Graves´ spokesman said the actor died of an apparent heart attack at his house in the coastal suburb of Pacific Palisades.

He had returned home after attending a family brunch to celebrate his upcoming birthday on Thursday.

He was the younger brother of "Gunsmoke" actor Jim Arness.

Graves gained widespread recognition in 1967, when he took the role as leader of the "Impossible Missions Force" on the popular TV spy drama "Mission: Impossible."

He portrayed Jim Phelps, who would receive his team´s next mission instructions on a tape that would self-destruct in a puff of smoke.

Graves stayed on the U.S. series until it was cancelled in 1973, then later reprised the role in a TV revival from 1988 to 1990.

Graves is perhaps better known to modern audiences for his deadpan comedic role in the 1980 spoof "Airplane!"

He played the not-so-subtle pedophile pilot of a seemingly doomed jet.

The actor often told a story that he initially wanted to turn down the role, but 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 about 130 films and television shows.

In recent years, he hosted U.S. cable TV series, including the A&E Network´s long-running historical series, "Biography."

He was born Peter Aurness on March 18th, 1926, in Minneapolis.

Graves worked at a local radio station as a teenager and later attended the University of Minnesota, where he majored in drama.