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 ...

Gunsmoke finds Arness playing Marshal Matt Dillon, who is in charge of Dodge City. However, this town is an incredibly dangerous part of the West. Many of its citizens have no respect for the law and ...

'Gunsmoke' actor James Arness was the face of the Western television show, but he wasn't the cast member to receive the most fan letters. L-R: Amanda Blake as Kitty Russell, Milburn Stone as Doc Adams ...

Through all those gunslinging years, James Arness, who died Friday, kept Marshal Dillon righteous, peace-seeking and, most of all, believable. Fickle viewers can kill a TV hero as surely as a bullet ...

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 ...