James Arness (May 26, 1923 – June 3, 2011) was an American
actor, best known for portraying
Marshal Matt Dillon in the television series
Gunsmoke for 20 years. Arness has the distinction of having played the role of Dillon in five separate decades: 1955 to 1975 in the weekly series, then in (1987) and four more
made-for-television Gunsmoke 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. His younger brother was actor
Peter Graves.