Why is james arness so popular?is he any actor?”
James Arness (born as James Aurness on May 26, 1923, Minneapolis, Minnesota) is an Emmy-nominated American actor best known for portraying Marshal Matt Dillon on Gunsmoke for 20 years. Arness has the distinction of having played the role of Marshal Matt Dillon in five separate decades: 1955 to 1975 in the weekly series, then in the decade of the 1980s (1987) Return to Dodge, and four more made-for-TV Gunsmoke movies in the 1990s. Arness’s parents were Rolf Cirkler Aurness and Ruth Duesler, descendants of Norwegian and German immigrants. Arness attended Washburn High School (Class of 1941). Arness is the older brother of actor Peter Graves. He was the tallest actor ever to play a lead role, standing 6 feet 7 inches. Though primarily identified with Westerns, he also is remembered for appearing in two science fiction films, The Thing from Another World (in which he portrayed a malevolent alien being) and Them!. He was a close friend of John Wayne and co-starred with him in Big Jim McLain
