James Arness (born May 26, 1923) is an American actor best known for portraying Marshal Matt Dillon on Gunsmoke for 20 years. Arness has the distinction of having played the role of Marshal Matt Dillon in five separate decades: 1955 to 1975 in the weekly series, then in 1987 Return to Dodge and four more made-for-TV Gunsmoke movies in the 1990s.
Arness was born as James Aurness in Minneapolis, Minnesota. His parents were Rolf Cirkler Aurness and Ruth Duesler, descendants of Norwegian and German immigrants. The original family name was "Aursnes," but when Arness's grandfather came to Ellis Island, he changed the name to "Aurness." Arness attended Washburn High School, Minneapolis, (Class of 1941).
Arness is the elder brother of late actor Peter Graves (Peter Aurness changed his stage surname to "Graves," a maternal family name. Peter Graves died on March 14, 2010).
Though primarily identified with Westerns, he also is remembered for appearing in two science fiction films, The Thing from Another World (in which he portrayed the title character) and Them!. He was a close friend of John Wayne and co-starred with him in Big Jim McLain, Hondo, Island in the Sky and The Sea Chase.
After Gunsmoke ended, Arness performed 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 police officer in the short-lived 1981 series, McClain's Law. Arness did the narration for Harry Carey Jr.'s western, Comanche Stallion (directed by Clyde Lucas).
For his contribution to the television industry, 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. In 2006, Arness was inducted into the Santa Clarita Walk of Western Stars and gave a related TV Interview. Arness did the narration for Harry Carey Jr.'s western, Comanche Stallion (directed by Clyde Lucas).
