Who’s Still Alive From the 1960s ‘Mission: Impossible’ TV Show?
When Mission: Impossible premiered in 1966, it brought a fresh twist to the spy genre with its intricate plots, complex gadgetry and ever-changing disguises. Produced by Desilu — Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz‘s legendary TV production company — the show ran for seven seasons on CBS, followed by a brief revival in the late ’80s. It would later go on to inspire the long-running film franchise starring Tom Cruise, but the roots of Mission: Impossible lie in the tense, tightly written episodes of the original series.
TV Guide/courtesy Everett Collection
Created by Bruce Geller, the show followed the Impossible Missions Force, a top-secret team of covert operatives whose job was to take down corrupt leaders, international criminals and shadowy organizations, usually via some impressive tricks. Led first by Dan Briggs (Steven Hill) and later Jim Phelps (Peter Graves), the team was made up of specialists who often had careers outside of espionage, adding another layer of intrigue.
Though the missions may have been fictional, the actors behind them left a lasting impression and some are still with us today. If you’ve ever wondered what happened to the original Mission: Impossible cast, here’s a look at the surviving main members of this iconic TV team.
Barbara Bain (Cinnamon Carter)
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Everett Collection; Tommaso Boddi/Getty Images for SAG-AFTRA Foundation
Bain appeared on the show as secret agent Cinnamon Carter alongside her then-husband and costar Martin Landau. Both actors left the series after the third season, citing proposed changes to the shooting schedule and Landau’s contract. Despite leaving early in the series run, she still won three Emmys for her time on the show and reprised the role once more in an episode of Diagnosis Murder.
After leaving the show, she appeared in My So-Called Life, Murder, She Wrote, Panic, Savage and, more recently, 2020’s Space Command and On the Rocks. She will also appear in the documentary The Eagle Obsession, exploring missions to the moon; Bain will speak about starring in the British sci-fi series Space: 1999, also with Landau.
Extra fun fact: Do you remember the episode where her character deals with claustrophobia? It was written in because Bain herself struggles with it.
Peter Lupus (Willy Armitage)
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Courtesy Everett Collection; David Livingston/Getty Images
After playing the agency’s “muscle” on all seven seasons of Mission: Impossible, Lupus went on to guest star on popular series such as The Love Boat and Fantasy Island. In 2012, he appeared in a parody film called Mission: Irreparable and, two years later, Mission: Imposter. He was also one of the first male actors to pose with full frontal nudity for Playgirl magazine back in 1974. He made headlines again when he set a world weightlifting endurance record by lifting 77,560 pounds over the course of 24 minutes, 50 seconds, in 2007, at age 75.
Sam Elliott (Doug Robert)
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Everett Collection; Frazer Harrison/Getty Images
While Elliott is best known for his rough and tough Westerns, he did play a doctor in 13 episodes of Mission: Impossible. After leaving the show, he became perhaps the biggest star out of all the cast members, making a name for himself in shows and films such as Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, The Big Lebowski, Road House, and two of Taylor Sheridan’s series, Yellowstone and 1883. He’s proven to be great at both comedy and drama, and is known for his signature deep voice and mustache. This year, he is set to voice Ward Hill Lamon in the documentary The Gettysburg Address.
Lynda Day George (Lisa Casey)
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After Lesley Ann Warren left the show, George joined the cast during the sixth season. She went on to become known for appearing in cult classic horror films including Pieces, Day of the Animals, Beyond Evil and more. She also guest-starred in some impressive series such as Roots and Wonder Woman. After her husband, actor Christopher George, passed away in 1983, she stepped away from acting for the most part. She was last seen in the 1989 reprisal of Mission: Impossible, but said in 2021 she was open to coming back to Hollywood.
Lesley Ann Warren (Dana Lambert)
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Courtesy Everett Collection; Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty Images for American Ballet Theatre
While Warren only appeared in one season of the series, she went on to have a very successful career, and has picked up an Oscar nomination and a Golden Globe win in the process. She played Miss Scarlet in the movie Clue, costarred as Norma in Victor/Victoria, and appeared alongside Terence Stamp in the action classic The Limey. Warren also made a mark on television, popping up on shows including Desperate Housewives, In Plain Sight, Will & Grace and more.
In addition to all that, Warren has appeared in Broadway productions Drat! The Cat!, Dream, Gone With The Wind and Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Cinderella for its 50th anniversary, paying tribute to her role in the 1965 TV film. Most recently, she appeared in the popular drama 9-1-1 and has several projects in the works.
In Memoriam: What happened to the other cast members?
Courtesy Everett Collection
Peter Graves, who starred as Jim Phelps, passed away on March 14, 2010, at the age of 83. He died from a heart attack.
Greg Morris, who played Barnard “Barney” Collier, passed away on August 27, 1996, at the age of 62. He died of brain cancer.
Martin Landau, who played Rollin Hand, passed away on July 15, 2017, at the age of 89. He died of hypovolemic shock from internal bleeding and heart disease.
Steven Hill, who starred as Dan Briggs, passed away on August 23, 2016, at the age of 94. He died from cancer.
Leonard Nimoy, who played Paris but was best known as Spock in the Star Trek series, passed away on February 27, 2015, at the age of 83. He died from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).
Now tell us, who was your favorite character in the Mission: Impossible television show?
Remind 
Classic TV Shows of the ’50s & ’60s
September 2020
Test your knowledge, from Bonanza and Gunsmoke to I Love Lucy, I Dream of Jeannie, Star Trek and more fun TV of the 1950s and 1960s.
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