James Arness
James Arness | |||||||||||||
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Born | James King Aurness May 26, 1923 Minneapolis, Minnesota, US | ||||||||||||
Died | June 3, 2011 Los Angeles, California, U.S. | (aged 88)||||||||||||
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
Early life
James Arness was born in
Arness attended John Burroughs Grade School, Washburn High School, and West High School in Minneapolis. During that time, Arness worked as a courier for a jewelry wholesaler, loading and unloading railway boxcars at the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad freight yards in Minneapolis and logging in Pierce, Idaho.[3] Despite "being a poor student and skipping many classes," he graduated from high school in June 1942.[3]
Arness entered Beloit College that fall, where he joined the campus choir and became a member of Beta Theta Pi fraternity.[5]
Military service in World War II
Although Arness wanted to be a naval fighter pilot, he was concerned his poor eyesight would bar him. However, it was his 6-ft, 7-in (2.01 m) frame that ended his chances because the height limit for aviators was set at 6 ft, 2 in (1.88 m). He was
He was severely wounded in his right leg during the Battle of Anzio,[6] and medically evacuated from Italy to the US, where he was sent to the 91st General Hospital in Clinton, Iowa. His brother Peter (later known as actor Peter Graves) came to see him when he was beginning his long recuperation, assuring him to not worry about his injuries, that likely he could find work in the field of radio. After undergoing several surgeries, he was honorably discharged from the Army on January 29, 1945.[7] His wounds continued to trouble him, though, throughout the remainder of his life. In his later years, he suffered from chronic leg pain that often became acute, and was sometimes initiated when he was mounted on horses during his performances on Gunsmoke.[8][6]
His military decorations included the Bronze Star, the Purple Heart, the American Campaign Medal, the European–African–Middle Eastern Campaign Medal with three bronze battle stars and arrowhead device, the World War II Victory Medal, and the Combat Infantryman Badge.[8][9]
Acting career
After his discharge from the service, Arness began his entertainment career as a radio announcer at Minneapolis station WLOL in 1945.[10]
Determined to find work in films, Arness
Though identified as appearing in
An urban legend has it that John Wayne turned down the starring role of Matt Dillon in the classic television Western Gunsmoke, instead recommending James Arness for the part. The only true part of this story is that Wayne did indeed recommend Arness for the role; Wayne was never offered the part. Wayne appeared in a prologue to the first episode of Gunsmoke in 1955, in which he introduced Arness as Matt Dillon.[12] The Norwegian-German Arness had to dye his naturally blond hair darker for the role.[13] Arvo Ojala, who taught Arness to shoot, was the first of several actors in the show's opening where Marshal Dillon has a shootout with what is described as "a generic bad guy" representing all those which Dillon must deal with.[14] Gunsmoke made Arness and his co-stars, Milburn Stone, Amanda Blake, Dennis Weaver, Ken Curtis, Burt Reynolds, and Buck Taylor world-famous, and ran for two decades, becoming the longest-running primetime drama series in US television history by the end of its run in 1975. The series' season record was tied in 2010 with the final season of Law & Order and tied again in 2018 with season 20 of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit. Unlike the latter show, Gunsmoke featured its lead character in each of its 20 seasons; Gunsmoke also aired 179 more episodes, and was in the top 10 in the ratings for 11 more seasons, for a total of 13, including four consecutive seasons at number one.
After Gunsmoke ended, Arness performed in Western-themed movies and television series, including How the West Was Won, and in five made-for-television Gunsmoke movies between 1987 and 1994. An exception was as a big-city police officer in a short-lived 1981–1982 series, McClain's Law, starring with Marshall Colt. His role as mountain man Zeb Macahan in How the West Was Won made him a cult figure in many European countries, where it became even more popular than in the United States, as the series has been rebroadcast many times across Europe.
James Arness: An Autobiography was released in September 2001, with a foreword by Reynolds (who had been a cast member of Gunsmoke for several years in the 1960s). Arness realized, "[I]f I was going to write a book about my life, I better do it now ... 'cause I'm not getting any younger."[15]
Personal life
Arness married Virginia Chapman in 1948, and adopted her son Craig (1946 – December 14, 2004).
Four years after his divorce from Virginia Chapman, James Arness met Thordis Brandt,[21][22] who was his girlfriend for six years before they ended their relationship.[23] In 1978, Arness married Janet Surtees. She and his sons survived him.[8]
Despite his stoic character, according to Ben Bates, his Gunsmoke stunt double, Arness laughed "from his toes to the top of his head". Shooting on the Gunsmoke set was sometimes suspended because Arness got a case of the uncontrollable giggles.[24] James Arness disdained publicity and banned reporters from the Gunsmoke set. He was said to be a shy and sensitive man who enjoyed poetry, yacht racing, and surfing. TV Guide dubbed him "The Greta Garbo of Dodge City".[25] Buck Taylor (Newly on Gunsmoke) thought so highly of Arness that he named his second son, Matthew, after Arness' character.[26]
Death
Arness died from
Awards
For his contributions to the television industry, Arness has a star on the
On the 50th anniversary of television in 1989 in the United States, People magazine chose the "top 25 television stars of all time." Arness was number six.[28] In 1996, TV Guide ranked him number 20 on its "50 Greatest TV Stars of All Time" list.[29]
Arness was nominated for these Emmy Awards:[16]
- 1957: Best Continuing Performance by an Actor in a Dramatic Series
- 1958: Best Continuing Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Dramatic or Comedy Series
- 1959: Best Actor in a Leading Role (Continuing Character) in a Dramatic Series
Filmography
Films
- The Farmer's Daughter (1947) – Peter
- Roses Are Red (1947) – Ray (credited as "James Aurness")
- The Man from Texas (1948) – Gang Member (uncredited)
- Battleground (1949) – Garby
- Stars In My Crown (1950) – Rolfe Isbell (uncredited)
- Wagon Master (1950) – Floyd Clegg
- Sierra (1950) – Little Sam Coulter (credited as "Jim Arness")
- In a Lonely Place (1950) – Young Detective (uncredited)
- Wyoming Mail (1950) – Russell
- Two Lost Worlds (1951) – Kirk Hamilton (credited as "James Aurness")
- Belle Le Grand (1951) – Belle Admirer Mine Guard at Fire (uncredited)
- The Thing from Another World (1951) – The Thing
- Double Crossbones (1951) – Bullock (uncredited)
- Cavalry Scout (1951) – Barth
- Iron Man (1951) – Alex Mallick
- The People Against O'Hara (1951) – John Fordman "Johnny" O'Hara
- Carbine Williams (1952) – Leon Williams
- The Girl in White (1952) – Matt
- Big Jim McLain (1952) – Mal Baxter
- Hellgate (1952) – George Redfield
- Horizons West (1952) – Tiny McGilligan
- The Lone Hand (1953) – Gus Varden
- Island in the Sky (1953) – Mac McMullen
- The Veils of Bagdad (1953) – Targut
- Hondo (1953) – Lennie (Army Indian Scout)
- Them! (1954) – Robert Graham
- Her Twelve Men (1954) – Ralph Munsey
- Many Rivers to Cross (1955) – Esau Hamilton
- The Sea Chase (1955) – Schlieter
- Flame of the Islands (1955) – Kelly Rand
- The First Traveling Saleslady (1956) – Joel Kingdom
- Gun the Man Down (1956) – Rem Anderson
- Marshal Matt Dillon(uncredited)
Documentary
- America's Star – (1988) Documentary and recruiting film for the United States Marshals Service for which Arness was awarded the honorary title of US Marshal and presented with an official badge[30]
Television
- The Lone Ranger – Deputy Bud Titus[31][32] (1950)
- Lux Video Theatre, "The Chase" (1954)
- Gunsmoke – 635 episodes – Marshal Matt Dillon (1955–1975)
- Front Row Center (1956)
- The Red Skelton Chevy Special (1959)
- The Chevrolet Golden Anniversary Show (1961)
- A Salute to Television's 25th Anniversary (1972)
- The Macahans– Zeb Macahan (1976)
- How The West Was Won – Zeb Macahan (1977–1979 TV series)
- McClain's Law – Det. Jim McClain (1981–1982 TV series)
- Jim Bowie[33]
- Gunsmoke: Return to Dodge (1987, TV movie) – Marshal Matt Dillon
- Red River (1988, TV Movie) – Thomas Dunson[34]
- John Wayne Standing Tall – TV Movie – Himself /Host (1989)
- Gunsmoke: The Last Apache (1990, TV movie) – Marshal Matt Dillon
- Gunsmoke II: The Last Apache (1990, TV movie) – Marshal Matt Dillon
- Gunsmoke: To the Last Man (1992, TV movie) – Marshal Matt Dillon
- Gunsmoke IV: The Long Ride (1993, TV movie) – Marshal Matt Dillon
- Gunsmoke V: One Man's Justice (1993, TV movie) – Marshal Matt Dillon (final film role)
- Pioneers of Television– episode – Westerns – Himself / Marshal Matt Dillon from Gunsmoke (2011)
References
- ^ a b "James Arness". www.telegraph.co.uk. June 3, 2011. Archived from the original on January 12, 2022.
- genealogy.comAccessed March 17, 2010
- ^ ISBN 0-7864-1221-6, McFarland & Company Inc., p. 5. Accessed May 26, 2021.
- ^ "Famous Methodists". Adherents.com. Archived from the original on March 4, 2001. Retrieved June 3, 2011.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link) - ^ "Friday's with Fred: Bright Lights and 'Beloit's Paul Bunyan'". 2013.
- ^ a b Bergan, Ronald (2010). "James Arness obituary", The Guardian, US edition, June 6, 2010. Retrieved May 18, 2017.
- ^ "Cpl James Arness". TogetherWeServed. 2015. Retrieved May 23, 2015.
- ^ a b c d e Leon Worden "Newsmaker of the Week: TV Interview Transcript" April 21, 2006, Santa Clara Valley TV Accessed March 15, 2010
- ^ "James Arness Medals," GunsmokeNet.com
- ^ "TV Guide, November 1961, page 8" Accessed March 1, 2012
- ^ "How did James Arness first come to Hollywood?" GunsmokeNet.com
- Snopes.com. Retrieved June 4, 2011.
- ^ "James Arness is a blonde!" GunsmokeNet.com
- ^ Thomlison, Adam. "Q: In the opening credits of 'Gunsmoke,' Matt faces a guy in a gunfight. Who's the guy and what's his background?". TV Media. Retrieved January 5, 2023.
- ^ "James Arness wrote his autobiography in 2001," GunsmokeNet.com
- ^ a b "TV Guide-James Arness:Biography" TV Guide Accessed March 17, 2010
- ^ Kampion, Drew (December 2000) "Rolf Aurness Biography". Surf Line, Accessed March 15, 2010
- ^ Walker, David (December 16, 2004) "In Memoriam: Craig Arness, 58". Photo District News, Accessed July 9, 2010.
- ^ "Remembering James Arness, 1923–2011". Orange County Register. June 3, 2011. Retrieved March 2, 2019.
- ^ "Actor's ex-wife overdoses". The Pocono Record. August 1, 1977. p. 2.
- ^ Scott, Walter (October 3, 1971). "Personality Parade". Parade: the Sunday News Magazine. Parade Publications, Inc. Retrieved January 20, 2021.
- ISBN 978-0-7864-3172-4. Retrieved January 20, 2021.
- ^ "Whatever Happened to The Cast of Gunsmoke? (Jerry Skinner Documentary)". Archived from the original on November 17, 2021 – via www.youtube.com.
- ^ "In Gunsmoke, we never see Matt have a good belly laugh," GunsmokeNet.com
- ^ "The Greta Garbo of Dodge City," GunsmokeNet.com
- ^ "Buck Taylor's son Matthew" GunsmokeNet.com. Accessed June 16, 2023.
- ^ McFadden, Robert D. (June 3, 2011). "James Arness, Marshal on 'Gunsmoke,' Dies at 88". The New York Times.
- ^ "GunsmokeNet.com". www.gunsmokenet.com.
- ISBN 0-7607-5634-1.
- ^ "Appreciation of Honorary U.S. Marshal James Arness". usmarshals.gov. Retrieved August 9, 2017.
- ^ "Lone Ranger Fan Club" Archived February 17, 2016, at the Wayback Machine lonerangerfan.com Accessed March 17, 2010
- ^ "Gunsmoke was not James Arness' first television western," GunsmokeNet.com
- New York Times, Accessed March 17, 2010
- Fandango.comAccessed March 17, 2010