James Arness, of 'Gunsmoke,' dies at 88

James Arness, 88, the iconic actor who rode "Gunsmoke" into history as the longest-running prime-time drama, has died. According to a statement on his website, he died of natural causes.

Almost as much as Lucille Ball and Walter Cronkite, Arness' Marshal Matt Dillon and "Gunsmoke" virtually defined CBS during a two-decade run when the network dominated TV. He was a tall, powerfully built actor in the mold of his mentor and friend, John Wayne.

Even though "Law & Order" matched the 20-season run of "Gunsmoke," the Western remains unsurpassed in the number of total episodes -- 635. "Gunsmoke," which launched Sept. 10, 1955, aired on three nights, Saturdays, Mondays and Tuesdays. But it was on Saturdays that it became a TV institution, ranking as TV's No. 1 series from 1957 through 1960.

"The secret of its great longevity is that he just fit that role so perfectly," said Jim Byrnes, a veteran "Gunsmoke" writer who also wrote and produced Arness' 1970s series, "How the West Was Won."

"He was a hoot -- a funny, funny guy who had a great sense of humor and a laugh you'd never forget. He was a great pleasure to be around."

Born in Minneapolis in 1923, Arness -- his birth name was Aurness, he later dropped the "u" at a producer's suggestion -- was drafted by the Army while studying at Beloit College in 1943. An injury cut short his service, and while recuperating in an Army hospital, his brother, Peter Graves -- who took the last name of another family branch -- suggested he go into radio.

Arness did, in Minneapolis, but a short time later went to Hollywood, almost immediately landing a role in "The Farmer's Daughter" with Loretta Young.

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His biggest break came a few years later when Wayne's agent attended a play in which he was performing. Wayne hired him as a contract player for his production company, Republic Pictures, and the two became friends.

By the early '50s, CBS had decided to create a TV version of its hit radio drama, "Gunsmoke," and began casting for Marshal Dillon of Dodge City. CBS wanted Wayne, who suggested Arness instead. But Arness had decided on a big-screen career, and turned CBS down. Arness later recalled in an interview with the TV Academy of Arts & Sciences "that I guess they then called Duke and he called me in and he said, "look, you'd be crazy not to take this thing . . . "

When "Gunsmoke" premiered in 1955, most Westerns were produced for kids. But this series was conceived as something of a "character study" for adult audiences. Dillon was to be a not entirely infallible law enforcer; producers worked hard at developing his human dimensions.

By the mid-1970s, audiences had moved on to other obsessions. Even after CBS canceled the show in 1975, five "Gunsmoke" movies starring Arness aired in later years.

Arness' 1948 marriage to actress Virginia Chapman ended in divorce in 1963. They had three children: Rolf Aurness, winner of the 1970 World Surfing Championship; Craig Aurness (Chapman's son, whom Arness adopted, a photographer), who died in 2004; and Jennie Aurness, who died in 1975.

He is survived by his second wife, Janet; two sons, Rolf and Jimmy; and six grandchildren. His brother, an actor best known for "Mission: Impossible," died in 2010.