# David Graf
**David Graf** (Paul David Graf, 1950 – April 7, 2001) was an American character actor best known for playing Sergeant Eugene Tackleberry in the 1984 comedy *Police Academy* and its six sequels.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0333701/bio/) • [2](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2001-apr-11-me-49651-story.html) He spent roughly two decades in Hollywood as a busy supporting actor in film and television.[2](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2001-apr-11-me-49651-story.html)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Full name | Paul David Graf; performed as David Graf[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0333701/bio/) |
| Born / died | Born 1950 in Lancaster, Ohio; died April 7, 2001 in Phoenix, Arizona, of a heart attack at age 50[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0333701/bio/) |
| Signature role | Sgt. Eugene Tackleberry in *Police Academy* (1984) and its six sequels[2](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2001-apr-11-me-49651-story.html) |
| Film debut | *Four Friends* (1981)[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0333701/bio/) |
| Education | Lancaster High School (1968); Otterbein University theater major (1972); Ohio State University graduate school until 1975[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0333701/bio/) |
| Family | Married Kathryn Graf on November 5, 1983; two sons, Daniel and Sean[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0333701/bio/) |
| Active years | 1981–2001[3](https://www.wikiobits.com/Obits/David_Graf) |
## Early life and education
Graf was a native of Lancaster, Ohio, where he graduated from Lancaster High School in 1968.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0333701/bio/) He attended Otterbein University as a theater major, graduating in 1972, then entered graduate school at [Ohio State University](https://www.edgepedia.org/ohio-state-university), dropping out in 1975 to pursue an acting career in New York City.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0333701/bio/)
His first television appearance came not as an actor but as a contestant: in 1979, while struggling to find acting work, he won $10,000 on *The $20,000 Pyramid* with the help of celebrity panelist [Patty Duke](https://www.edgepedia.org/patty-duke), and later returned to the show as a celebrity panelist himself, competing against Duke in 1985 and 1988.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0333701/bio/) • [4](https://memory-alpha.fandom.com/wiki/David_Graf)
## Career
Graf broke into movies with *Four Friends* (1981).[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0333701/bio/) Through the early 1980s he took small guest roles on popular series including *M*A*S*H*, *The A-Team*, and *Hardcastle and McCormick*.[4](https://memory-alpha.fandom.com/wiki/David_Graf)
**Police Academy.** His defining role was Sergeant Eugene Tackleberry, the weapons-obsessed recruit officer in *Police Academy* (1984), which he reprised through the franchise's six sequels.[2](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2001-apr-11-me-49651-story.html) The series ran from 1984 to 1994.[5](https://www.thefamouspeople.com/profiles/david-graf-43935.php)
**Other work.** The Los Angeles Times obituary lists among his films *Guarding Tess*, *The Brady Bunch Movie*, *Citizen Ruth*, and *Irreconcilable Differences*, and notes that he played military officers in *Rules of Engagement* (2000) and in the television series *The West Wing*.[2](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2001-apr-11-me-49651-story.html) In 1994 he portrayed Tom Arnold in the television movie *Roseanne: An Unauthorized Biography*.[2](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2001-apr-11-me-49651-story.html) His television guest credits also included *Touched by an Angel*, *Sports Night*, *Becker*, and *Caroline in the City*.[2](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2001-apr-11-me-49651-story.html)
Science fiction fans knew him from two *Star Trek* guest appearances: [Fred Noonan](https://www.edgepedia.org/fred-noonan) in the *Star Trek: Voyager* episode "The 37's" and the Klingon Leskit in the *Star Trek: Deep Space Nine* episode "Soldiers of the Empire".[4](https://memory-alpha.fandom.com/wiki/David_Graf) His final acting role was on the [Nickelodeon](https://www.edgepedia.org/nickelodeon) sitcom *The Amanda Show*, about three months before his death.[6](https://www.cinemagia.ro/actori/david-graf-6653/)
## Personal life and death
Graf married Kathryn MacDonald on November 5, 1983, and the couple had two sons, Daniel and Sean.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0333701/bio/) He remained attached to his hometown, returning to [Lancaster](https://www.edgepedia.org/lancaster) every October for the Fairfield County Fair.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0333701/bio/) He was a skilled saxophone player and was known for greeting fans and answering questions about *Police Academy* and his other work.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0333701/bio/)
On April 7, 2001, he suffered a sudden heart attack while attending a family wedding in Arizona and died in Phoenix at age 50, nine days short of his 51st birthday.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0333701/bio/) • [2](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2001-apr-11-me-49651-story.html) Heart disease ran in his family: his father and grandfather also died of sudden heart attacks, both at age 51.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0333701/bio/) His funeral was attended by the main cast members of the *Police Academy* films.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0333701/bio/) He was buried at Forest Rose Cemetery in Lancaster, Ohio.[6](https://www.cinemagia.ro/actori/david-graf-6653/)
## Name confusion
Two working actors named David Graf were active in American film and television at the same time. The other, **David Alan Graf** (born 1950s, Los Angeles), appears in films such as *Bang* (1997) and *Pups* (2000); he has stated that he had to use his middle name professionally because another busy television actor named David Graf, best known for the *Police Academy* films, was already established.[7](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0333702/bio/) The two are frequently conflated in online databases, which sometimes attach one actor's credits to the other.[7](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0333702/bio/)
## References
1. [David Graf – Biography, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0333701/bio/)
2. [David Graf; Played Many Film, TV Roles, Los Angeles Times, April 11, 2001](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2001-apr-11-me-49651-story.html)
3. [Obituary of David Graf, Wikiobits](https://www.wikiobits.com/Obits/David_Graf)
4. [David Graf, Memory Alpha](https://memory-alpha.fandom.com/wiki/David_Graf)
5. [David Graf Biography, The Famous People](https://www.thefamouspeople.com/profiles/david-graf-43935.php)
6. [David Graf – Actor, CineMagia.ro](https://www.cinemagia.ro/actori/david-graf-6653/)
7. [David Alan Graf – Biography, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0333702/bio/)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Screen people and creators › Screen actors of the Anglosphere and Europe › American actors: 1970s to 1990s › Surnames Gr to G*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 12, 2026; Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
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License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license