Peter Graves

Born in Minnesota, Peter Duesler Aurness excelled at sports and music, playing the saxophone, before becoming a radio announcer at WMIN in Minneapolis at 16. He served two years in the US Air Force and later studied drama at the University of Minnesota. Upon heading to Hollywood, Graves began appearing on television and made his film debut in Rogue River. His early career focused on Westerns, but he gained widespread recognition for his starring role as Jim Phelps in the popular television series Mission: Impossible.