James Arness, the lanky actor best remembered for his portrayal of the iconic Marshal Matt Dillon on the long-running American TV series "Gunsmoke", passed away on Friday of natural causes. He was 88.
He was born James King Aurness on May 26, 1923 in Minneapolis, Minnesota, the eldest son of Ruth and Rolf Aurness, older brother to Peter, who later changed his name and gained fame as actor Peter Graves.
