'Gunsmoke' Star James Arness Dies at Age 88

James Arness, the 6-foot-6 actor who towered over the television landscape for two decades as righteous Dodge City lawman Matt Dillon in "Gunsmoke," died Friday.

He was 88.

The actor died in his sleep at his home in Brentwood, Calif., according to his business manager, Ginny Fazer.

Arness' official website posted a letter from Arness on Friday that he wrote with the intention that it be posted posthumously: "I had a wonderful life and was blessed with some many loving people and great friends," he said.

"I wanted to take this time to thank all of you for the many years of being a fan of Gunsmoke, The Thing, How the West Was Won and all the other fun projects I was lucky enough to have been allowed to be a part of. I had the privilege of working with so many great actors over the years."

As U.S. Marshal Dillon in the 1955-75 CBS Western series, Arness created an indelible portrait of a quiet, heroic man with an unbending dedication to justice and the town he protected.

The wealth and fame Arness gained from "Gunsmoke" could not protect him from tragedy in his personal life: His daughter and his former wife, Virginia, both died of drug overdoses.

Arness, a quiet, intensely private man who preferred the outdoor life to Hollywood's party scene, rarely gave interviews and refused to discuss the tragedies.

"He's big, impressive and virile," co-star Amanda Blake (Miss Kitty) once said of Arness, adding, "I've worked with him for 16 years, but I don't really know him."

The actor was 32 when friend John Wayne declined the lead role in "Gunsmoke" and recommended Arness instead. Afraid of being typecast, Arness initially rejected it.

"Go ahead and take it, Jim," Wayne urged him. "You're too big for pictures. Guys like Gregory Peck and I don't want a big lug like you towering over us. Make your mark in television."

Leslie Nielsen

Leslie Nielsen, Hollywood legend and comedic actor, has died at the age of 84. Nielsen died of complications from pneumonia in a hospital near his home in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida on Nov. 28. He was surrounded by his wife and family.
 
Leslie Nielsen was raised in Tulita (formerly Fort Norman), Northwest Territories. His father was a mountie and a strict disciplinarian. His mother was Welsh. Leslie studied at the Academy of Radio Arts in Toronto before moving on to New York's Neighborhood Playhouse. His acting career started at a much earlier age when he was forced to lie to his father in order to avoid severe punishment. Leslie has starred in over fifty movies and many more TV films. One of his two brothers became the deputy prime minister of Canada.


Nielsen played several serious roles early in his career but is perhaps best known for his comedy starring in such films as "Airplane!" and "Naked Gun." His film career spanned more than 50 years when he starred in 1956's "Forbidden Planet."

Nielsen played in many films during Hollywood's Golden Age that would be considered some of the best films during the time. "The Plainsman" was a western filmed in 1966 in which Nielsen played George Armstrong Custer as a colonel and before his famous "Last Stand." Nielsen also played in "Beau Geste" with Telly Savalas.

Nielsen is most often associated with the original "Airplane!" movie in which he plays a dimwitted doctor on a doomed commercial airline flight. The sequel did not have Nielsen in it but launched him to stardom when he starred in the campy television show "Police Squad" and its subsequent movies.

"Forbidden Planet" became a cult classic with sci-fi fans as Nielsen played Commander Adams as the leader of a crew of astronauts landing on a seemingly lifeless planet. When an alien stalks his crew, Nielsen must fight to save his crew.

Nielsen also gained fame for playing the captain of the ill-fated cruise ship in 1972's "The Poseidon Adventure." Later in his career, Nielsen played in many comedic spoof movies.

Nielsen was married four times and has two children. Nielsen authored an autobiography "Leslie Nielsen: The Naked Truth" in 1993. The book chronicles the actor's life in a hilarious take of his 40 years in show business at the time the book was printed.