James Arness

Born: May 26, 1923

A true television legend, he played Matt Dillion on "Gunsmoke" for 20 seasons which came to more than 600 episodes.  Before his television career he appeared in several films in the 1940's and 50's one of them being 1951's The Thing from Another World in which he played "The Thing."  He made his first television appearance in 1950 on "The Lone Ranger."  After "Gunsmoke" ended in 1975 he went on to work on such projects as "How the West Was Won" and "McClain's Law."  Between 1987 and 1994 he appeared in five "Gunsmoke" reunion movies.

He left us on June 3, 2011 - leaving behind an incredible legacy. 

In Memoriam Remembers:
James Arness    

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