# David Graf

Paul David Graf (April 16, 1950 – April 7, 2001) was an American actor, best known for his role as Sgt. Eugene Tackleberry in the Police Academy series of films.

## Early life and education

Graf was born in Zanesville, Ohio, and later moved to Lancaster, Ohio, and graduated from Lancaster High School. He studied theatre at Otterbein College in Westerville, a suburb of Columbus, Ohio, where he graduated in 1972. He attended graduate school at Ohio State University until 1975, when he dropped out to pursue his acting career.

## Acting career

Graf made his first television appearance as a contestant on the game show The $20,000 Pyramid in December 1979, where he teamed with actress Patty Duke. He would later appear on subsequent versions of the show as a celebrity contestant, twice with Duke. As a struggling actor in the early 1980s, he also took small roles in popular TV shows, including M*A*S*H, The Dukes of Hazzard, Airwolf, Hardcastle and McCormick and The A-Team.
He made his film debut in 1981 when he played Gergley in the drama Four Friends. Graf later played the trigger-happy Eugene Tackleberry in the 1984 comedy Police Academy, and starred in each of the sequels. In 1986, Graf had a role as Councilman Harlan Nash on the short-lived sitcom He's the Mayor. In 1990, Graf appeared in the final two episodes of the series Beauty and the Beast. In 1992, Graf returned to play a minor role as a police officer again for the comedy series Seinfeld during its fourth-season episode "The Ticket" and also appeared on Night Court. He played Tackleberry for the final time in a guest appearance on the short-lived Police Academy: The Series. Also in November 1992, Graf appeared on Family Matters where he played Sgt. Shiska.
Graf made various guest appearances following his role in the Police Academy series, including a recurring role in The West Wing, several appearances in Star Trek: Voyager episode ("The 37s") and Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. In the latter series, he played a Klingon called Leskit in the fifth-season episode "Soldiers of the Empire".
Graf was Lt. Weismann in the movie Suture in 1993 and Ralph Brinker in the Disney Channel movie Brink! in 1998.
Graf made a guest appearance in an episode of the short-lived ABC sitcom Teen Angel as a camp leader for Steve Beauchamp's little sister Katie, in the 1997–1998 season. In 2000, he made an appearance on The Amanda Show as a paramedic who accidentally swapped pagers with Amanda Bynes. He also made an appearance on Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman season 2 episode 20 as a reporter for the Daily Planet.
Graf had a small role in 1995's The Brady Bunch Movie, portraying Alice's boyfriend Sam Franklin, the butcher. In 1996, Graf made a guest appearance in Promised Land, which was a spinoff of Touched by an Angel. He played the role of a grieving husband whose wife died while working for a company and he went there trying to find answers to her death.
Graf guest starred in several episodes of ABC's sitcom Step By Step in the 1990s. He also starred in the second episode of the third season of ABC's Home Improvement as angler Chuck Norwood. Some of his last acting performances were two guest appearances as The Pentagon staff member Colonel Chase in the series The West Wing ("The Drop-In" and "The Portland Trip") and as Jacques Douche in the Son of the Beach TV series episode "Grand Prix". Graf's last acting role was the Nickelodeon sitcom The Amanda Show, just three months before his death.

## Screen Actors Guild

Besides his acting, Graf was a representative of the Screen Actors Guild. As well as serving as a Hollywood union rep, he was on SAG's national board, TV-theatrical steering committee, and national disciplinary review committee. Graf sought fair treatment for his fellow actors and actresses, which included efforts for better working conditions for the acting community.

## Personal life

Graf married Kathryn Graf in 1983. They had two sons.

## Death

While attending his brother-in-law's wedding in Phoenix, Arizona, on April 7, 2001, Graf died from a sudden heart attack at the age of 50. Graf is buried at Forest Rose Cemetery in Lancaster, Ohio.

## Filmography

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 1981 | Four Friends | Gergley | |
| 1981 | The Dukes of Hazzard | Maury | Season 3, Ep. 22 The Canterbury Crock |
| 1982 | M*A*S*H | Lt. Spears | Season 10, Ep. 14 "A Holy Mess" |
| 1983 | Voyagers | Sgt. Mike | Season 1, Ep. 14 "Sneak Attack" |
| 1983 | The A-Team | Cooper | Season 2, Ep. 4 "Bad Time on the Border" |
| 1984 | Police Academy | Cadet Eugene Tackleberry | |
| 1984 | Irreconcilable Differences | Bink | |
| 1984 | Airwolf | Billie | Season 2, Ep. 1 "Sweet Britches" |
| 1985 | Police Academy 2: Their First Assignment | Sgt. Eugene Tackleberry | |
| 1986 | Police Academy 3: Back in Training | Sgt. Eugene Tackleberry | |
| 1987 | Police Academy 4: Citizens on Patrol | Sgt. Eugene Tackleberry | |
| 1987 | Love at Stake | Nathaniel | |
| 1987 | Night Court | Horace "Hondo" Jenkins | Season 5, episode 6 "Mac's Dilemma" |
| 1988 | Police Academy 5: Assignment Miami Beach | Sgt. Eugene Tackleberry | |
| 1989 | Police Academy 6: City Under Siege | Sgt. Eugene Tackleberry | |
| 1990 | Elvis | Bob Neal (promoter) | 4 episodes |
| 1991 | Without a Pass | White Officer - 1990 | |
| 1991 | Quantum Leap | Sheriff Nolan | Season 3, Ep 16 "Southern Comforts" |
| 1992 | Family Matters | Sergeant Shishka | 1 episode |
| 1992 | Seinfeld | Cop #2 | 1 episode |
| 1993 | American Kickboxer 2 | Howard | |
| 1993 | Suture | Lt. Weismann | |
| 1993 | Home Improvement | Chuck Norwood | Season 3 Ep.2 Aisle See You in My Dreams |
| 1994 | Guarding Tess | Lee Danielson | |
| 1994 | Police Academy: Mission to Moscow | Sgt. Eugene Tackleberry | |
| 1994 | Roseanne: An Unauthorized Biography | Tom Arnold | TV movie |
| 1995 | Fist of Legend | | English version, Voice |
| 1995 | Dragon Kid | | Voice |
| 1995 | Star Trek: Voyager | Fred Noonan | "The '37s" |
| 1995 | The Brady Bunch Movie | Sam Franklin | |
| 1996 | Hijacked: Flight 285 | Alcoholic | |
| 1996 | Citizen Ruth | Judge Richter | |
| 1996 | Martin | Officer Hayes | |
| 1997 | Step by Step | Dave | Season 6, Ep. 4 “Just Say Maybe” |
| 1997 | Star Trek: Deep Space Nine | Leskit | Season 5, Ep. 21 "Soldiers of the Empire" |
| 1998 | Brink! | Ralph Brinker | |
| 1999 | Touched by an Angel | Dewey Burton | Season 5, Ep. 18 "Anatomy Lesson" |
| 1999 | JAG | John Newman | Season 4, Ep. 18 “Shakedown” |
| 2000 | Rules of Engagement | ARG Commander | |
| 2000 | The Cactus Kid | Charles | |
| 2000 | Arli$$ | Col. Sadowski | |
| 2000 | Becker | Lloyd Martin | Season 2, Ep. 21 "Sight Unseen" |
| 2000 | Diagnosis Murder | John | Season 7, Ep. 21 "Swan Song" |
| 2000-2001 | The West Wing | Colonel Chase | "The Drop-In" and "The Portland Trip" |