Peter Graves, 83; had long acting career

LOS ANGELES - Peter Graves, the tall, stalwart actor likely best known for his portrayal of Jim Phelps, leader of a gang of special agents who battled evil conspirators in the long-running television series Mission: Impossible, died yesterday.

Mr. Graves, 83, had an apparent heart attack outside his Los Angeles home, publicist Sandy Brokaw said.

Mr. Graves had just returned from brunch with his wife and children and collapsed before he made it into the house, Brokaw said. One of his daughters administered CPR but was unable to revive him. Mr. Graves' doctor visited the house and believed he had a heart attack, Brokaw said.

Although Mr. Graves never achieved the stardom his older brother, James Arness, enjoyed as Marshall Matt Dillon on TV's Gunsmoke, he had a number of memorable roles in both films and television.

Normally cast as a hero, he turned in an unforgettable performance early in his career as the treacherous Nazi spy in Billy Wilder's 1953 prisoner-of-war drama Stalag 17.

He also masterfully lampooned his straight-arrow image when he portrayed bumbling airline pilot Clarence Oveur in the 1980 disaster movie spoof Airplane!

Mr. Graves appeared in dozens of films and a handful of television shows in a career of nearly 60 years.

The authority and trust he projected made him a favorite for commercials late in his life, and he was often encouraged to go into politics.

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

Mr. Graves' career began with cheaply made exploitation films like It Conquered the World, in which he battled a carrot-shaped monster from Venus, and Beginning of the World, in which he fought a giant grasshopper.

He later took on equally formidable human villains each week on Mission: Impossible.

Every show began with Mr. Graves, as agent Phelps, listening to a tape of instructions outlining his team's latest mission and explaining that any of the agents were killed or captured "the secretary will disavow any knowledge of your actions." The tape self-destructed within seconds of being played.

The show ran on CBS from 1967 to 1973 and was revived on ABC from 1988 to 1990 with Mr. Graves back as the only original cast member.

The actor credited clever writing for the show's success. "It made you think a little bit and kept you on the edge of your seat because you never knew what was going to happen next," he once said.

Born Peter Aurness in Minneapolis, he adopted his grandfather's last name to avoid confusion with his older brother, James, who had dropped the "U" from the family name.

He and his college sweetheart, Joan Endress, were married in 1950 and had three daughters - Kelly Jean, Claudia King, and Amanda Lee - and six grandchildren.

Mr. Graves credited the couple's Midwest upbringing for a marriage that lasted more than 50 years.