There were many men testing to play Matt on Gunsmoke. CBS went through numerous options before they finally landed on Arness for the part. However, the actor didn’t initially want the part because he ...

James Arness, who was born on May 26, 1923, will forever be remembered as U.S. Marshal Matt Dillon, the role he played for two decades on Gunsmoke; he made the tough, rough and tumble lawman of Dodge ...

Offscreen, James Arness traded Dodge City’s saloon dust for the comfort of his own king-size bed. Photographed in 1956, the towering Gunsmoke star relaxes with a script for an upcoming episode, ...

James Arness, the 6-foot-6 actor who towered over the television landscape for two decades as righteous Dodge City lawman Matt Dillon in "Gunsmoke," died Friday. He was 88. The actor died in his sleep ...