How Each Gunsmoke Cast Member Died

did you grow up watching the great american western show gunsmoke this was a spin-off from a long-running radio series that entertained millions of americans when the show transitioned from radio to tv it became a cultural phenomenon the show's success was due to its superb writing and direction but the main reason for its success was its on-screen talent the gunsmoke cast is an ensemble of some of the finest actors and actresses that america has produced generations both young and old will forever be entertained by the tale of marshall matt dillon as he attempts to keep the peace in dodge city sadly many of the main gunsmoke cast members are no longer with us let's look back at their fascinating lives and catch up with one of the surviving members of the main cast gunsmoke was the classic western tale of a troubled town that needed someone to make sure law and order was enforced in the original radio series william conrad voiced the role of marshall matt dillon in the tv series matt dillon was played by actor james arness arness was born in minneapolis in 1913 as the son of businessman ralph arness and his wife ruth who was a journalist as a young man he had a variety of odd jobs including working as a courier for a jewelry business loading and unloading railway boxcars as well as a stint as a logger in idaho he later served in world war ii and was given many laurels for his service including the bronze star the purple heart and the world war ii victory medal after finishing his service he returned to minneapolis where he found work as a radio announcer the showbiz bug had bit him and he was determined to find work in films he found work in many great films including the farmer's daughter the thing from another world hondo gunned the man down and big jim mclean much of his later roles involved acting alongside classic western hero john wayne the two of them became great friends and rumor has it john wayne turned down a role in a new tv series and recommended that arness get the role that role was of course to play marshall matt dillon in gunsmoke arness played the role throughout the series his entire run from 1955 to 75. after it ended he found fame in two other classic shows how the west was won and mclean's law however it's his work in gunsmoke that we'll always remember and love him he passed away from natural causes in 2011. hey if you're enjoying this so far make sure you give this video a like and subscribe to facts verse if you haven't already and stick around for more about how each gunsmoke cast member died every great western show or film has to have a few scenes in a saloon and the saloon has to be run by a beautiful proprietress in gunsmoke the saloon proprietors was kitty and she was played by actress amanda blake blake had spent much of her early career working in films she mostly had bit parts with the occasional lead or supporting role her big break was in gunsmoke when she was cast as kitty a role she played for 19 years quitting a year before the show ended when asked why she quit she joked 19 years is a hell of a long time for someone to be stuck behind a bar amanda blake spent the remainder of her career landing roles in tv shows and occasional films sadly she passed away at age 60 in 1989 due to complications from aids it's believed she contracted the virus from her fourth husband mark spaith who can forget the beloved doc adams he appeared in over 600 episodes and became one of the favorite supporting characters he was played by actor milburn stone who had a long career in films among these varied films included work in the classic john ford film young mr lincoln and samuel fuller's classic film noir up on south street but he catapulted to fame when he got his role in gunsmoke he loved the role and could have easily appeared in all 635 episodes unfortunately he began having heart problems in the early 70s he underwent heart surgery following a heart attack and didn't appear in several episodes he returned towards the end of the show following his recovery however after the show ended milburn stone's health was never the same he retired from acting and passed away from a heart attack in 1980 another great character from the show was chester played by dennis weaver jester was the stiff-legged deputy who helped matt dillon keep the peace in dodge city dennis weaver had experience acting in plays and had a few bit parts in films his big break came when he joined gunsmoke he actually failed his first audition but requested a second chance in the second one he put on a stronger country accent and added a bit of humor to his line reading that second audition landed him the role and any fan of gunsmoke can't imagine anyone but dennis weaver playing chester he played him for 290 episodes and left the show in 1964. he later became the star of his own show kentucky jones he continued to act in film and tv for the rest of his career this included work in shows such as stone and buck james he also had a role in duel one of steven spielberg's earliest films his final role was as henry in the show wildfire he passed away in 2006 due to complications from cancer marshall matt dillon's sidekick was fastest played by ken curtis ken had years of experience acting in film and tv including roles in many great westerns such as the film the alamo and the tv show rawhide he also had a brief career as a singer but his big break came when he was cast as festus he played a few one-off characters in earlier seasons of the show but joined as festus in the eighth he became a permanent member of the cast with the ninth season was also one of the most loved characters on the show and it was as festus that ken curtis found fame he spent much of his later career in tv including playing hoyt coryell in the yellow rose he passed away in 1991 from a heart attack in his sleep there was one actor who had a smaller role in gunsmoke appearing as quint in 50 episodes from 1962 to 65 but this actor would eventually become larger than life and will always be considered an icon of american entertainment this was none other than burt reynolds by this time burt reynolds had spent much of his career playing bit parts in film and tv his most notable work had been as ben frazier in the show riverboat but gunsmoke gave him his big break audiences loved the charm and charisma of the handsome actor it was after gunsmoke he continued to get regular work he solidified his position as one of america's finest actors in films like smoking the bandit the longest yard and the best little whorehouse in texas and of course deliverance which could be considered his best film even as he aged he continued acting in films like citizen ruth striptease boogie nights and the film version of the dukes of hazzard he passed away in 2018 from a heart attack but there's still footage from a movie called an innocent kiss that will be released in 2021 from the main gunsmoke cast buck taylor who played newly is still with us he spent much of his early career taking minor roles in films and tv he had an affinity for the western genre and began taking on roles in western films and tv shows like other members of the gun smoke cast he got his big break when he joined the show he played cowboy newly o'brien in 1967. his most recent appearance has been as emmett walsh in the tv show yellowstone he's currently starring in a film called the captives which is in pre-production which character from gunsmoke was your favorite let us know in the comments section below and before you move on make sure you give this video a like and subscribe to fax verse if you haven't already click the bell icon to stay updated on all our latest content you

Channel: Facts Verse

Views: 252,037

Keywords: How Each Gunsmoke Cast Member Died, the death of each gunsmoke cast member, death of each gunsmoke cast member, gunsmoke cast members, Gunsmoke cast member, Facts verse, Facts verse presents, gunsmoke cast members death, death of gunsmoke cast members, Gunsmoke Cast then and now, Gunsmoke Cast member today, Gunsmoke Cast now, Gunsmoke Cast facts, facts about the Gunsmoke cast members, the Gunsmoke Cast through the years, james arness, amanda blake, before and after

Id: yBW2L6WM7AA

Length: 8min 6sec (486 seconds)

Published: Tue Apr 27 2021