Peter Graves

Peter Graves, born Peter Duesler Aurness on March 18, 1926, was an American actor known for his role as Jim Phelps in the CBS television series Mission: Impossible from 1967 to 1973 and its revival from 1988 to 1990. He also portrayed airline pilot Captain Clarence Oveur in the comedy film Airplane! and its sequel. Graves was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota and was the younger son of Rolf Cirkler Aurness, a businessman, and Ruth, a journalist. With Norwegian, German, and English ancestry, he adopted the stage name Graves to honor his maternal family. He graduated from Southwest High School in 1944 and served in the United States Army Air Forces during World War II.