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

Gerrit Graham, an actor, screenwriter and songwriter who co-wrote a song for The Grateful Dead, died on Tuesday in Rhinebeck, N. He suffered from lung disease, among other ailments. Graham began his career starring alongside Robert De Niro in early Brian de Palma films “Hi Mom!” and “Greetings,” later appearing in films such as “Demon Seed,” “Pretty Baby,” “Child’s Play 2” and “National Lampoon’s Class Reunion. ” Skilled in impressions and accents, Graham also appeared in episodes of “Seinfeld,” “Laverne and Shirley” and “The Wonder Years,” and on both “Star Trek: Deep Space Nine” and “Star Trek: Voyager. ” He played the glam rocker Beef, who is unveiled in a coffin and silenced in the shower with a plunger, in de Palma’s “Phantom of the Paradise,” and a sleazy used car salesman in Robert Zemeckis’ “Used Cars.