James Arness was an American actor best known for his role in the CBS television series Gunsmoke which aired for 20 years. His best roles were on western movies.

Born James King Aurness on May 26, 1923. He has a younger brother Peter Graves, who became an actor as well. James, like most actors in that era, joined the United States Army in 1943 and served during the second world war. He was severally injured and had to be evacuated to the U.S.

He started acting in 1947, because of his friendship with John Wayne, he worked with Wayne on several movies like Hondo, Island in the Sky and The Sea Chase. It is reported it was John Wayne who recommended James for the role of Matt Dillon in Gunsmoke.

After Gunsmoke ended in 1975, he featured in other western themed movies How the West Was Won and McClain’s Law.

Fig 1. James Arness in 1973

James was widely popular in Europe for his movie How the West Was Won which was successfully accepted in several countries in Europe.

Is James Arness Still Alive or Dead?

James Arness died from natural causes at the age of 88 on June 3, 2011 at his Los Angeles home.