The star of one of the longest-running shows in U.S. television history, Gunsmoke (1955). Born of Norwegian heritage (the family name, Aurness (formerly had been Aursness) in Minneapolis, Minnesota to ...

For 20 years, television audiences rode into Dodge City with Marshal Matt Dillon on a weekly basis, and when Gunsmoke finally ended in 1975, James Arness had quietly become one of the most familiar ...

After playing Marshal Matt Dillon for two decades on the hit CBS Western Gunsmoke, James Arness was suddenly without a job when the network axed the series without warning after 20 seasons. But did ...

The casting department had their work cut out for them when approaching the character of Matt. Actors lined up around the block to audition, but it took them some time to find the right fit. Arness ...

When it comes to Western TV shows, there’s none more iconic than Gunsmoke, which owes a lot of its legendary status to a single actor. The longest-running series in the genre’s history is chock-full ...