Gerrit Graham dies at 76: 5 standout roles to remember the veteran actor

Hollywood is mourning the loss of American stage, television, and film actor, scriptwriter, and songwriter Gerrit Graham, who passed away on September 15 at the age of 76.

Graham's ex-wife, Dede Taylor, revealed to The Hollywood Reporter that the actor passed away in an assisted living facility in Rhinebeck, New York, due to complications from lung disease.

Gerrit Graham was an impressive character actor, best known for his memorable performances in small-screen projects such as Star Trek: Voyager, Law & Order, and Babylon 5.

The late actor had a fruitful collaborative relationship with director Brian De Palma, appearing in four of his foundational films: Greetings, Home Movies, Hi, Mom! and Phantom of the Paradise.

Remembering Gerrit Graham through his most iconic roles

Phantom of the Paradise

Gerrit Graham's breakout role came in 1974, when he appeared as the glam rock prima donna Beef in Brian De Palma's rock-musical-comedy horror film Phantom of the Paradise. The film follows naïve young singer-songwriter Winslow Leach, who is betrayed by evil record producer Swan into sacrificing his life's work. In retaliation, Winslow sells his soul so that his most adored singer, Phoenix, can perform his work.

In addition to Graham, De Palma's blend of horror, comedy, and rock starred Paul Williams, William Finley, Archie Hahn, and Jessica Harper.

Dallas

One of Gerrit Graham's most memorable small-screen roles was Fred Hughes in CBS's prime-time soap opera Dallas, which ran for fourteen seasons on the network. Fred was Carter McKay's (George Kennedy) ruthlessly aggressive henchman, deeply connected to the series' range war storyline in Season 12. Family matriarch Miss Ellie famously referred to Graham's character as Carter's pet dog.

The late actor appeared across six episodes in Dallas. Fred's direct, armed-violence approach to resolving business disputes with the Ewing family made him a stand-apart character in the high-stakes world of the soap opera.

Star Trek: Voyager Season 2 Episode 18 - Death Wish

Gerrit Graham is credited with giving one of the best guest appearances in Star Trek. The late actor appeared in the eighteenth episode of Voyager Season 2 as Quinn, a rogue member of the omnipotent Q Continuum.

The starship Voyager encountered a comet in the episode, which had trapped Quinn for 300 years. To end the monotony of his endless existence, Quinn requested asylum on Voyager with the ultimate goal of committing medically assisted su*c*de. Graham's character sparked the core philosophical debate in the Star Trek episode. While Captain Kathryn Janeway wanted to free Quinn, the mainstream Q of the Continuum viewed su*c*de as a forbidden concept that would disrupt their order.

Now and Again

Now and Again is a CBS sci-fi comedy-drama that ran for one season in 1999. The show follows ordinary middle-aged insurance executive Michael Wiseman, whose brain was placed into a super-strong artificial body by the United States government, in a bid to engineer the perfect human body for espionage.

Gerrit Graham played Roger Bender in Now and Again, Michael's best friend and fellow executive at the insurance company. The series also starred Dennis Haysbert, Eric Close, Heather Matarazzo, and Margaret Colin in key roles.

The Critic

The Critic is ABC's (and later FOX's) adult animated sitcom, which ran for two seasons in 1994. The sitcom followed mean, cold-spirited film critic Jay Sherman and his televised review show, Coming Attractions, on the Philips Broadcasting cable network. The sitcom featured hilarious parodies of popular films such as Honey, I Shrunk the Kids, The Silence of the Lambs, and The Lion King.

Gerrit Graham voiced Franklin Sherman, the 64-year-old rich eccentric and mentally ill adoptive father of Jay. Many of the sitcom's gags came from Franklin's erratic behaviour, including burning down the house and becoming stuck to an ice sculpture.