JAMES ARNESS: 1923-2011

James Arnes: 1923-2011

     James Arness, the lanky actor best remembered for his portrayal 

of the iconic Marshal Matt Dillon on the long-running American 

TV series "Gunsmoke", passed away on Friday of natural causes. 

He was 88.

     He was born James King Aurness on May 26, 1923 in 

Minneapolis, Minnesota, the eldest son of Ruth and Rolf 

Aurness, older brother to Peter, who later changed his name 

and gained fame as actor Peter Graves. James spent his 

formative years in Minneapolis before heading to university 

at Beloit College, dropping out of classes there when he 

received his draft notice in 1943. Having dreamt of becoming 

a fighter pilot, he was disappointed to discover that his 6'7" 

height disqualified him from aviation. Instead, he served in 

the Army as an infantry rifleman, but his Army career ended 

with a medical discharge after being seriously wounded during 

combat in Anzio, Italy, injuries which earned him a Purple Heart. 

While recovering, he was visited by his brother Peter, who 

encouraged him to enroll in the University of Minnesota's radio 

training course. James took his brother's advice, and a career as 

a Minneaoplis radio announcer followed.

     After spending time as a successful disc jockey, James and a 

friend headed to Hollywood to try their luck at acting. James 

won a contract with RKO pictures, where he made his first 

onscreen appearance as Loretta Young's brother in 1947's The 

Farmer's Daughter. It was at this time that the studio officially 

changed his surname to "Arness". He continued to act in local 

theater productions, and during his time in the Pasadena 

Playhouse production of Candida he met and married his 

leading lady, Virginia Chapman. The couple would have three 

children, Rolf, Jenny and Craig, and remained married until 

1960, when they divorced. Simultaneously, his film career was 

slowly gaining momentum, his height winning him parts in 

science fiction classics The Thing from Another World and Them!

     It was his role in another play that caught the attention of 

Charles K. Feldman, who introduced Arness to his client John 

Wayne. Wayne, impressed with the young man, signed him to a 

three year contact that would determine the direction of the 

rest of Arness's career. When, in 1955, Wayne suggested him 

for the lead in a new television show, Arness was hesitant to 

accept the role, concerned that an appearance on TV might hinder 

his film career. He reluctantly took the role, however, and would 

play Marshal Matt Dillon, who honorably maintained law and order 

in Dodge City on "Gunsmoke" for the next twenty years until the 

show's cancellation in 1975. The show held the record for the 

longest-running American television series until 2010, when it 

was surpassed by The Simpsons. After the cancellation of 

"Gunsmoke", Arness returned to TV in another western "How the 

West Was Won", as a detective in "McClain's Law", and appeared 

in TV movies "The Alamo" and "Red River". He reprised the role 

of Marshall Dillon in four TV movies between 1990 and 1994, 

before officially retiring from acting in 2001.

     He is survived by his wife Janet Surtrees, who he married in 

1978, and his sons Rolf Aurness and Craig Aurness. He was 

preceded in death by his parents, his daughter Jenny Lee Arness 

in 1975, and his brother Peter Graves in 2010.

(Heather Campbell / IMDb News)

James Arness - Western Filmography:

26. Gunsmoke: One Man's Justice (1994) (TV)  

25. Gunsmoke: The Long Ride (1993) (TV)  

24. Gunsmoke: To the Last Man (1992) (TV)  

23. Gunsmoke: The Last Apache (1990) (TV) 

22. Red River (1988) (TV)  

21. Gunsmoke: Return to Dodge (1987) (TV) 

20. Alamo: Thirteen Days to Glory, The (1987) (TV) 

19. "How the West Was Won" 

     - Slavers, The (1979) TV episode  

     - China Girl (1979) TV episode  

     - Luke (1979) TV episode  

     - Forgotten , The (1979) TV episode  

     - Scavengers , The (1979) TV episode 

     (19 more)

18. "How the West Was Won" (1977) TV mini-series  

17. Macahans , The (1976) (TV)

16. "Gunsmoke" 

  - Sharecroppers , The (1975) TV episode  

     - Manolo (1975) TV episode  

     - Busters , The (1975) TV episode  

     - I Have Promises to Keep (1975) TV episode  

     - Hard Labor (1975) TV episode  

     (630 more)

15. Alias Jesse James (1959)  

14. Gun the Man Down (1956)  

13. First Traveling Saleslady, The (1956)  

12. Many Rivers to Cross (1955) [PREVEDEN]

11. Hondo (1953) [PREVEDEN]

10. Lone Hand, The (1953)  

9. Horizons West (1952) [PREVEDEN]

8. Hellgate (1952) 

7. Cavalry Scout (1951)  

6. Belle Le Grand (1951)  

5. Wyoming Mail (1950)  

4. Sierra (1950)   

3. Stars in My Crown (1950) 

2. "Lone Ranger, The "  

     - Matter of Courage (1950) TV episode  

1. Wagon Master (1950) [PREVEDEN]

(Pavle Zorić / 2011-06-04)