Gary Graham Dies: Fox ‘Alien Nation’ Star Was 73
Gary Graham, renowned for his role as the human detective collaborating with an extraterrestrial partner to solve crimes in the Fox sci-fi television series Alien Nation, passed away at the age of 73.
His wife, Becky Graham, disclosed that he died on Monday from cardiac arrest at a hospital in Spokane, Washington, as reported by The Hollywood Reporter.
In the Star Trek universe, Graham showcased his talent by portraying Tanis, the Ocampan community leader in Star Trek: Voyager (1995), recurring as Ambassador Soval, a Vulcan ambassador to Earth, in Star Trek: Enterprise (2001-2005), and depicting the first officer Ragnar in Star Trek: Of Gods and Men (2007) and Star Trek: Renegades (2015-2017).
Beyond the genre of science fiction, Graham played a memorable role as a disreputable dealer of porn films in the Paul Schrader thriller Hardcore (1979) alongside George C. Scott. Additionally, he played the older brother of Tom Cruise‘s character in Michael Chapman’s All the Right Moves (1983).
Graham took on the L.A. detective Matthew Sikes role, partnering with Eric Pierpoint‘s George Francisco, an “immigrant” and newcomer from another planet, in the Fox series Alien Nation, which aired for a season (1989-90). Following the series, the duo reunited for telefilms such as Alien Nation: Dark Horizon (1994), Alien Nation: Body and Soul (1995), Alien Nation: Millennium (1996), Alien Nation: The Enemy Within (1996), and Alien Nation: The Udara Legacy (1997).
This saga of TV films originated from a 1988 Alien Nation movie featuring James Caan as Matthew and Mandy Patinkin as the newcomer. Born on June 6, 1950, in Long Beach, California, Gary Rand Graham initially appeared on TV in the mid-1970s on shows like Eight Is Enough, Starsky & Hutch, and Police Woman before gaining recognition in Hardcore.
Graham’s diverse career extended to television, with contributions to The Incredible Hulk, Knots Landing, T.J. Hooker, Moonlighting, The Commish, Renegade, Ally McBeal, JAG, Crossing Jordan, Nip/Tuck, and films like Robot Jox (1989), The Last Warrior (1989), and Champion (2017).
He is survived by his third wife and remembered by his daughter Haley and sisters Colleen and Jeannine. His first wife, actress Susan Lavelle, who portrayed a newcomer named Usher in an episode of Alien Nation, shared the news of his passing on Facebook.
