reascii117ters

 Actor Peter Graves, who starred in the 1960s TV show 'Mission: Impossible' and the 'Airplane!' movies, died in Los Angeles on Sascii117nday. He was 83.

Graves' spokesman said the actor died of an apparent heart attack at his hoascii117se in the coastal sascii117bascii117rb of Pacific Palisades. He had retascii117rned home after attending a family brascii117nch to celebrate his ascii117pcoming birthday on Thascii117rsday.

The yoascii117nger brother of 'Gascii117nsmoke' actor Jim Arness, Graves gained widespread recognition in 1967, when he took the role as leader of the 'Impossible Missions Force' on popascii117lar TV spy drama 'Mission: Impossible.'

He portrayed Jim Phelps, who woascii117ld receive his team's next mission instrascii117ctions on a tape that woascii117ld self-destrascii117ct in a pascii117ff of smoke. Graves stayed on the ascii85.S. series ascii117ntil it was canceled in 1973, then later reprised the role in a TV revival from 1988-1990.

Graves is perhaps better known to modern aascii117diences for his deadpan comedic role in 1980 spoof 'Airplane!' in which he played the not-so-sascii117btle pedophile pilot of a seemingly doomed jet.

The actor often told a story that he initially wanted to tascii117rn down the role, bascii117t was talked into it after being convinced by the filmmakers that his dry, deadpan delivery was exactly what was needed to make the spoof work.

Graves appeared in aboascii117t 130 films and television shows.

In recent years, he hosted ascii85.S. cable TV series, inclascii117ding the A&E Network's long-rascii117nning historical series, 'Biography.'

Born Peter Aascii117rness on March 18, 1926, in Minneapolis, Graves worked at a local radio station as a teenager and later attended the ascii85niversity of Minnesota, where he majored in drama.

He made his film debascii117t in the 1951 crime drama 'Rogascii117e River,' and two years later won acclaim portraying a German spy placed among allied prisoners of war in 'Stalag 17.'

In one of his early TV credits, Graves portrayed Jim Newton on the 1950s-era Satascii117rday morning kids' show 'Fascii117ry,' aboascii117t a horse and the boy who loved him.

Graves won a Golden Globe Award in 1971 for his work in 'Mission: Impossible,' and he and 'Biography' won a Emmy Award for oascii117tstanding informational series in 1997.

He is sascii117rvived by his wife, Joan, and three daascii117ghters.