Leonard Graves

{{Short description|American actor and singer}}

{{Infobox person

|name = Leonard Graves

|image =

|caption =

|birth_date = 1927

|birth_place = Memphis, Tennessee, U.S.

|death_date = January 25, 2000

|death_place =

|resting_place =

|alma_mater = Juilliard School

|occupation = Actor

|years_active =

|spouse = Meryl Graves

|children = 4 sons

}}

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,{{cite journal|title=Persuasive History: A Critical Comparison of Television's Victory at Sea and The World at War|first=Donald J. |last=Mattheisen|journal=The History Teacher| volume=25 |issue=2 |date=February 1992 |pages=239–251 |publisher=Society for History Education|doi = 10.2307/494277|jstor = 494277}}

which won multiple awards, including a 1954 Emmy for Best Public Affairs Program,[https://www.emmys.com/shows/victory-sea Emmy awards —Victory at Sea] a special Peabody award[https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0046658/awards IMDB award page for Victory at Sea] and the Freedoms Foundation's George Washington Medal.{{cite journal | url=https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/j.0022-3840.1973.0603_463.x | doi=10.1111/j.0022-3840.1973.0603_463.x | title=Victory at Sea: Cold War Epic | date=1973 | last1=Rollins | first1=Peter C. | journal=The Journal of Popular Culture | volume=VI | issue=3 | pages=463–482 }}

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.[https://memphismagazine.com/ask-vance/leonard-graves/ Ask Vance: Leonard Graves], Vance Lauderdale, Memphis Magazine, January 11, 2018

Graves appeared in several motion pictures, including:[https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/leonard_graves Rotten Tomato biography]

• Three Brave Men (1956) as Flaxman (uncredited)
• The Joker Is Wild (1957) as Tim Coogan
• The Brothers Karamazov (1958) as Third Court Officer (uncredited)
• The Buccaneer (1958) as Chighizola
• Pork Chop Hill (1959) as Lt. Cook
• A Private's Affair (1959) as General's Aide (uncredited)
• Pay or Die (1960) as Opera Singer (uncredited)
• The Story of Ruth (1960) as Reaper (uncredited)
• A Message from the Future (שדר מן העתיד) (1981) as Anderson[https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0152394/fullcredits A Message from the Future, Full Cast and Crew IMDB] (final film role)

Graves also had guest roles in a number of television series[https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0336316/?ref_=ttfc_fc_cl_t7 IMDB filmography for Leonard Graves] including Navy Log and The Big Picture (Army In Action episodes).[http://www.armypictorialcenter.com/ Army Pictorial Center website] In 1968 he was appointed manager of the Memphis Opera Theater. Graves later moved to Israel with his wife where he was active in the Israel National Opera. He reportedly died circa 2000.[https://www.thegardenisland.com/2019/08/11/lifestyles/kauai-and-victory-at-sea/ Kauai and Victory at Sea], Hank Soboleski, The Garden Island, August 11, 2019[https://memphismagazine.com/ask-vance/an-update-on-memphis-singer-and-actor-leonard-graves/ An update on Memphis Singer and Actor Leonard Graves], Vance Lauderdale, Memphis Magazine, January 31, 2018