James Arness

Beloved Hollywood actor James Arness died of natural causes in his Brentwood home in Los Angeles on Friday, his family has confirmed to press outlets. The actor, whose brother Peter Graves died in March, 2010, is remembered for not only his iconic work as Marshal Matt Dillon in Gun Smoke , but for his intimidating stature. Arness and Graves both went into acting and both landed memorable roles on long-running television dramas. While Graves is remembered for his hard-boiled performance in...Read Full Story

Gunsmoke “Gunsmoke; starring James Arness as Matt Dillon”. These words heralded the beginning of one of Old West Stories favorite television shows, the Gunsmoke Television series from 1955, the first of 635 shows over 20 seasons.  The show holds the record for the longest running show with the most episodes in all of US television history. Gunsmoke is one of those Old West Stories that appears in books, on radio, television and as a movie.  It portrays the life and adventure of an old...Read Full Story

It takes a special kind of lawman to carry on for 20 years in the Wild West of TV. Matt Dillon, the mythical marshal of Dodge City, stood tall – all 6 feet, 6 inches of him – on “Gunsmoke” from 1955 to 1975. He outlasted dozens of other Western heroes while making history on TV’s longest-running dramatic series, a record that held until NBC’s “Law & Order” tied the CBS Western’s record in 2010. Through all those gunslinging years, James Arness, who died Friday, kept Marshal Dillon...Read Full Story

LYNN ELBER AP Television Writer James Arness, the 6-foot-6 actor who towered over the television landscape for two decades as righteous Dodge City lawman Matt Dillon in "Gunsmoke," died Friday. He was 88. The actor died in his sleep at his home in Brentwood, Calif., according to his business manager, Ginny Fazer. Arness' official website posted a letter from Arness on Friday that he wrote with the intention that it be posted...Read Full Story

LYNN ELBER AP Television Writer James Arness, the 6-foot-6 actor who towered over the television landscape for two decades as righteous Dodge City lawman Matt Dillon in "Gunsmoke," died Friday. He was 88. The actor died in his sleep at his home in Brentwood, Calif., according to his business manager, Ginny Fazer. Arness' official website posted a letter from Arness on Friday that he wrote with the intention that it be posted...Read Full Story