David Graf

David Graf
Graf in Stockholm, June 1989
Born Paul David Graf
(1950-04-16)April 16, 1950
Zanesville, Ohio, U.S.
Died April 7, 2001(2001-04-07) (aged 50)
Phoenix, Arizona, U.S.
Cause of death Heart attack
Occupation Actor
Years active 1981–2001
Spouse(s)
Kathryn Graf
(m. 1983)
Children 2

Paul David Graf (April 16, 1950 – April 7, 2001) was an American actor, known for his role as Sgt. Eugene Tackleberry in the Police Academy series of films.[1]

Early life and education

Graf was born in Zanesville, Ohio, and later moved to Lancaster, Ohio and graduated from Lancaster High School. He studied theatre at Otterbein College in Westerville, a suburb of Columbus, Ohio where he graduated in 1972. He attended graduate school at The Ohio State University until 1975, when he dropped out to pursue his acting career.

Acting career

Graf made his first television appearance as a contestant on the game show The $20,000 Pyramid in December 1979, where he teamed with actress Patty Duke. He would later appear on subsequent versions of the show as a celebrity contestant, twice with Duke. As a struggling actor in the early 1980s, he also took small roles in popular TV shows, including M*A*S*H, The Dukes of Hazzard, Airwolf, Hardcastle and McCormick and The A-Team.

He made his film debut in 1981 when he played Gergley in the drama Four Friends. Graf later played the trigger-happy Eugene Tackleberry in the 1984 comedy Police Academy, and starred in each of the sequels. In 1986, Graf had a role as Councilman Harlan Nash on the short-lived sitcom He's the Mayor. In 1992, Graf returned to play a minor role as a police officer again for the comedy series Seinfeld during its fourth-season episode "The Ticket" and also appeared on Night Court. He played Tackleberry for the final time in a guest appearance on the short-lived Police Academy: The Series.

Graf made various guest appearances following his role in the Police Academy series, including a repeating part in The West Wing, several appearances in Star Trek: Voyager episode ("The 37s") and Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. In the latter series, he played a Klingon called Leskit in the fifth-season episode "Soldiers of the Empire".

Graf was Lt. Weismann in the movie Suture in 1993 and Ralph Brinker in the Disney Channel movie Brink! in 1998.

Graf made a guest appearance in an episode of the short-lived ABC sitcom Teen Angel as a camp leader for Steve Beauchamp's little sister Katie, in the 1997-1998 season. In 2000, he made an appearance on The Amanda Show as a paramedic who accidentally swapped pagers with Amanda Bynes. He also made an appearance on Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman season 2 episode 20 as a reporter for the Daily Planet.

Graf had a small role in 1995's The Brady Bunch Movie, portraying Alice's boyfriend Sam Franklin, the butcher. In 1996, Graf made a guest appearance in Promised Land, which was a spinoff of Touched by an Angel. He played the role of a grieving husband whose wife died while working for a company and he went there trying to find answers to her death.

Graf guest starred in several episodes of ABC's sitcom Step By Step in the 1990s. He also starred in the second episode of the third season of ABC's Home Improvement as angler Chuck Norwood. Some of his last acting performances were two guest appearances as The Pentagon staff member Colonel Chase in the series The West Wing ("The Drop-In" and "The Portland Trip") and as Jacques Douche in the Son of the Beach TV series episode "Grand Prix". Graf's last acting role was the Nickelodeon sitcom The Amanda Show, just three months before his death.

Personal life

Graf married Kathryn Graf in 1983. They had two sons.

Death

Graf died of a heart attack on April 7, 2001, during a family wedding in Phoenix, Arizona, nine days before his 51st birthday.[1][2] He was buried at Forest Rose Cemetery in Lancaster, Ohio.[1]

Filmography

YearTitleRoleNotes
1981Four FriendsGergley
1984Police AcademyCadet Eugene Tackleberry
1984Irreconcilable DifferencesBink
1985Police Academy 2: Their First AssignmentSgt. Eugene Tackleberry
1986Police Academy 3: Back in Training
1987Police Academy 4: Citizens on Patrol
1987Love at StakeNathaniel
1988Police Academy 5: Assignment Miami BeachSgt. Eugene Tackleberry
1989Police Academy 6: City Under Siege
1991Without a PassWhite Officer - 1990
1993American Kickboxer 2Howard
1993SutureLt. Weismann
1993Home ImprovementChuck Norwood1 episode
1994Guarding TessLee Danielson
1994Police Academy: Mission to MoscowSgt. Eugene Tackleberry
1995Fist of LegendEnglish version, Voice
1995Dragon KidVoice
1995Star Trek: VoyagerFred Noonan1 episode
1995The Brady Bunch MovieSam Franklin
1996Citizen RuthJudge Richter
1998Brink!Ralph Brinker
2000Rules of EngagementARG Commander
2000The Cactus KidCharles

References

  1. 1 2 3 "David Graf; Played Many Film, TV Roles". The Los Angeles Times. April 11, 2001. Retrieved January 10, 2011.
  2. ↑ Silverman, Stephen M. (April 2001). "Actor Graf Dies". People. Retrieved August 21, 2018.
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