James Arness of 'Gunsmoke' fame, a Mpls. native, dies at 88 (2024)

By LYNN ELBER, AP Television Writer

(AP) James Arness, the 6-foot-6 actor who towered over the televisionlandscape for two decades as righteous Dodge City lawman MattDillon in "Gunsmoke," died Friday. He was 88.

The actor died in his sleep at his home in Brentwood, Calif.,according to his business manager, Ginny Fazer.

Arness' official website posted a letter from Arness on Fridaythat he wrote with the intention that it be posted posthumously:"I had a wonderful life and was blessed with some many lovingpeople and great friends," he said.

"I wanted to take this time to thank all of you for the manyyears of being a fan of Gunsmoke, The Thing, How the West Was Wonand all the other fun projects I was lucky enough to have beenallowed to be a part of. I had the privilege of working with somany great actors over the years."

As U.S. Marshal Dillon in the 1955-75 CBS Western series, Arnesscreated an indelible portrait of a quiet, heroic man with anunbending dedication to justice and the town he protected.

The wealth and fame Arness gained from "Gunsmoke" could notprotect him from tragedy in his personal life: His daughter and hisformer wife, Virginia, both died of drug overdoses.

Arness, a quiet, intensely private man who preferred the outdoorlife to Hollywood's party scene, rarely gave interviews and refusedto discuss the tragedies.

"He's big, impressive and virile," co-star Amanda Blake (MissKitty) once said of Arness, adding, "I've worked with him for 16years, but I don't really know him."

The actor was 32 when friend John Wayne declined the lead rolein "Gunsmoke" and recommended Arness instead. Afraid of beingtypecast, Arness initially rejected it.

"Go ahead and take it, Jim," Wayne urged him. "You're too bigfor pictures. Guys like Gregory Peck and I don't want a big luglike you towering over us. Make your mark in television."

"Gunsmoke" went on to become the longest-running dramaticseries in network history until NBC's "Law & Order" tied in 2010.Arness' 20-year prime-time run as the marshal was tied only inrecent times, by Kelsey Grammer's 20 years as Frasier Crane from1984 to 2004 on "Cheers" and then on "Frasier."

The years showed on the weathered-looking Arness, but he - andhis TV character - wore them well.

"The camera really loved his face, and with good reason,"novelist Wallace Markfield wrote in a 1975 "Gunsmoke"appreciation in The New York Times. "It was a face that would agewell and that, while aging, would carry intimations of waste, lossand futility."

Born James Aurness in Minneapolis (he dropped the "u" for showbusiness reasons), he and brother Peter enjoyed a "realHuckleberry Finn existence," Arness once recalled.

Peter, who changed his last name to Graves, went on to star inthe TV series "Mission Impossible."

A self-described drifter, Arness left home at age 18, hoppingfreight trains and Caribbean-bound freighters. He entered BeloitCollege in Wisconsin, but was drafted into the Army in his 1942-43freshman year. Wounded in the leg during the 1944 invasion atAnzio, Italy, Arness was hospitalized for a year and left with aslight limp. He returned to Minneapolis to work as a radioannouncer and in small theater roles.

He moved to Hollywood in 1946 at a friend's suggestion. After aslow start in which he took jobs as a carpenter and salesman, arole in MGM's "Battleground" (1949) was a career turning point.Parts in more than 20 films followed, including "The Thing,"`'Hellgate" and "Hondo" with Wayne. Then came "Gunsmoke,"which proved a durable hit and a multimillion-dollar boon forArness, who owned part of the series.

His longtime co-stars were Blake as saloon keeper Miss Kitty,Milburn Stone as Doc Adams and Dennis Weaver as the deputy, ChesterGoode.

When Weaver died in February 2006, Arness called it "a big lossfor me personally" and said Weaver "provided comic relief but wasalso a real person doing things that were very important to theshow."

The cancellation of "Gunsmoke" didn't keep Arness away from TVfor long: He returned a few months later, in January 1976, in theTV movie "The Macahans," which led to the 1978-79 ABC series"How the West Was Won."

Arness took on a contemporary role as a police officer in theseries "McClain's Law," which aired on NBC from 1981-82.

Despite his desire for privacy, a rocky domestic life landed himin the news more than once.

Arness met future wife Virginia Chapman while both were studyingat Southern California's Pasadena Playhouse. They wed in 1948 andhad two children, Jenny and Rolf. Chapman's son from her firstmarriage, Craig, was adopted by Arness.

The marriage foundered and in 1963 Arness sought a divorce andcustody of the three children, which he was granted. He tried toguard them from the spotlight.

"The kids don't really have any part of my television life,"he once remarked. "Fortunately, there aren't many times when showbusiness intrudes on our family existence."

The emotionally troubled Virginia Arness attempted suicidetwice, in 1959 and in 1960. In 1975, Jenny Arness died of anapparently deliberate drug overdose. Two years later, an overdosethat police deemed accidental killed her mother.

Arness married Janet Surtees in 1978. Besides his wife, Arnessis survived by two sons and six grandchildren. A private memorialservice will be held.

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AP Television Writer David Bauder and Entertainment Writer JakeCoyle in New York contributed to this story.

(Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

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