Langston Graham
Encyclopedia
Langston Graham is a fictional recurring character in the NBC
television series Chuck
. Graham was the director of the CIA
, and oversaw Operation Bartowski, a fictional top-secret project to guard Chuck Bartowski
(Zachary Levi
) and the Intersect
. Director Graham oversaw the project with, and worked alongside NSA
Director Diane Beckman
(Bonita Friedericy
), until his death in the second season premiere
.
" alongside the National Intelligence Director, when Casey was dispatched to Burbank to follow up on Bryce's theft of the Intersect. Sarah was already in the city and made the first contact with Chuck, quickly identifying him as a non-threat. After Sarah's failed attempt to recover Chuck's computer, he warned her that Casey was being sent in and he recommended she pull out. When she objected and insisted on "fixing" the situation herself he relented, and ordered her to kill Chuck if he attempted to run.
Graham served as the CIA liaison to General Beckman and the US Department of Defense, and in several episodes assisted her in briefing the team on their upcoming missions and providing additional intelligence. However this was primarily handled by Beckman, and Graham only appeared sporadically in the first season. Prior to "Chuck Versus the First Date
", all mention of Casey's orders to terminate Chuck once the second Intersect was brought on line was made by Beckman. It wasn't until that episode where it was revealed that Graham was fully aware of the termination order, and was unsympathetic to Casey's objections that Chuck's skills made him a promising analyst. Graham also confirmed the order to have Chuck brought into protective custody when a Fulcrum agent infiltrated the Buy More
.
Graham's final appearance as a recurring character was in "Chuck Versus the First Date". He was in the process of activating the rebuilt Intersect and exposing several field agents to the data when it exploded due to Fulcrum sabotage. The computer and facilities were destroyed and Graham was killed. Shortly before this event he and Beckman activated Casey's termination orders, however once he overheard Sarah informing Chuck of Graham's death the order was rescinded.
Actor Tony Todd has reprised his role once more in the series, appearing in a flashback at the end of "Chuck Versus the Cougars
", where it is revealed that Graham mentored Sarah Walker after arresting her father to protect him from a scam gone wrong.
Graham is only sporadically mentioned after "Chuck Versus the Cougars", however in "Chuck Versus the Other Guy
" Beckman tells the team that Graham took the name of whoever ordered Sarah's red test—a first kill order to test whether an agent can indeed kill when ordered to do so—with him to the grave. The Director later revealed that Graham himself arranged the hit on Eve Shaw after the CIA uncovered evidence that she had been turned by the Ring. This information had been withheld from Daniel Shaw, and contributed to his decision to join the Ring.
".
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
television series Chuck
Chuck (TV series)
Chuck is an action-comedy/spy-drama television program from the United States created by Josh Schwartz and Chris Fedak. The series is about an "average computer-whiz-next-door" named Chuck, played by Zachary Levi, who receives an encoded e-mail from an old college friend now working for the Central...
. Graham was the director of the CIA
Central Intelligence Agency
The Central Intelligence Agency is a civilian intelligence agency of the United States government. It is an executive agency and reports directly to the Director of National Intelligence, responsible for providing national security intelligence assessment to senior United States policymakers...
, and oversaw Operation Bartowski, a fictional top-secret project to guard Chuck Bartowski
Chuck Bartowski
Charles Irving "Chuck" Bartowski is the main and titular character of the American fiction television show Chuck on NBC. He is portrayed by Zachary Levi.-Character profile:...
(Zachary Levi
Zachary Levi
Zachary Levi Pugh , better known by his stage name Zachary Levi , is an American television actor, director, and singer known for the roles of Kipp Steadman in Less than Perfect, Chuck Bartowski in Chuck, and Flynn Rider in Tangled.- Early life :Zachary Levi Pugh was born in Lake Charles,...
) and the Intersect
The Intersect
The Intersect is a fictional secret technology appearing in the television series Chuck. Within the series, it is used to house and analyze large quantities of encoded data...
. Director Graham oversaw the project with, and worked alongside NSA
National Security Agency
The National Security Agency/Central Security Service is a cryptologic intelligence agency of the United States Department of Defense responsible for the collection and analysis of foreign communications and foreign signals intelligence, as well as protecting U.S...
Director Diane Beckman
Diane Beckman
Brigadier General M. Diane Beckman, USAF is a fictional character in the NBC television series Chuck. Beckman is a senior official of the National Security Agency, working within the Office of the Director of National Intelligence. She holds her rank of brigadier general in the United States Air...
(Bonita Friedericy
Bonita Friedericy
Bonita Friedericy is an American actress. She currently can be seen in the television series Chuck as NSA Director Diane Beckman. She has also appeared on Malcolm in the Middle, Veronica Mars, Star Trek: Enterprise, Bones, The Nine, The West Wing, CSI: Crime Scene Investigation and in the film...
), until his death in the second season premiere
Chuck Versus the First Date
"Chuck Versus the First Date" is the second season premiere of the action-comedy series Chuck. It first aired on September 29, 2008. Chuck's time as the Intersect is coming to a close as the CIA and NSA have completed construction of the new Intersect....
.
Biography
Director Langston Graham was the direct superior of agent Sarah Walker, and assigned her to follow-up on Bryce's theft of the Intersect by sending her to Burbank to track down where he sent the data. Little personal information about Graham has been established, other than that he arrested Sarah's father when he conned the wrong people. The details of the arrest and later release of Sarah's father have not yet been revealed. During this event, Graham cornered and confronted Sarah while attempting to recover money her father left in the event something happened to him, where he was impressed by her skill with knives and took her under his wing. Graham is one of a few people who knew Sarah's real name (from her birth certificate), as well as the series of aliases she used growing up as part of her father's con jobs. It was Graham who first gave her the name "Sarah Walker".Series
CIA Director Graham first appeared in "Chuck Versus the IntersectChuck Versus the Intersect
"Chuck Versus the Intersect" is the pilot episode of the American action-comedy television series Chuck. The episode was directed by McG and written by series co-creators Josh Schwartz and Chris Fedak...
" alongside the National Intelligence Director, when Casey was dispatched to Burbank to follow up on Bryce's theft of the Intersect. Sarah was already in the city and made the first contact with Chuck, quickly identifying him as a non-threat. After Sarah's failed attempt to recover Chuck's computer, he warned her that Casey was being sent in and he recommended she pull out. When she objected and insisted on "fixing" the situation herself he relented, and ordered her to kill Chuck if he attempted to run.
Graham served as the CIA liaison to General Beckman and the US Department of Defense, and in several episodes assisted her in briefing the team on their upcoming missions and providing additional intelligence. However this was primarily handled by Beckman, and Graham only appeared sporadically in the first season. Prior to "Chuck Versus the First Date
Chuck Versus the First Date
"Chuck Versus the First Date" is the second season premiere of the action-comedy series Chuck. It first aired on September 29, 2008. Chuck's time as the Intersect is coming to a close as the CIA and NSA have completed construction of the new Intersect....
", all mention of Casey's orders to terminate Chuck once the second Intersect was brought on line was made by Beckman. It wasn't until that episode where it was revealed that Graham was fully aware of the termination order, and was unsympathetic to Casey's objections that Chuck's skills made him a promising analyst. Graham also confirmed the order to have Chuck brought into protective custody when a Fulcrum agent infiltrated the Buy More
Buy More
Buy More is a fictional big box electronics retail chain in NBC's action-comedy series Chuck. The Buy More is a parody of similar chains, particularly Best Buy....
.
Graham's final appearance as a recurring character was in "Chuck Versus the First Date". He was in the process of activating the rebuilt Intersect and exposing several field agents to the data when it exploded due to Fulcrum sabotage. The computer and facilities were destroyed and Graham was killed. Shortly before this event he and Beckman activated Casey's termination orders, however once he overheard Sarah informing Chuck of Graham's death the order was rescinded.
Actor Tony Todd has reprised his role once more in the series, appearing in a flashback at the end of "Chuck Versus the Cougars
Chuck Versus the Cougars
"Chuck Versus the Cougars" is the fourth episode of the second season of Chuck. It originally aired on October 20, 2008. Chuck Bartowski learns more about Sarah Walker's past when they run into her old high school nemesis Heather Chandler . Sarah's teenage insecurities come to surface and she tries...
", where it is revealed that Graham mentored Sarah Walker after arresting her father to protect him from a scam gone wrong.
Graham is only sporadically mentioned after "Chuck Versus the Cougars", however in "Chuck Versus the Other Guy
Chuck Versus the Other Guy
"Chuck Versus the Other Guy" is the thirteenth episode of Chuck third season, and originally aired on April 5, 2010. Sarah and Shaw are ordered to track down the Director by Beckman, but Chuck has misgivings over whether Shaw can be trusted after the revelation that Sarah killed his wife.-Main...
" Beckman tells the team that Graham took the name of whoever ordered Sarah's red test—a first kill order to test whether an agent can indeed kill when ordered to do so—with him to the grave. The Director later revealed that Graham himself arranged the hit on Eve Shaw after the CIA uncovered evidence that she had been turned by the Ring. This information had been withheld from Daniel Shaw, and contributed to his decision to join the Ring.
Personality
Few details on Graham's personal life have been revealed. Like Beckman, Graham is portrayed as a stern, no-nonsense individual. He mentored Sarah in the CIA, and placed a significant amount of trust in her by allowing her to proceed with her operation to find the Intersect despite Casey being sent in by the NSA to clean things up. Like Beckman, Graham has displayed little regard for Chuck's family and personal life, and generally overrules Sarah's objections to orders that put Chuck in danger or interfere with his personal life.Development
Because of Friedericy's height compared to Tony Todd (5'3" vs. 6'5") Beckman is almost always seated, with Graham leaning over her desk to fit them in the frame. Beckman's diminutive stature was later mentioned in the show by Chuck in "Chuck Versus the PredatorChuck Versus the Predator
"Chuck Versus the Predator" is the seventeenth episode of the second season of Chuck. It originally aired on March 23, 2009. Chuck Bartowski reluctantly tells his handlers that he has been contacted by Orion, the mastermind behind the Intersect computer and the person who can erase the Intersect...
".