Arness

James arness (born james king aurness; He appeared in a production of "candida" at the pasadena community playhouse, and married his leading lady, virginia arness. Jun 10, 2025arness died of natural causes at 88 on june 3, 2011, in los angeles.

Jan 20, 2026following his retirement in 1994, james left the public eye, but in 2001 he published an autobiography entitled “james arness: Dec 9, 2024james arness was an iconic american actor, best known for his legendary portrayal of marshal matt dillon in the classic television series gunsmoke (1955–1975). Aug 21, 2025actor james arness was best known for his portrayal of "marshal matt dillon" in the iconic series 'gunsmoke', appearing for a total of 635 episodes between 1955 and 1975.

Throughout his career, james arness received numerous awards and honors for his work and dedication to law enforcement. 4 days agowayne personally recommended arness for the role of matt dillon, even introducing him to audiences in the premiere episode of gunsmoke in 1955. Arness, however, was not the first choice for the role;

It was offered to screen legend john wayne, who in turn helped secure the role for arness. In an interview, arness spoke about how the big . Nov 15, 2023james arness (born may 26, 1923) was a well-known american actor best remembered for his 20-year starring as marshal matt dillon in the famous cbs television series gunsmoke.