James Arness is an American actor who career comprised mainly of his role on the long running television show Gunsmoke. He also starred in a lot of movies and his vast career has lasted more than 58 years which is a very good accomplishment for any actor.
Early Life:
James was born on the 26th of May 1923 to parents Rolf and Ruth. His father Rolf was a traveling sales man specializing in medical supplies and his mother was a stay at home mom until she because a news paper columnist. During his early years he attended West High School in Minneapolis where he stared in a few school plays, but surprisingly he did not have much interest in taking up acting as a career. By the time James left high school he was standing about 6'7 ready to face the world, but his plans were interrupted by a draft notice which he received while at Beloit College. James answered his countries call to arms and joined the 3rd Infantry Division, soon he was sent off to Casablanca to aid in the invasion of Anzio. Things were going fine until ten days after the invasion; he was seriously wounded in his leg by German gun fire which resulted in his medical discharge.
TV Career:
After leaving the army and trying out a career in radio broadcast James took the advice of a childhood friend and went to Hollywood in search of work as an extra on films. Little did he know that a few years later he would be casted for the lead role in Gunsomke. In 1955 he was recommended by John Wayne for the role of Marshal Matt Dillon in Gunsomke and after landing the role he worked on this show for more than 20 years. He is only the only character to be featured in more than six hundred episodes of this popular show. James and the other actors from Gunsmoke did such a great job that the show was nominated for 4 Golden Globes and won 11 other awards plus more than 14 other nominations. After Gunsmoke ended James went on to star in Red River, The Alamo: Thirteen Days to Glory, and McClain's Law. As you can tell James Arness was a true western actor; most of his small screen and big screen work focused on westerns, and because of that he has not done much acting in recent years, but he is still considered a acting legend and do not be surprised if you see his name in the credits of upcoming movies.
Other achievements:
Because he helped to portray the character Marshal Matt Dillon on Gunsmoke in such good light James Arness has been honored with the title of Honoray United States Marshal. If this show were still around today I do not think this would happen because so many times the police are seen as the "bad guys" and the audience ends up cheering for the real bad guys. If you have not had the chance to check out any of his work I strongly suggest you do so. Sometimes the classics are the best shows around.
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