It's odd to think that there was a time when Clint Eastwood was just a jobbing actor and not the Hollywood legend we know him to be. As an actor and a director, the man has had a career that anyone looking for success in the film industry would envy, being able to make whatever he wanted to make consistently for decades.
Though he's tackled crime stories, romantic melodramas, biopics, and just about everything else you could in the business, we all know Clint Eastwood's bread and butter is the Western, the genre that rocketed him to stardom in the 1960s with the release of Sergio Leone's classic Spaghetti Western "Dollars" trilogy, all three of which hit American movie screens in 1967.
Prior to heading over to Italy to take on the Man with No Name character, Eastwood was the co-star of the television series "Rawhide" for eight years, and...
Though he's tackled crime stories, romantic melodramas, biopics, and just about everything else you could in the business, we all know Clint Eastwood's bread and butter is the Western, the genre that rocketed him to stardom in the 1960s with the release of Sergio Leone's classic Spaghetti Western "Dollars" trilogy, all three of which hit American movie screens in 1967.
Prior to heading over to Italy to take on the Man with No Name character, Eastwood was the co-star of the television series "Rawhide" for eight years, and...
- 4/8/2023
- by Mike Shutt
- Slash Film
American actor and star of television's Mission: Impossible who made fun of his image in Airplane!
Despite his long career as a serious actor in dozens of films and television shows, Peter Graves, who has died aged 83, might be most remembered for a role that lampooned his square-jawed, stolid screen persona. As the captain of a plane heading for disaster in the spoof movie Airplane! (1980), Graves got laughs by playing it as straight as his other roles. (Although his roles in a number of trashy, low-budget science fiction movies in the 1950s had produced unintentional laughs.)
Audiences around the world were also familiar with Graves as the tall, gruff, deep-voiced, silver-haired Jim Phelps, head of the Imf (Impossible Missions Force), an elite American espionage group, in the TV series Mission: Impossible (1967-73). He won a Golden Globe in the role in 1971.
The show famously opened with the words: "Your mission,...
Despite his long career as a serious actor in dozens of films and television shows, Peter Graves, who has died aged 83, might be most remembered for a role that lampooned his square-jawed, stolid screen persona. As the captain of a plane heading for disaster in the spoof movie Airplane! (1980), Graves got laughs by playing it as straight as his other roles. (Although his roles in a number of trashy, low-budget science fiction movies in the 1950s had produced unintentional laughs.)
Audiences around the world were also familiar with Graves as the tall, gruff, deep-voiced, silver-haired Jim Phelps, head of the Imf (Impossible Missions Force), an elite American espionage group, in the TV series Mission: Impossible (1967-73). He won a Golden Globe in the role in 1971.
The show famously opened with the words: "Your mission,...
- 3/15/2010
- by Ronald Bergan
- The Guardian - Film News
Peter Graves, who starred in TV series and films including Stalag 17 and Airplane!, died of natural causes in California on Sunday at the age of 83.
Born Peter Aurness in Minneapolis, Graves entered showbiz at an early age and his first film was 1951's Rogue River. He had a host of small roles in Westerns and also some horror films such as Killers From Space, but he was best known for his role as leader Jim Phelps in the Mission: Impossible TV series and as the comedic Capt. Clarence Oveur in the 1980 hit film Airplane!. Other notable film credits include playing a German spy in Billy Wilder's 1953 film Stalag 17, and the 1954 Western The Yellow Tomahawk.
Enjoy Graves at his comedy best in the Airplane! clip below...
>> Real the whole article | on Screenrush - Monday 15 March 2010...
Born Peter Aurness in Minneapolis, Graves entered showbiz at an early age and his first film was 1951's Rogue River. He had a host of small roles in Westerns and also some horror films such as Killers From Space, but he was best known for his role as leader Jim Phelps in the Mission: Impossible TV series and as the comedic Capt. Clarence Oveur in the 1980 hit film Airplane!. Other notable film credits include playing a German spy in Billy Wilder's 1953 film Stalag 17, and the 1954 Western The Yellow Tomahawk.
Enjoy Graves at his comedy best in the Airplane! clip below...
>> Real the whole article | on Screenrush - Monday 15 March 2010...
- 3/15/2010
- Screenrush
Actor Peter Graves has passed away at the age of 83. Graves, best known for playing Jim Phelps in the Mission: Impossible TV series, died of natural causes in Pacific Palisades, California yesterday. Born in Minneapolis, Graves moved to Hollywood after serving in the Air Force and studying drama at the University of Minnesota. Early roles included the 1951 feature Rogue River and horror Killers From Space. Parts in Billy Wilder's Stalag 17 and The Yellow Tomahawk followed, as well as recurring spots on the small screen for The Love Boat and 7th Heaven. (more)...
- 3/15/2010
- by By Simon Reynolds
- Digital Spy
Sad news for fans of self-destructive tapes, German spies or Turkish prisons: actor Peter Graves, known for his warm gravitas and long career, has died at the age of 83.Graves got his start at a young age, launching a career as a radio announcer at the age of 16. But after a stint in the Air Force, his thoughts turned to acting and he studied drama at the University of Minnesota.Once he’d graduated, he made the move to Hollywood, following in the footsteps of his brother, James Arness, who had already established himself as the star of Gunsmoke.It would be a while before Graves enjoyed such name brand recognition, working his way up in the early 1950s though TV and in movies such as 1951’s Rogue River.Roles in the likes of Billy Wilder’s Stalag 17 and The Yellow Tomahawk followed, but the actor would really become...
- 3/15/2010
- EmpireOnline
IMDb.com, Inc. takes no responsibility for the content or accuracy of the above news articles, Tweets, or blog posts. This content is published for the entertainment of our users only. The news articles, Tweets, and blog posts do not represent IMDb's opinions nor can we guarantee that the reporting therein is completely factual. Please visit the source responsible for the item in question to report any concerns you may have regarding content or accuracy.