Had to dye his naturally blond hair for the role of Matt Dillon, since dark hair was considered more masculine. James Arness rose to fame with the role he played in Gunsmoke. Very user friendly navigation and includes a search function and interactive quizzes. A: As far as I know it is not available on DVD. "To cut, or not to cut? Marshal Matt Dillon) - A gentle young giant of a man, James Arness has climbed to stardom and acclaim as GUNSMOKE'S Marshal Dillon. Arness served as a rifleman with the U.S. 3rd Infantry Division, and was severely wounded during Operation Shingle, at Anzio, Italy. During the battle of Anzio, Arness' right leg was peppered with machine gun bullets, and when the bones were set they didn't mend properly, leaving him with a slight but permanent limp. Moreover, the actor adopted a son named Craig (born 1946) from his then-wife Virginia's previous marriage. She pressed him to study acting and to work harder in pursuit of a career, but Arness has been consistent in ascribing his success to luck. He served in the army during World War II, was wounded in his right leg and received the Purple Heart. He also landed on many TV roles beginning in 1950 with The Lone Ranger, How The West Was Won – (1977 – 1979), Pioneers of Television – 2011. James King Arness (May 26, 1923 – June 3, 2011) was an American actor, best known for portraying Marshal Matt Dillon in the television series Gunsmoke for 20 years. His portrayal of stalwart Marshal Dillon became an iconic figure in American television and the series, aired for 20 seasons, is, as of 2008, the longest-running dramatic series in U.S. television history. He passed away of natural causes at 88 years old. Arness had a younger brother who was also a known actor. He was best known for starring as Matt Dillon in the television series Gunsmoke from 1955 to 1975. His body was interred in the Sanctuary of Abiding Hope alcove in the Jasmine Terrace section of the Great Mausoleum at Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Glendale, California. Lance got the actor a role as Loretta Young's brother in The Farmer's Daughter (1947). I have met many other actors who were great also, but there was something about him that was so special He was just off in a class by himself somehow. He studied for a year at Beloit College in Wisconsin before he was drafted into the United States Army during World War II as an infantryman. This was followed by other parts in The Thing from Another World and Them! Arness has the distinction of having played the role of Dillon in five separate decades: 1955 to 1975 in the weekly series, then in Gunsmoke: Return to Dodge (1987) and four more made-for-TV Gunsmoke movies in the 1990s. His father was a businessman whereas his mother worked as a journalist. He received the Bronze Star; the Purple Heart; the European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal with three bronze campaign stars; the World War II Victory Medal and the Combat Infantryman Badge. His place of birth was in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Desi Arnaz Jr and Sr ... Saturday Night Live: Both born in Chicago; their father and maternal grandfather were born in Albania. The colorful resolution included a depiction of a U.S. He was 88 years old. Born in Minneapolis Minn. and educated at Beloit College in Wisconsin, he fought and was wounded in Italy while with the third Infantry Division in World War II. He was 88. He entered the army and trained at Camp Wheeler, Georgia, before shipping out for North Africa. James Arness was soon called up to fight for his country during the World War II era. Her garnered profound fame for his role as Marshal Matt Dillon in the CBS TV series called Gunsmoke. Sign in to customize your TV listings. Arness at first declined, thinking a TV series could derail his growing film career, but Wayne argued for the show, and Arness accepted. Very, very often during his career, this huge actor was surrounded by co-stars standing on apple boxes or had to perform standing in a ditch just so he could be in a shot. After high school, he attended one semester at Beloit College before receiving his draft notice in 1943. James Arness was an American actor famous for his role as Marshall Matt Dillon in Gunsmoke. American actor James Arness had an unremarkable Minneapolis childhood, but his wartime experiences shattered that normality - literally. |  American leading man famed as the star of one of the longest-running shows in U.S. television history, Gunsmoke (1955). While studying at the school, he also took a part-time job as a courier. James Arness, the 6-foot-6 actor who towered over the television landscape for two decades as righteous Dodge City lawman Matt Dillon in "Gunsmoke," died Friday. Sign in with Facebook Sign in with email. During the invasion of Anzio, Italy in 1944, his right leg was shattered by machine-gun fire, resulting in his losing part of his foot. Coauthored the memoir James Arness: An Autobiography (2001) Awards 1959 Emmy - Best Actor in a Leading Role (Continuing Character) in a Dramatic Series: nominated May 26, James Arness, best known for his role as a towering Dodge City lawman in Gunsmoke, died at home in his sleep Friday. James Arness was an actor from the US. James Arness, the 6-foot-6 actor who towered over the television landscape for two decades as righteous Dodge City lawman Matt Dillon in "Gunsmoke," died Friday. He never appeared in a theatrical film after 1959. His adopted son, Craig, died in 2004 and his daughter Jenny died in 1975. Ten days after the invasion, Arness was severely wounded in the leg and foot by German machine-gun fire. 1923. In 1978, he married Janet Surtees. He was said to be somewhat self-conscious about his stature and quite happy when they took measures to obscure his towering height while filming "Gunsmoke". He carried mixed blood – Norwegian from his father’s side and German from his mother’s side. A brief modern police drama, McClain's Law (1981), followed, and Arness played his mentor John Wayne's role in Red River (1988), a remake of the Wayne classic.Following the aforementioned "Gunsmoke" TV movies (the last in 1994, when Arness was 71), Arness basically retired. However, the couple split in 1963 for reasons that were not known. Arness was born on May 26, 1923, in Minneapolis to Ruth and Rolf Aurness, a salesman for a medical supply company. He never played the lead male role in a theatrical movie, only on the various televised incarnations of "Gunsmoke". Virginia later died of drug overdose in 1978 while … According to an article on TV westerns in Time magazine (March 30, 1959), Arness stood 6' 7", weighed 235 lbs, and had chest-waist-hips measurements of 48-36-36. This made him a worldwide film star alongside his co-actors such as Milburn Stone, Dennis Weaver, Buck Taylor and Ken Curtis. Although he appeared in school plays, he had no interest in performing, and dreamed instead of going to sea. His place of birth was in Minneapolis, Minnesota. James Arness served his country during the Anzio Battle where he succumbed to serious bullet injuries after being shot in his right leg. - hmm, I think not, definitely not." James led a quiet life until his death in 2011 at his home in Brentwood, Los Angeles California USA. [on Gunsmoke's cancellation in 1975]: We didn't do a final, wrap-up show. However, Arness usually gave his own height as 6' 6" in interviews. I came to Hollywood two years before Peter Born of Norwegian heritage (the family name, Aurness, had formerly been Aursness) in Minneapolis, Minnesota, to Rolf and Ruth Duesler Aurness. He is the first of the two children born to his parents, having a younger brother named Peter Graves. His father, Rolf Cirkler Aurness worked as a businessman while his mom, Ruth Duesler made ends meet working as a journalist. Marshal's Service". Q: Many fans Asked: Where can they get the movie “How The West Was Won”? I was with his company for three years, and it was just a special time. James Arness was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota in May 1923 and passed away in June 2011. However, he later adopted the name Arness dropping the “u.” He was the son of Rolf Cirkler Aurness and Ruth Duesler. He was hospitalized for a year and underwent surgeries to correct his leg, which left a limp. Before taking on his acting career, he was known as James King Aurness. He was born in Minneapolis. His film debut role came with the role he played in The Farmer’s Daughter – 1947. He passed away on June 3, 2011, just one week after he celebrated his 88th birthday. American leading man famed as the star of one of the longest-running shows in U.S. television history, Gunsmoke (1955). Arness had the Sun in Gemini with Pisces rising but the difficult part of his chart was the conjunction between the Moon and Saturn in Libra in the seventh house. Born of Norwegian heritage (the family name, Aurness, had formerly been Aursness) in Arness died of natural causes at the age of 88 years at his Brentwood home in Los Angeles on June 3, 2011. - IMDb Mini Biography By: - on why his Gunsmoke character, Marshal Dillon, never married Miss Kitty. Feldman introduced Arness to Wayne, who put the self-described 6', 6" actor under personal contract. He was the son of Rolf Aurness and Ruth Duesler who divorced in the 1940s. 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