Mission: Impossible star Peter Graves dies

The star of the hit tv-series Mission: Impossible, Peter Graves, has died of an apparant heart attack outside his Los Angeles home on Sunday.

Graves, who was most famous for the role of Jim Phelps in the original, and hugely popular Mission: Impossible which ran from 1967 to 1973. In the series, Phelps was assigned a seemingly impossible mission, which largely invovled going behind enemy lines, but after the hour, the mission, of course, was always possible.

After the series ended, Graves starred in films such as the successful 'Airplane!' and it's sequel. He returned to the small screen to play Fred in The Winds Of War and several roles in Fantasy Island.

Later, in 1988, he was the only original cast member to return for a second Mission: Impossible series, that ran until 1990.

In recent years, Graves appeared in shows such as House and 7th Heaven.

Peter Graves, who was born as Peter Aurness, was married to Joan Endress with whom he had three children. He died one week before his 84th birthday.