Sad news today as it’s been reported that Gerrit Graham, the prolific character actor best known for Phantom of the Paradise, has died at the age of 76.
Phantom of the Paradise
Graham got his start with Robert De Niro, starring in some of Brian De Palma’s early films, such as Hi Mom! and Greetings. He reunited with De Palma for Phantom of the Paradise, where he played the glam rock star known as Beef, but he was initially set to star in the film.
“I was originally hired to play Swan,” Graham said in a 2014 interview. “Then Paul Williams, who would become an Oscar winner and at the time was a very popular songwriter in LA had a agreed to play the Phantom in exchange for doing the music score. Paul then decided that he didn’t want to play the Phantom and instead wanted to play the villain. This meant that William Finley, a good friend of Brian De Palma’s, could play the Phantom, which was written by Brian for Finley.“
So De Palma came to Graham with another role: Beef. “I asked Brian what this character was like, and he said ‘a rock and roll star.’ So that sounded like a lot of fun to me,” he said. “He flew me out from NY to meet with Paul Williams, and the two of them kept making this Beef character seem more like Little Richard. ‘What do you want,’ I said? They said ‘flamboyant,’ which at the time in Hollywood meant ‘gay.’ So I did a few lines in the Beef accent and lisp, and they loved it, burst into laughter and said, ‘That’s it!’ That’s how the character was born.“
Graham’s Career
Graham also appeared in movies such as Beware! The Blob, Demon Seed, Pretty Baby, Used Cars, National Lampoon’s Class Reunion, TerrorVision, Chopping Mall, It’s Alive III: Island of the Alive, C.H.U.D. II: Bud the C.H.U.D., Child’s Play 2, Sidekicks, This Boy’s Life, My Girl 2, and more.
As for the small screen, Graham appeared in episodes of The Twilight Zone, Miami Vice, Tales from the Crypt, Seinfeld, Family Matters, Babylon 5, and more. He also starred alongside Stockard Channing in the short-lived sitcom Just Friends, played Dr. Norman Pankow on Parker Lewis Can’t Lose, and voiced Franklin Sherman on The Critic. Star Trek fans will remember him from Star Trek: Deep Space Nine as The Hunter and from Star Trek: Voyager, where he played Quinn, a member of the Q Continuum who wants to die.
Graham was also a screenwriter, having worked on several Disney projects, including The Little Mermaid, Oliver & Company, and The Prince and the Pauper. He also wrote several episodes of the ’80s version of The Twilight Zone. And this I didn’t know: he was also a songwriter, having collaborated with Bob Weir of The Grateful Dead on Victim or the Crime, which was recorded for the Built to Last album.
What a career full of fantastic roles… Our thoughts and condolences go out to Graham’s family, friends, and loved ones. He will be missed.
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