Peter Graves was born Peter Duesler Aurness on March 18, 1926 on Minneapolis, Minnesota. 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.
Known For
Addams Family Values
(1993)
Host
Airplane!
(1980)
Captain Clarence Oveur
Men in Black II
(2002)
Peter Graves
Looney Tunes: Back in Action
(2003)
Host of Civil Defense Film
The Night of the Hunter
(1955)
Ben Harper
Stalag 17
(1953)
Sgt. Frank Price
Airplane II: The Sequel
(1982)
Capt. Clarence Oveur
Wichita
(1955)
Morgan Earp
The Five Man Army
(1969)
Dutchman
The Assassination Bureau
(1969)
Dragomiloff's Butler (uncredited)
Aces Go Places III: Our Man from Bond Street
(1984)
Tom Collins
Angels in the Outfield
(1951)
Radio Announcer (uncredited)
The Raid
(1954)
Capt. Frank Dwyer
Beneath the 12-Mile Reef
(1953)
Arnold Dix
The Long Gray Line
(1955)
Rudolph Heinz
These Old Broads
(2001)
Bill
Full Filmography
Acting
Fury
(1950)
Jim Newton
Fort Defiance
(1951)
Ned Tallon
Angels in the Outfield
(1951)
Radio Announcer (uncredited)
Rogue River
(1951)
Pete Dandridge
Red Planet Mars
(1952)
Chris Cronyn
The Congregation
(1952)
Stalag 17
(1953)
Sgt. Frank Price
Beneath the 12-Mile Reef
(1953)
Arnold Dix
War Paint
(1953)
Trooper Tolson
East of Sumatra
(1953)
Cowboy
Killers from Space
(1954)
Douglas Martin
Black Tuesday
(1954)
Peter Manning
The Raid
(1954)
Capt. Frank Dwyer
The Yellow Tomahawk
(1954)
Sawyer
The Night of the Hunter
(1955)
Ben Harper
The Long Gray Line
(1955)
Rudolph Heinz
The Naked Street
(1955)
Joe McFarland
Wichita
(1955)
Morgan Earp
The Court-Martial of Billy Mitchell
(1955)
Capt. Bob Elliott
Fort Yuma
(1955)
Lt. Ben Keegan
Robbers' Roost
(1955)
Heesman
It Conquered the World
(1956)
Dr. Paul Nelson
Hold Back The Night
(1956)
Lt. Lee Couzens
Canyon River
(1956)
Bob Andrews
Beginning of the End
(1957)
Dr. Ed Wainwright
Death in Small Doses
(1957)
Agent / Tom Kaylor
Bayou
(1957)
Martin Davis
Wolf Larsen
(1958)
Van Weyden
A Stranger in My Arms
(1959)
Donald Beasley
A Rage to Live
(1965)
Jack Hollister
Gallegher Goes West
(1966)
Marshal Neimeyer
Texas Across the River
(1966)
Capt. Stimpson
I'll Never Forget What's'isname
(1967)
Bankman
Valley of Mystery
(1967)
Ben Barstow
The Ballad of Josie
(1968)
Jason Meredith
Sergeant Ryker
(1968)
Maj. Whitaker
The Movie Orgy
(1968)
Self (archive footage)
The Dean Martin Christmas Show
(1968)
Self (uncredited)
The Five Man Army
(1969)
Dutchman
Mission: Impossible vs. the Mob
(1969)
Jim Phelps
The Assassination Bureau
(1969)
Dragomiloff's Butler (uncredited)
The Adventurers
(1970)
Trustee Banker
The President's Plane Is Missing
(1973)
Mark Jones
Call to Danger
(1973)
Doug Warfield
Paul and Michelle
(1974)
Sir Henry
Where Have All the People Gone
(1974)
Steven Anders
Scream of the Wolf
(1974)
John Wetherby
The Underground Man
(1974)
Lew Archer
Sidecar Racers
(1975)
Carson
Dead Man on the Run
(1975)
Jim Gideon
The Mysterious Monsters
(1976)
Himself - Narrator
SST: Death Flight
(1977)
Paul Whitley
High Seas Hijack
(1977)
Elliott Rhoades
Missile X: The Neutron Bomb Incident
(1979)
Alec Franklin
Parts: The Clonus Horror
(1979)
Jeff Knight
Survival Run
(1979)
Kandaris
Death Car on the Freeway
(1979)
Lt. Haller
The Rebels
(1979)
George Washington
Airplane!
(1980)
Captain Clarence Oveur
Steve Martin: Comedy Is Not Pretty
(1980)
TV Director
The Memory of Eva Ryker
(1980)
Mike Rogers
300 Miles for Stephanie
(1981)
Capt. McIntyre
Airplane II: The Sequel
(1982)
Capt. Clarence Oveur
Savannah Smiles
(1982)
Harland Dobbs
The Guns and the Fury
(1983)
Mark Janser
Aces Go Places III: Our Man from Bond Street
(1984)
Tom Collins
Horrible Horror
(1986)
Dr. Doug Paul Martin in 'Killers from Space'
Number One with a Bullet
(1987)
Capt. Ferris
Addams Family Values
(1993)
Host
Marilyn Monroe: The Mortal Goddess
(1994)
Self - Host
Betty Boop: Queen of the Cartoons
(1995)
Self - Narrator (voice)
Darryl F. Zanuck: 20th Century Filmmaker
(1995)
Self - Host
Jerry Lewis: The Last American Clown
(1996)
Host
Abbott & Costello Meet Biography
(1996)
Host
William Shakespeare: A Life of Drama
(1996)
Mother Teresa: A Life of Devotion
(1997)
Himself - Host
Charlie Chaplin: A Tramp's Life
(1998)
Self / Narrator
Doris Day: It's Magic
(1998)
Narrator
Gene Tierney: A Shattered Portrait
(1999)
Self - Host
Linda Darnell: Hollywood's Fallen Angel
(1999)
Narrator
These Old Broads
(2001)
Bill
Men in Black II
(2002)
Peter Graves
Charles Laughton Directs 'The Night of the Hunter'
(2002)
Self (archive footage)
Looney Tunes: Back in Action
(2003)
Host of Civil Defense Film
America on the Move 1876-2000
(2003)
Host
Behind the Legend: Timon
(2004)
Himself - Host
Christmas with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir and Orchestra at Temple Square Featuring Audra McDonald and Peter Graves
(2005)
Self
What a Difference a Day Made: Doris Day Superstar
(2009)
Self
Gettysburg - An American Story
(2014)
Narrator
Mystery Reel
(2022)