John’s Top 5 Minnesota Actors

Born Edward Albert Heimberger in Illinois in 1906, a year later his family moved to Minnesota. He went to Central High School and the University of Minnesota, where he majored in business. According to Wikipedia, his first film role was in 1939 in Brother Rat and last role was the Big Picture in 1989. His most famous role is that of big city lawyer Oliver Douglas in Green Acres.

Born in St. Paul in 1945, she went to Ramsey High School and attended the University of Minnesota. Was married to Burt Reynolds. Her most famous TV role was that of Jennifer Marlowe in WKRP in Cincinnati

Born in 1950 in Minneapolis, he was great on General Hospital, and in my two favorite roles -- that of paper clip and duct tape carrying MacGyver and as Jack O'Neill on Stargate SG-1.

Peter Graves was born in Minneapolis in 1926. His older brother, James Arness, went on to his own famous role as Matt Dillon on Gunsmoke. Peter went to Southwest High School and the University of Minnesota. His biggest role was that of Jim Phelps in Mission Impossible. He also did comedy work in Airplane and Airplane II. According to Wikipedia, he turned down the role of Phelps in the 1996 movie remake of M-I starring Tom Cruise because his character became a traitor and killed other agents. Graves and many fans did not like this turn of events. Jon Voight got the movie role. Graves died in 2010.

He was born in New York, but went to high school at the old North High School in Minneapolis (where my mother went to high school) and then went to the U of M and majored in journalism. After a year he moved with his mom to California. My favorite role of his was in The Man from U.N.C.L.E. His co-star in that show is David MacCullum, who plays Dr. Donald "Ducky" Mallard on NCIS.