James Arness - Rotten Tomatoes Celebrity Profile

Biography

This page uses content from the James Arness biography page on the English version of Wikipedia and is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. This list of authors can be seen in the page history. Rotten Tomatoes disclaims any and all warranties as to the accuracy or reliability of the content.

James Arness (originally Aurness) (born May 26, 1923 in Minneapolis, Minnesota) is an actor best known for portraying Marshal Matt Dillon on Gunsmoke for 20 years, a record length for a character on a single prime time show (though the length of time in a role is shared with Kelsey Grammer’s portrayal of Dr. Frasier Crane, Grammer played the same role on three different programs, Cheers, Frasier, and Wings). Arness's parents were Rolf Cirkler Aurness and Ruth Duesler, descendants of German and Norwegian immigrants. Arness is the older brother of actor Peter Graves. He was the tallest actor ever to play a lead role, standing 6' 7" (2.01 m).

Military service in World War II

James Arness served in the United States Army during World War II, and was severely wounded at the Battle of Anzio, leading to a lifelong slight limp. He was reported to have been first off his landing craft at the landing beaches at Anzio because of his height: if the water was too deep for him at 6'7", it would certainly be too deep for the rest of the soldiers.

Acting career

Though primarily identified with Westerns, he also is remembered for appearing in two science fiction films, The Thing from Another World and Them!. He was a close personal friend of John Wayne's and co-starred with him in Big Jim McLain, and Island in the Sky. Wayne was offered the part of Marshal Matt Dillon when the radio series Gunsmoke moved to television, but he turned it down to concentrate on motion picture acting and producing. Wayne said that when he imagined Marshal Dillon, he saw Arness. Wayne even did a television spot introducing Arness in the role.

Since Gunsmoke ended, Arness has continued to perform primarily in western-themed movies and television series, including How the West Was Won, and five made-for-television Gunsmoke reunion movies between 1987 and 1994. A notable exception was a brief turn as a big city policeman in the short-lived 1981 series, McClain's Law.

For his contribution to the television industry, James Arness has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 1751 Vine Street. In 1981, he was inducted into the Western Performers Hall of Fame at the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.

Filmography

The Farmer's Daughter (1947)
Roses Are Red (1947)
Battleground (1949)
Wagon Master (1950)
Stars in My Crown (1950)
Sierra (1950)
Wyoming Mail (1950)
Two Lost Worlds (1951)
Belle Le Grand (1951)
The Thing from Another World (1951)
Cavalry Scout (1951)
Iron Man (1951)
The People Against O'Hara (1951)
The Girl in White (1952)
Carbine Williams (1952)
Big Jim McLain (1952)
Hellgate (1952)
Horizons West (1952)
Lone Hand (1953)
Island in the Sky (1953)
The Veils of Bagdad (1953)
Hondo (1953)
Them! (1954)
Her Twelve Men (1954)
Many Rivers to Cross (1955)
The Sea Chase (1955)
Flame of the Islands (1956)
The First Traveling Saleslady (1956)
Gun the Man Down (1956)
Alias Jesse James (1959) (Cameo)
Comanche Stallion (2006)

Television Work

Gunsmoke (1955-1975)
The Macahans (1976)
How the West Was Won (1977) (miniseries)
How the West Was Won (1978) (miniseries)
How the West Was Won (1979) (canceled after 20 episodes)
McClain's Law (1981-1982)
The Alamo: Thirteen Days to Glory (1987)
Gunsmoke: Return to Dodge (1987)
Red River (1988)
Gunsmoke: The Last Apache (1990)
Gunsmoke: To the Last Man (1992)
Gunsmoke: The Long Ride (1993)
Gunsmoke: One Man's Justice (1994)

External links

official James Arness-website

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