#William smith actor gunsmoke movie
#William smith actor gunsmoke series
#William smith actor gunsmoke tv

#William smith actor gunsmoke tv

He also starred in a 1988 TV remake of Wayne's 1948 classic Red River, playing Wayne's role as Tom Dunson.Īn urban legend has it that John Wayne was offered the leading role of Matt Dillon in the longtime favorite television show Gunsmoke, but he turned it down, instead recommending James Arness for the role. He was a close friend of John Wayne and played supporting roles in films starring Wayne titled Big Jim McLain, Hondo, Island in the Sky and The Sea Chase, and starred in Gun the Man Down, a fast-paced Western, for Wayne's company. Though identified with Westerns, Arness also appeared in two science-fiction films, The Thing from Another World (in which he portrayed the titular character) and Them!. He was credited in The Farmer's Daughter as Aurness. His film debut was as Loretta Young's (Katie Holstrom) brother, Peter Holstrom, in The Farmer's Daughter.

#William smith actor gunsmoke movie

He made his movie debut at RKO, which immediately changed his name from 'Aurness'. ĭetermined to find work in films, Arness hitchhiked to Hollywood, where he made the rounds to agencies and casting calls and soon began acting and appearing in films. Acting career Īfter his discharge from the service, Arness began his entertainment career as a radio announcer at Minneapolis station WLOL in 1945. His military decorations included the Bronze Star, the Purple Heart, the American Campaign Medal, the European–African–Middle Eastern Campaign Medal with three bronze battle stars, the World War II Victory Medal, and the Combat Infantryman Badge. In his later years, he suffered from chronic leg pain that often became acute, and was sometimes initiated when he was mounted on horses during his performances on Gunsmoke. His wounds continued to trouble him, though, throughout the remainder of his life. After undergoing several surgeries, he was honorably discharged from the Army on January 29, 1945. His brother Peter (later known as actor Peter Graves) came to see him when he was beginning his long recuperation, assuring him to not worry about his injuries, that likely he could find work in the field of radio. He was severely wounded in his right leg during the Battle of Anzio, and medically evacuated from Italy to the US, where he was sent to the 91st General Hospital in Clinton, Iowa. 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. 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. He was drafted into the US Army and reported to Fort Snelling in March 1943. 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). Military service in World War II Īlthough Arness wanted to be a naval fighter pilot, he was concerned his poor eyesight would bar him. Īrness entered Beloit College that fall, where he joined the campus choir and became a member of Beta Theta Pi fraternity.

Despite 'being a poor student and skipping many classes,' he graduated from high school in June 1942. During this time, Arness worked as a courier for a jewelry wholesaler, loading and unloading railway boxcars at the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad freight yards in Minneapolis, and logging in Pierce, Idaho. Īrness attended John Burroughs Grade School, Washburn High School, and West High School in Minneapolis. Peter used the stage name 'Graves', a maternal family name. Arness' younger brother was actor Peter Graves. The family name had been Aursnes, but when Rolf's father, Peter Aursnes, emigrated from Norway in 1887, he changed it to Aurness.

His father's ancestry was Norwegian his mother's was German. His parents were businessman Rolf Cirkler Aurness and journalist Ruth Duesler. He was the older brother of actor Peter Graves.

#William smith actor gunsmoke series

In Europe, Arness reached cult status for his role as Zeb Macahan in the Western series How the West Was Won. Arness has the distinction of having played the role of Dillon in five 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. James Arness (born James King Aurness – June 3, 2011) was an American actor, best known for portraying Marshal Matt Dillon for 20 years in the CBS television series Gunsmoke.