Us actor known for playing Marshal Matt Dillon in the popular TV series Gunsmoke
James Arness, who has died aged 88, may not have been the biggest film star ever, but he was certainly one of the tallest, at 6ft 7in. His height and large bulk made a lasting impression in his role of Us Marshal Matt Dillon in the television western series Gunsmoke, which Arness played for 20 years.
As the poker-faced, taciturn marshal of Dodge City who works to preserve law and order on the western frontier in the 1870s, Arness, in medium-close shots, often had to perform standing in a hole, or else other actors stood on boxes so their faces could be in frame. His height was also a factor in his casting in the title role of The Thing from Another World (1951), also known as The Thing, which gave impetus to his career.
Arness himself found the...
James Arness, who has died aged 88, may not have been the biggest film star ever, but he was certainly one of the tallest, at 6ft 7in. His height and large bulk made a lasting impression in his role of Us Marshal Matt Dillon in the television western series Gunsmoke, which Arness played for 20 years.
As the poker-faced, taciturn marshal of Dodge City who works to preserve law and order on the western frontier in the 1870s, Arness, in medium-close shots, often had to perform standing in a hole, or else other actors stood on boxes so their faces could be in frame. His height was also a factor in his casting in the title role of The Thing from Another World (1951), also known as The Thing, which gave impetus to his career.
Arness himself found the...
- 6/6/2011
- by Ronald Bergan
- The Guardian - Film News
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