James arness brother biography

American actor (1923–2011)

James Arness (born James King Aurness; May 26, 1923 – June 3, 2011) was an American actor, best known for portraying Marshal Matt Dillon for 20 years in the series Gunsmoke.

He 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-televisionGunsmoke films in the 1990s.

In Europe, Arness reached cult status for his role as Zeb Macahan in the Western series How the West Was Won. He was the older brother of actor Peter Graves.

Early life

James Arness was born in Minneapolis.^[1] His parents were businessman Rolf Cirkler Aurness and journalist Ruth Duesler.

His father's ancestry was Norwegian; his mother's was German.^[2] The family name had been Aursnes, but when Rolf's father, Peter Aursnes, emigrated from Norway in 1887, he changed it to Aurness.^[3] James Arness and his fami