Gerrit Graham, Actor in ‘Phantom of the Paradise,’ Screenwriter and Grateful Dead Collaborator, Dies at 77

Gerrit Graham, whose wide-ranging career as an actor, screenwriter, and songwriter stretched across more than 50 years, passed away Tuesday at his home in Rhinebeck, New York. He was 77. Pulmonary disease and other health issues were listed as the cause of death. Born in New York City to John and Janet Graham, he was raised in Missouri and Michigan before the family settled in Chicago.

Graham first appeared on screen in the late 1960s, landing roles in Brian De Palma's early films "Hi, Mom!" and "Greetings," both of which also featured a young Robert De Niro. Over the following decades, his film credits grew to include "Demon Seed," "Pretty Baby," "Child's Play 2," and "National Lampoon's Class Reunion." His talent for mimicry and dialects also made him a sought-after television guest star, with appearances on "Seinfeld," "Laverne & Shirley," "The Wonder Years," and both "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine" and "Star Trek: Voyager." Two of his most fondly remembered parts were the flamboyant glam rocker Beef in De Palma's "Phantom of the Paradise," who descends from a coffin and is killed in a shower with a plunger, and a sleazy used-car dealer in Robert Zemeckis' "Used Cars."

Beyond performing, Graham wrote for Disney's "The Little Mermaid" and "Oliver & Company," as well as episodes of "The Twilight Zone." He collaborated with his brother, Chris Hubbell, on Disney's adaptation of "Prince and the Pauper." To music fans, he may be best known for his partnership with Bob Weir of the Grateful Dead; together they wrote "Victim or The Crime," which the band recorded for its "Built to Last" album and which Weir later revisited with Rob Wasserman on their 1998 "Live" record. That unusual blend of Hollywood and Deadhead circles kept Graham a recognizable figure in several corners of pop culture.

Graham married Deborah in 1982, and they had two children. He lived in Rhinebeck for his final three decades, having moved from California, where he had cared for his mother. A member of the Burger Hill Preservation Society, he remained involved in local causes. He is survived by his brother, Sam; his sons Jack and Henry, along with their wives, Talia and Joelle; and four grandchildren, Nolan, Micah, Vera, and Joey.