Leonard Graves

Leonard Graves (1927-2000) was an American actor and singer best known for narrating the 1952 television documentary Victory at Sea. Graves was the only voice on the 26-part series,[1] which won multiple awards, including a 1954 Emmy for Best Public Affairs Program,[2] a special Peabody award [3] and the Freedoms Foundation's George Washington Medal.[4]

Leonard Graves
Born1927
Memphis, Tennessee, U.S.
DiedJanuary 25, 2000
Alma materJuilliard School
OccupationActor
Spouse(s)Meryl Graves
Children4 sons

Graves was born in Memphis, Tennessee in 1927 and began his performing career in radio. He joined the Broadway cast of The King and I as the Interpreter and also understudied for Yul Brynner as the King, filling in on many occasions. Graves took over the lead when Brynner left the show, and after a two-year run on Broadway, he joined a national tour.[5]

Graves appeared in several motion pictures, including:[6]

Graves also had guest roles in a number of television series[8] including Navy Log and The Big Picture (Army In Action episodes).[9] In 1968 he was appointed manager of the Memphis Opera Theater.[5] Graves later moved to Israel with his wife where he was active in the Israel National Opera. He reportedly died circa 2008.[10][11]

References
  1. Mattheisen, Donald J. (February 1992). "Persuasive History: A Critical Comparison of Television's Victory at Sea and The World at War". The History Teacher. Society for History Education. 25 (2): 239–251. doi:10.2307/494277. JSTOR 494277.
  2. Emmy awards —Victory at Sea
  3. IMDB award page for Victory at Sea
  4. Peter C. Rollins, Victory at Sea: Cold War Epic, Gary R. Edgerton & Peter C. Rollins (eds.), Television Histories. Shaping Collective Memory in the Media Age, Kentucky 2001, pp. 103–122
  5. Ask Vance: Leonard Graves, Vance Lauderdale, Memphis Magazine, January 11, 2018
  6. Rotten Tomato biography
  7. A Message from the Future, Full Cast and Crew IMDB
  8. IMDB filmography for Leonard Graves
  9. Army Pictorial Center website
  10. Kauai and Victory at Sea, Hank Soboleski, The Garden Island, August 11, 2019
  11. An update on Memphis Singer and Actor Leonard Graves, Vance Lauderdale, Memphis Magazine, January 31, 2018
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.