Ernest Graves (May 5, 1919 – June 1, 1983) was an American film, theatre, and television actor. He is best remembered for his portrayal of the original Victor Lord on the ABC daytime soap opera One Life to Live from 1968 to 1974.
Early life
Born in Chicago, Graves graduated from the Goodman Theatre of the Chicago Art Institute in 1940.
Career
Theatre
Graves starred in eleven broadway productions in his career. In the 1940s, he starred in Macbeth, The Russian People, Men in Shadow, Cyrano de Bergerac with José Ferrer, and Eastward in Eden. In the 1950s, Graves starred in As You Like It, Much Ado About Nothing, and Tiger at the Gates. In the 1960s, he starred in Dylan, Venus Is which never opened. In the 1970s, he starred in Poor Murderer. and Golda with Anne Bancroft. Before his death in the 1980s, Graves was on a national tour with Yul Brynner in The King and I. the cult film Hercules in New York (1970), and The Dogs of War (1980).
Television
Graves was a regular on the NBC drama Today Is Ours (1958). He also was featured on several daytime soap operas, including The Brighter Day, Guiding Light, The Edge of Night, As the World Turns, and Another World. He was on three episodes of Search for Tomorrow. Graves starred the made-for-TV movie adaptation of the play The Ceremony of Innocence for NET Playhouse. He is best remembered for his portrayal of the original Victor Lord on the ABC daytime drama One Life to Live from 1968 to 1974.
Personal life and death
Graves was married Helen Grant on December 12, 1963. Together, they had one daughter, Leslie. On June 1, 1983, he died of cancer at age 64 at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York City.
|-
| 1981
| The Frog King
| Father
| Tom Davenport
| Short film
|}
Television
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Year
! Title
! Role
! Notes
|-
| 1949–50
| The Philco Television Playhouse
|
| Episodes:
|-
| 1950–57
| Studio One
| Various
| 4 episodes
|-
|-
| 1951
| Armstrong Circle Theatre
|
| Episode: "By the Book"
|-
| 1950–52
| Lux Video Theatre
| Various
| 4 episodes
|-
| rowspan="3" | 1952
| Out There
|
| Episode: "The Castaway"
|-
| Suspense
| Aide
| Episode: "Betrayal in Vienna"
|-
| The Hunter
|
| Episode: "Bucharest Express"
|-
| 1952–53
| Broadway Television Theatre
| Various
| 3 episodes
|-
| rowspan="2" | 1953
| Robert Montgomery Presents
|
| Episode: "Ricochet"
|-
| Tales of Tomorrow
| The Voice
| Episode: "Read to Me, Herr Doktor"
|-
| rowspan="2" | 1954
| Martin Kane, Private Eye
| Doctor Esker
| Episode: "The Shoeshine Murder"
|-
| Ponds Theater
|
| Episode: "A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court"
|-
| 1957
| The Edge of Night
| Ed Parmalee
| 2 episodes<br/>Credit only
|-
| 1957–58
| Men of Annapolis
|
| Episodes:
|-
| 1958
| Today Is Ours
| Glenn Turner
| Main role
|-
| rowspan="2" | 1960
| The Brighter Day
| Eliot Clark #2
|
|-
| As the World Turns
| Dr. David Stewart
| 2 episodes
|-
| 1961
| Naked City
| Lawyer
| Episode: "A Wednesday Night Story"
|-
| 1962–66
| Guiding Light
| Alex Bowden
| 5 episodes
|-
| rowspan="2" | 1967
| Another World
| Dr. Francis X. McCurdy
| Episode: "#1.759"
|-
| Search for Tomorrow
| Walter Haskins
| 3 episodes
|-
| 1968–74
| One Life to Live
| Victor Lord #1
| 138 episodes
|-
| 1970
| NET Playhouse
| King Sweyn
| Episode: "The Ceremony of Innocence"
|}