5 Things You Never Knew About James Arness, Star of ‘Gunsmoke’

Dave Sundstrom Yesterday, 5:00 am

JAMES ARNESS, GUNSMOKE — TV Guide/courtesy Everett Collection

James Arness, who was born on May 26, 1923, will forever be remembered as U.S. Marshal Matt Dillon, the role he played for two decades on Gunsmoke; he made the tough, rough and tumble lawman of Dodge City feel real. It’s easy to think he was born for the part — but before Gunsmoke first aired in 1955, Arness lived through a handful of experiences that helped him become the perfect Matt Dillon. Today we celebrate James Arness, who lived to be 88 years old; he died on June 3, 2011.

1 His large stature was both a blessing and a curse

Lee Green/TV Guide/courtesy Everett Collection

Born James King Aurness in Minneapolis in 1923, by the time he was a teenager, James was already 6’7”. That kind of size helped him tower over almost everyone else in a crowd, which would work perfectly for him later on when he was playing a frontier marshal who could keep order just by walking into a room. It also helped him develop a pretty thick skin. James recounts in his 2001 autobiography, “I took a lot of razzing from the other students asking me how the weather was up there and other such remarks, poking fun at me. Kids are cruel, and I resented their teasing.”

2 He got hurt in the war — and learned to live with it

James was drafted into the Army during World War II and fought as a rifleman in Italy. Just days after landing at Anzio in 1944, he was hit by German machine-gun fire, badly injuring his leg and foot. Due to that injury, he went through multiple surgeries and dealt with pain and a slight limp for the rest of his life. That kind of suffering probably helped him play a character like Matt Dillon, who had to be tough but also carried the weight of his job. You could see it in the way he moved, even if he wasn’t as obvious about it as Dennis Weaver‘s Chester with his famous limp.

3 Little brother’s advice paid off

TV star brothers, from left, Peter Graves (FURY), James Arness (GUNSMOKE), ca. late 1950s (photo by Gene Trindl)

TV star brothers Peter Graves (left) and James Arness. Gene Trindl/Everett Collection

Also in his autobiography, James revealed that it was his younger brother, actor Peter Graves, who told him, “At the University of Minnesota I took radio drama and announcing. It was great. I think you might really enjoy it too.” Due to his brother’s encouragement, James started as a radio announcer back in Minneapolis before deciding to try acting. He hitchhiked to Hollywood, took acting classes, and landed small film roles. His big break came in 1951 playing the towering alien in The Thing from Another World. Regarding that classic movie, James told the Sarasota Herald-Tribune in 2005: “When Howard Hawks put me in ‘The Thing,’ it was a great break for me at the time, because I was struggling to get any kind of job whatsoever, and that picture got a tremendous amount of publicity…and got me other work afterward.”

4 John Wayne thought he had potential

BIG JIM McLAIN, James Arness, John Wayne, 1952

Jim Arness (left) and John Wayne in ‘Big Jim McLain.’ Credit: Everett Collection

While The Thing from Another World may have gotten James “other work,” things really changed when James met John Wayne. The Duke’s agent saw him in a play and set up a meeting, which led to James getting small parts in a handful of his movies. Wayne liked him enough to put him under personal contract for three years, giving him roles in films like Hondo and The Sea Chase. When CBS was casting Gunsmoke, Wayne pushed hard for James to get the lead and even made a rare TV appearance introducing the first episode to vouch for him.

5 His gut said “No,” but he took a chance anyway

GUNSMOKE, from left: James Arness, Amanda Blake, 1955-1975.

Everett Collection

At first, James wasn’t sure about doing Gunsmoke. Back then, acting for TV wasn’t as respected as appearing in movies, and he worried it might wreck his film career. But Wayne convinced him, arguing that working on a television show would force him to sharpen his acting skills fast, and that it was a smart move. Against his gut instinct, James took the role; and the rest is Hollywood history because it turned out to be the best decision he ever made.

All these things — his towering size, the trials he experienced during World War II, his early acting experiences, John Wayne’s friendship, and that one final super huge leap of faith — came together to make James Arness the perfect Matt Dillon. And for 20 seasons, week after week, he proved it.