“Gunsmoke” actor James Arness dead at 88
Posted June 3, 2011 7:20 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
A giant from the world of television westerns has passed away.
Former “Gunsmoke” star James Arness died Thursday of natural causes. He was 88.
The handsome actor topped 6 feet, 6 inches, making him the tallest leading man in Hollywood at the time.
Arness was always on the side of justice as the character Stalwart Marshall Matt Dillon, protecting Dodge City, Kansas from all sorts of rascals.
Gunsmoke ran from 1955 to 1975, becoming the longest-running dramatic series in network history, a record it held until 2010 when it became tied for the title with “Law & Order.”
Arness was not the only actor in his family. His brother of Peter Graves was the star of the TV series “Mission Impossible.”
Arness left home when he was 18 and he began hopping freight trains and Caribbean-bound freighters.
He was wounded in World War II and then headed to Hollywood where he landed parts in more than 20 films.
Hollywood icon John Wayne recommended Arness for the role in “Gunsmoke.”
