Ever Made as Dr. Doug Paul Martin (archive footage)
2004Behind the Legend: Timon as Himself - Host
2003America on the Move 1876-2000 as Host
2003Looney Tunes: Back in Action as Host of Civil Defense Film
2003Cold Case (1 Episode) as Anton Bikker (2006)
2002Men in Black II as Peter Graves
2001These Old Broads as Bill
2001Disney's House of Mouse (1 Episode) as Instructor Voice (voice)
1999House on Haunted Hill as Self
1999Linda Darnell: Hollywood's Fallen Angel as Narrator
1999Mickey Mouse Works (1 Episode) as Unknown
1999Gene Tierney: A Shattered Portrait as Self - Host
1998Doris Day: It's Magic as Narrator
1998Charlie Chaplin: A Tramp's Life as Self - Narrator
1997The Angry Beavers (1 Episode) as Unknown
1997Mother Teresa: A Life of Devotion as Self - Host
1996Shirley Temple: The Biggest Little Star as Narrator
19967th Heaven (11 Episodes) as John "Colonel" Camden
1996Jerry Lewis: The Last American Clown as Host
1996William Shakespeare: A Life of Drama as Unknown
1996Abbott & Costello Meet Biography as Self - Host
1995Darryl F. Zanuck: 20th Century Filmmaker as Self - Host
1995Screen Actors Guild Awards (1 Episode) as Unknown
1995Betty Boop: Queen of the Cartoons as Self - Narrator (voice)
1994The Unexplained: Witches, Werewolves & Vampires as Host
1994Marilyn Monroe: The Mortal Goddess as Self - Host
1994Burke's Law (1 Episode) as General Prescott
1993Addams Family Values as Host
1993Diagnosis: Murder (1 Episode) as Peter Graves
1993Unauthorized Biographies with Peter Graves (4 Episodes) as Self - Narrator
1992The Tonight Show with Jay Leno (1 Episode) as Unknown
1991Mission: Impossible (35 Episodes) as Jim Phelps
1989Mission: Impossible - The Golden Serpent as Jim Phelps
1988War and Remembrance (12 Episodes) as Palmer Kirby
1987Platinum Bombshell as Narrator
1987Number One with a Bullet as Capt. Ferris
1986Life with Lucy (1 Episode) as Ben Marshall
1986The Demon Lover as Ponsonby
1985The Golden Girls (1 Episode) as Jerry Kennedy
1984Murder, She Wrote (1 Episode) as Edmund Gerard
1984Hammer House of Mystery and Suspense (1 Episode) as John Bray
1984Aces Go Places III: Our Man from Bond Street as Tom Collins
1983The Guns and the Fury as Mark Janser
1983The Winds of War (7 Episodes) as Palmer 'Fred' Kirby
1982Airplane II: The Sequel as Capt. Clarence Oveur
1982Savannah Smiles as Harland Dobbs
1981Simon & Simon (1 Episode) as Wade Christian
1981300 Miles for Stephanie as Capt. McIntyre
1980Airplane! as Capt. Clarence Oveur
1980The Memory of Eva Ryker as Mike Rogers
1980Steve Martin: Comedy Is Not Pretty as TV Director
1979Death Car on the Freeway as Lt. Haller
1979Buck Rogers in the 25th Century (1 Episode) as Major Noah Cooper
1979Parts: The Clonus Horror as Jeff Knight
1979The Rebels as George Washington
1979Survival Run as Kandaris
1979Missile X: The Neutron Bomb Incident as Alec Franklin
1978Race for Survival as Narrator
1977High Seas Hijack as Elliott Rhoades
1977The Love Boat (2, 1, 1 Episode) as Gerald Whitney, Leonard Culver, Carl Lawrence
1977SST: Death Flight as Paul Whitley
1976The Mysterious Monsters as Himself - Narrator
1976The Sonny and Cher Show (1 Episode) as Unknown
1975Sidecar Racers as Carson
1975Dead Man on the Run as Jim Gideon
1974Dinah! (1 Episode) as Self
1974Where Have All the People Gone as Steven Anders
1974The Underground Man as Lew Archer
1974Paul and Michelle as Sir Henry
1974Scream of the Wolf as John Wetherby
1973The President's Plane Is Missing as Mark Jones
1973The Dean Martin Celebrity Roasts (2 Episodes) as Self
1973Call to Danger as Doug Warfield
1971Funny Face (1 Episode) as Unknown
1970The Adventurers as Trustee Banker
1970Mission: Impossible - The Falcon as James Phelps
1969Mission: Impossible vs. the Mob as Jim Phelps
1969The 5-Man Army as Dutchman
1969Mission: Impossible - The Controllers as Jim Phelps
1969The Assassination Bureau as Dragomiloff's Butler (uncredited)
1969Mission: Impossible - The Bunker as James Phelps
1968The Dean Martin Christmas Show as Self (uncredited)
1968Premiere (1 Episode) as Unknown
1968The Ballad of Josie as Jason Meredith
1968Sergeant Ryker as Maj. Whitaker
1968The Movie Orgy as Self (archive footage)
1967I'll Never Forget What's'isname as Bankman
1967Mission: Impossible - The Slave as Jim Phelps
1967Valley of Mystery as Ben Barstow
1967The Invaders (1 Episode) as Gavin Lewis
1966Gallegher Goes West as Marshal Neimeyer
1966Texas Across the River as Capt. Stimpson
1966Mission: Impossible (143 Episodes) as Jim Phelps
1965A Rage to Live as Jack Hollister
1965The F.B.I. (1 Episode) as Manning Fryes
1965Laredo (1 Episode) as Unknown
1965The Dean Martin Show (1 Episode) as Unknown
1965Run for Your Life (1 Episode) as Jim Carlson
1965Court Martial (1 Episode) as Major Frank Whittaker
1965Branded (2 Episodes) as Unknown
1964Daniel Boone (1 Episode) as Logan Harris
196412 O'Clock High (1 Episode) as Unknown
1963Kraft Suspense Theatre (2 Episodes) as Maj. Frank Whitaker
1963The Great Adventure (2 Episodes) as Daniel Boone
1963The Farmer's Daughter (1 Episode) as Unknown
1962The Alfred Hitchcock Hour (1 Episode) as Mark Needham
1962The Virginian (1 Episode) as Robert Gaynor
1961The Mike Douglas Show (1 Episode) as Self
1961Whiplash (34 Episodes) as Christopher Cobb
1960Route 66 (2 Episodes) as Unknown
1959A Stranger in My Arms as Donald Beasley
1958Wolf Larsen as Van Weyden
1958Cimarron City (1 Episode) as Unknown
1957Death in Small Doses as Agent / Tom Kaylor
1957Beginning of the End as Dr. Ed Wainwright
1957Bayou as Martin Davis
1956Canyon River as Bob Andrews
1956Hold Back The Night as Lt. Lee Couzens
1956It Conquered the World as Dr. Paul Nelson
1955The Court-Martial of Billy Mitchell as Capt. Bob Elliott
1955Matinee Theater (1 Episode) as Unknown
1955Fury as Jim Newton
1955Fury (116 Episodes) as Jim Newton
1955Fort Yuma as Lt. Ben Keegan
1955Celebrity Playhouse (1 Episode) as Unknown
1955The Naked Street as Joe McFarland
1955The Night of the Hunter as Ben Harper
1955Wichita as Morgan Earp
1955Robbers' Roost as Heesman
1955The Millionaire (1 Episode) as Paul Hartley
1955The Long Gray Line as Corporal Rudolph Heinz
1954Black Tuesday as Peter Manning
1954Climax! (1, 1 Episode) as Stanley, Steve Baxter
1954Studio 57 (1 Episode) as Jim Bailey
1954The Raid as Capt. Frank Dwyer
1954The Yellow Tomahawk as Sawyer
1954Killers from Space as Douglas Martin
1953Beneath the 12-Mile Reef as Arnold Dix
1953The Pepsi-Cola Playhouse (2, 1 Episode) as Unknown, Fred Crain
1953War Paint as Trooper Tolson
1953East of Sumatra as Cowboy
1953Stalag 17 as Sgt. Frank Price
1952Biff Baker U.S.A. (1 Episode) as Unknown
1952Cavalcade of America (1 Episode) as Maj. Tom Howie
1952Red Planet Mars as Chris Cronyn
1952The Congregation as Unknown
1951Hallmark Hall of Fame (1 Episode) as Dr. James Ewing
1951Angels in the Outfield as Radio Announcer (uncredited)
1951Fort Defiance as Ned Tallon
1951Schlitz Playhouse of Stars (1 Episode) as Rocky Kent
1951Rogue River as Pete Dandridge
1950Lux Video Theatre (1 Episode) as Joel Barker
1949Fireside Theater (4 Episodes) as Unknown
1948Studio One (1 Episode) as Glenn Willis
1948The Ed Sullivan Show (1 Episode) as Self
1944Golden Globe Awards (1 Episode) as Self - Presenter
Directing
1966Mission: Impossible (1 Episode) ... Director