JAMES ARNESS
INFORMATION FROM IMDb
Date of birth
26 May 1923
Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
Date of death
June 3, 2011 (age 88)
Los Angeles, California, USA
Birth name
James Aurness
Height
6' 7" (2.01 m)
Spouse
Janet Surtrees (1978 - present)
Virginia Chapman (12 February 1948 - 1960) (divorced) 3 children
Sometimes Credited As:
Jim Arness / James Aurness / Jim Aurness
Trivia
Honorary United States Marshal, "In recognition of his unique contribution to the Image and Traditions of the U.S. Marshal's Service"
Became "Matt Dillon", the US Marshal on "Gunsmoke" after John Wayne, originally offered the role, turned it down and suggested Arness to play the role.
Brother of actor Peter Graves.
His daughter, Jenny, committed suicide in 1975.
Wounded in Italy in World War II.
He was the tallest actor to ever play a lead role.
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
Arness was one of the first to hit the beaches at Anzio, Italy during WWII due to his height.
Inducted (as a cast member of "Gunsmoke") into the Hall of Great Western Performers of the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum in 1981.
On June 20, 2003, James Arness was honored at Los Angeles City Hall by the Mayor, the 15 city council members, and the city attorney with a resolution honoring his life's work as an actor and 60 year resident of Los Angeles. The colorful resolution included a depiction of a U.S. Marshall's badge and a salute to his work as Matt Dillon on "Gunsmoke" and its over 20 year duration as TV's longest running drama series. It also recalled his heroism during World War Two and thanked him for "leaving us with one of the most telling and realistic portraits ever created of the brave, tall man in the saddle who tames a western town as he searches for justice and peace." Arness called it "the most wonderful day in his life" and says the resolution is now framed and in a prominent place in his home. By the way, he received a standing ovation that morning.
Held the record for the longest continuous role portrayed by a single actor (20 years) on prime-time television (for Marshal Matt Dillon on the CBS western 'Gunsmoke'), until Kelsey Grammer (Dr. Frasier Crane on "Cheers" and "Frasier") tied the record in 2004 (at 20 years).
Was rightly touted as the tallest Leading Man in Hollywood, although this title has since been taken by other stars, mainly basketball players turned "actors."
Member of Beta Theta Pi Fraternity
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.
Has two sons, Craig and Rolf.
His status as a Republican disappointed Lady Bird Johnson, who was a fan of Gunsmoke.
Mini-Biography.
From All Movie Guide:
American actor James Arness had an unremarkable Minneapolis childhood, but his wartime experiences shattered that normality - literally. 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. The trauma of the experience mellowed into aimlessness after the war. Arness became a "beach bum," lived out of his car, and worked intermittently as a salesman and carpenter. Acting was treated equally lackadaisically, but by 1947 Arness had managed to break into Hollywood on the basis of his rugged good looks and his 6'6" frame. Few of his screen roles were memorable, though one has become an object of cult worship: Arness was cast as the menacingly glowing space alien, described by one character as "an intellectual carrot," in The Thing (1951). For a time it looked as though Arness would continue to flounder in supporting roles, while his younger brother, actor Peter Graves, seemed destined for stardom. John Wayne took a liking to Arness when the latter was cast in Wayne's Big Jim McLain (1953). Wayne took it upon himself to line up work for Arness, becoming one of the withdrawn young actor's few friends. In 1955, Wayne was offered the role of Matt Dillon in the TV version of the popular radio series Gunsmoke. Wayne turned it down but recommended that Arness be cast and even went so far as to introduce him to the nation's viewers in a specially filmed prologue to the first Gunsmoke episode. Truth be told, Arness wasn't any keener than Wayne to be tied down to a weekly series, and as each season ended he'd make noises indicating he planned to leave. This game went on for each of the 20 seasons that Gunsmoke was on the air, the annual result being a bigger salary for Arness, more creative control over the program (it was being produced by his own company within a few years) and a sizeable chunk of the profits and residuals. When Gunsmoke finally left the air in 1975, Arness was the only one of the original four principals (including Amanda Blake, Milburn Stone and Dennis Weaver) still appearing on the series. Arness made plans to take it easy after his two-decade Gunsmoke hitch, but was lured back to the tube for a one-shot TV movie, The Macahans (1976). This evolved into the six-hour miniseries How the West Was Won (1977) which in turn led to a single-season weekly series in 1978. All these incarnations starred Arness, back in the saddle as Zeb Macahan. The actor tried to alter his sagebrush image in a 1981 modern-day cop series, McClain's Law -- which being set in the southwest permitted Arness to ride a horse or two. It appeared, however that James Arness would always be Matt Dillon in the hearts and minds of fans, thus Arness obliged his still-faithful public with three Gunsmoke TV movies, the last one (Gunsmoke: The Last Apache) released in 1992. In between these assignments, James Arness starred in a 1988 TV-movie remake of the 1948 western film classic Red River, in which he filled the role previously played by his friend and mentor John Wayne. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
AMG © 2006 All Media Guide, LLC Portions of content provided by All Movie Guide®, a trademark of All Media Guide, LLC
Personal Quotes
"If they were man and wife, it would make a lot of difference. The people upstairs decided it was better to leave the show as it was, which I totally agreed with." - on why his Gunsmoke character, Marshal Dillon, never married Miss Kitty.
Filmography
Actor
1. Comanche Stallion (2006) .... Adjutant General
2. Gunsmoke: One Man's Justice (1994) (TV) .... Matt Dillon
3. Gunsmoke: The Long Ride (1993) (TV) .... Matt Dillon
4. Gunsmoke: To the Last Man (1992) (TV) .... Matt Dillon
5. Gunsmoke: The Last Apache (1990) (TV) .... Matt Dillon
6. Red River (1988) (TV) .... Thomas Dunson
7. Gunsmoke: Return to Dodge (1987) (TV) .... Matt Dillon
8. The Alamo: Thirteen Days to Glory (1987) (TV) .... Jim Bowie
9. "McClain's Law" (1981) TV Series .... Det. Jim McClain
10. "How the West Was Won" (1979) TV Series .... Zeb Macahan
11. "How the West Was Won" (1978) (mini) TV Series .... Zeb Macahan
12. "How the West Was Won" (1977) (mini) TV Series .... Zebulon (Zeb) Macahan
13. The Macahans (1976) (TV) .... Zeb Macahan
14. "Gunsmoke" .... Marshal Matt Dillon
... aka Gun Law (UK)
... aka Marshal Dillon (USA: rerun title)
- Hard Labor (1975) TV Episode .... Marshal Matt Dillon
- The Fourth Victim (1974) TV Episode .... Marshal Matt Dillon
- The Guns of Cibola Blanca: Part 2 (1974) TV Episode .... Marshal Matt Dillon
- The Guns of Cibola Blanca: Part 1 (1974) TV Episode .... Marshal Matt Dillon
- Matt Dillon Must Die! (1974) TV Episode .... Marshal Matt Dillon
(205 more)
15. Alias Jesse James (1959) (uncredited) .... Marshal Matt Dillon
16. Gun the Man Down (1956) .... Rem Anderson
... aka Arizona Mission (USA: reissue title)
17. The First Traveling Saleslady (1956) .... Joel Kingdom
18. "Front Row Center"
- The Challenge (1956) TV Episode .... Hemp Brown
19. Flame of the Islands (1956) .... Kelly Rand
20. The Sea Chase (1955) .... Schlieter
21. Many Rivers to Cross (1955) .... Esau Hamilton
22. "Lux Video Theatre"
... aka Summer Video Theatre (USA: summer title)
- The Chase (1954) TV Episode
23. Her Twelve Men (1954) .... Ralph Munsey
... aka Her 12 Men
... aka Miss Baker's Dozen (USA)
24. Them! (1954) .... Robert Graham
... aka Them (USA: poster title)
25. Hondo (1953) .... Lennie, Army Indian Scout
26. The Veils of Bagdad (1953) (as Jim Arness) .... Targut
27. Island in the Sky (1953) .... Mac McMullen, pilot
28. Lone Hand (1953) .... Gus Varden
29. Horizons West (1952) .... Tiny McGilligan
30. Hellgate (1952) .... George Redfield
31. Big Jim McLain (1952) .... Mal Baxter
... aka Jim McLain
32. Carbine Williams (1952) .... Leon Williams
33. The Girl in White (1952) .... Matt
... aka So Bright the Flame (UK)
34. The People Against O'Hara (1951) .... Johnny O'Hara
35. Iron Man (1951) (as Jim Arness) .... Alex Malik
36. Cavalry Scout (1951) .... Barth
37. The Thing from Another World (1951) .... The Thing
... aka The Thing
38. Belle Le Grand (1951) (uncredited) .... Belle admirer at fire
39. Two Lost Worlds (1951) (as Jim Aurness) .... Kirk Hamilton
40. Wyoming Mail (1950) .... Russell
41. Sierra (1950) (as Jim Arness) .... Little Sam
42. Stars in My Crown (1950) (uncredited) .... Rolfe Isbell
43. "The Lone Ranger"
- Matter of Courage (1950) TV Episode .... Deputy Bud Taggart
44. Wagon Master (1950) .... Floyd Clegg
45. Battleground (1949) (as Jim Arness) .... Pvt. Garby
46. Roses Are Red (1947) (as James Aurness) .... Ray
47. The Farmer's Daughter (1947) (as James Aurness) .... Peter Holstrom
Producer
1. Gunsmoke: One Man's Justice (1994) (TV) (executive producer)
2. Gunsmoke: The Long Ride (1993) (TV) (executive producer)
3. "Gunsmoke" (1955) TV Series (associate producer) (1959-1961)
... aka Gun Law (UK)
... aka Marshal Dillon (USA: rerun title)
Miscellaneous Crew
1. Gunsmoke: To the Last Man (1992) (TV) (consultant)
2. Gunsmoke: The Last Apache (1990) (TV) (consultant)
Himself
1. "This Is Your Life"
- Peter Graves (1971) TV Episode .... Himself
2. "Toast of the Town"
... aka The Ed Sullivan Show (new title)
- Episode #11.16 (1958) TV Episode .... Himself
3. "Wide Wide World"
- The Western (1958) TV Episode .... Himself
Archive Footage
1. Watch the Skies!: Science Fiction, the 1950s and Us (2005) (TV) .... The Thing
2. Budd Boetticher: A Man Can Do That (2005) (TV) (archive footage: from Horizons West [1952]) .... Tiny McGilligan
