James Arness | |||||||||||||
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 Arness in 1970 | |||||||||||||
| Born | James King Aurness May 26, 1923 Minneapolis, Minnesota, U.S. | ||||||||||||
| Died | June 3, 2011 (aged 88) Los Angeles, California, U.S. | ||||||||||||
| Resting place | Forest Lawn Memorial Park (Glendale) | ||||||||||||
| Alma mater | Beloit College | ||||||||||||
| Occupation | Actor | ||||||||||||
| Years active | 1947–1994 | ||||||||||||
| Television |
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| Height | 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) | ||||||||||||
| Spouses | Virginia Chapman
(m. 1948; div. 1960)Janet Surtees
(m. 1978) | ||||||||||||
| Partner | Thordis Brandt (1965–1972) | ||||||||||||
| Children | 3 | ||||||||||||
| Relatives | Peter Graves (brother) | ||||||||||||
| Military career | |||||||||||||
| Service |  United States Army | ||||||||||||
| Years of service | 1943–1945 | ||||||||||||
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| Website | jamesarness | ||||||||||||
James Arness (born James King Aurness; May 26, 1923 – June 3, 2011) was an American actor, best known for portraying Marshal Matt Dillon for 20 years in the series Gunsmoke. He has the distinction of having played the role of Dillon in five decades: 1955 to 1975 in the weekly series, then in Gunsmoke: Return to Dodge (1987) and four more made-for-television Gunsmoke films in the 1990s. In Europe, Arness reached cult status for his role as Zeb Macahan in the Western series How the West Was Won. He was the older brother of actor Peter Graves.