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James Arness
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Gunsmoke Burt Reynolds, wearing a fringed buckskin jacket, smiles at James Arness, who is dressed as a cowboy, in a black-and-white promotional photo for Gunsmoke.
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James Arness

American actor
Also known as: James King Aurness
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Gunsmoke
Gunsmoke Ken Curtis (left) in the role of Festus Haggen and James Arness as Marshal Matt Dillon in a scene from the television western series Gunsmoke.

James Arness was an American actor best known for his role as Marshal Matt Dillon in the long-running television western series Gunsmoke. The series aired on CBS for 20 seasons from 1955 to 1975, making it the longest-running prime-time western in history. Set in Dodge City, Kansas, in the 1890s, Gunsmoke focused on Dillon's efforts to maintain law and order. Arness starred in the role for the entire duration of the show and reprised it in several made-for-TV movies after the series concluded. His portrayal of the stoic marshal became iconic in American television history.1

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2 Britannica Sources
  1. Gunsmoke
  2. Richard Boone

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