Peter Graves dead at 83

Peter Graves, the Minneapolis-born actor who dared to take on impossible missions, died Sunday, four days short of his 84th birthday.

Graves, who was celebrating his 60th year in show business and a recent induction into the Hollywood Walk of Fame, appeared to have had a heart attack outside his Pacific Palisades, Calif., home shortly after brunch, according to the Associated Press.

Graves was best known for his role as Jim Phelps in the TV series "Mission: Impossible," for which he won a Golden Globe in 1971.

But he also made his mark as a Nazi spy in "Stalag 17," the smug pilot in "Airplane!" and the rumbling voice of A&E's "Biography."

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

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

Despite his showbiz success, his Minnesota childhood was never far from his thoughts.

Graves grew up in southwest Minneapolis, along with his older brother James Arness, who would strike it big himself as Marshal Matt Dillon on the long-running TV drama "Gunsmoke."

"The creek was my back yard," Graves said. "There's a little street in there now, but behind my house was the woods, leading down to the creek and the creek itself. And that was our playground. Those were wonderful days. And those were days when the city of Minneapolis ended at 54th Street. Beyond that was farmland."

Graves graduated from Southwest High School, where he was a champion hurdler as well as a clarinet player. He attended the University of Minnesota, where he met Joan Endress of St. Paul, who he married in 1950. The couple had three children and six grand-children.

Graves didn't keep close ties with the Twin Cities, but he did emcee the grand opening of the Mall of America and the family would vacation here from time to time.

"It's so beautiful," he said in 2000. "We drive them [the kids] around and that whole Minnehaha Creek drive is just lovely," Graves said.

"A venerable place for a venerable actor," he said at the ceremonies.