James Arness (born James King Aurness, May 26, 1923 â€" June 3, 2011)
was an American actor, best known for portraying Marshal Matt Dillon
for 20 years in the CBS television series Gunsmoke. Arness has the
distinction of having played the role of Dillon in five separate
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.James Aurness was born in Minneapolis,
Minnesota on May 26, 1923; he dropped the "u" in his last name when he
started acting. His parents were Rolf Cirkler Aurness (a businessman)
and Ruth Duesler (a journalist). His father's ancestry was Norwegian;
his mother's was German. The family name had been Aurness, but when
Rolf's father, Peter Aurness, emigrated from Norway in 1887, he
changed it to Arness. Arness and his family were Methodists. Arness'
younger brother was actor Peter Graves. Peter used the stage name
"Graves", a maternal family name.Arness attended John Burroughs Grade
School, Washburn High School, and West High School in Minneapolis.
During this time, Arness worked as a courier for a jewelry wholesaler,
loading and unloading railway boxcars at the Burlington freight yards
in Minneapolis, and logging in Pierce, Idaho. Despite "being a poor
student and skipping many classes", he graduated from high school in
June 1942.Although Arness wanted to be a naval fighter pilot, he was
concerned his poor eyesight would bar him. However, his 6-ft, 7-in
(2.01 m) frame ended his chances because the limit for aviators was
set at 6 ft, 2 in (1.88 m). He was drafted into the US Army and
reported to Fort Snelling, Minnesota, in March 1943. As a rifleman, he
landed on Anzio Beachhead on January 22, 1944, with the 2nd Platoon, E
Company, 2nd Battalion, 7th Infantry Regiment of the 3rd Infantry
Division. Arness - due to his height - was the first man to be ordered
off his landing craft to determine the depth of the water; it came up
to his waist. He was severely wounded in his right leg during the
Battle of Anzio, and medically evacuated from Italy to the U.S., 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 back in the U.S., 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. His
wounds continued to trouble him, though, throughout the remainder of
his life. In his later years, he suffered with chronic leg pain that
often became acute, and was sometimes initiated when he was mounted on
horses during his performances on Gunsmoke. His military decorations
included the Bronze Star, the Purple Heart, the
European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal with three bronze
battle stars, the World War II Victory Medal, and the Combat
Infantryman Badge.
was an American actor, best known for portraying Marshal Matt Dillon
for 20 years in the CBS television series Gunsmoke. Arness has the
distinction of having played the role of Dillon in five separate
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.James Aurness was born in Minneapolis,
Minnesota on May 26, 1923; he dropped the "u" in his last name when he
started acting. His parents were Rolf Cirkler Aurness (a businessman)
and Ruth Duesler (a journalist). His father's ancestry was Norwegian;
his mother's was German. The family name had been Aurness, but when
Rolf's father, Peter Aurness, emigrated from Norway in 1887, he
changed it to Arness. Arness and his family were Methodists. Arness'
younger brother was actor Peter Graves. Peter used the stage name
"Graves", a maternal family name.Arness attended John Burroughs Grade
School, Washburn High School, and West High School in Minneapolis.
During this time, Arness worked as a courier for a jewelry wholesaler,
loading and unloading railway boxcars at the Burlington freight yards
in Minneapolis, and logging in Pierce, Idaho. Despite "being a poor
student and skipping many classes", he graduated from high school in
June 1942.Although Arness wanted to be a naval fighter pilot, he was
concerned his poor eyesight would bar him. However, his 6-ft, 7-in
(2.01 m) frame ended his chances because the limit for aviators was
set at 6 ft, 2 in (1.88 m). He was drafted into the US Army and
reported to Fort Snelling, Minnesota, in March 1943. As a rifleman, he
landed on Anzio Beachhead on January 22, 1944, with the 2nd Platoon, E
Company, 2nd Battalion, 7th Infantry Regiment of the 3rd Infantry
Division. Arness - due to his height - was the first man to be ordered
off his landing craft to determine the depth of the water; it came up
to his waist. He was severely wounded in his right leg during the
Battle of Anzio, and medically evacuated from Italy to the U.S., 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 back in the U.S., 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. His
wounds continued to trouble him, though, throughout the remainder of
his life. In his later years, he suffered with chronic leg pain that
often became acute, and was sometimes initiated when he was mounted on
horses during his performances on Gunsmoke. His military decorations
included the Bronze Star, the Purple Heart, the
European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal with three bronze
battle stars, the World War II Victory Medal, and the Combat
Infantryman Badge.
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