Moreover, James attended John Burroughs Grade School, Washburn High School, and West High School in Minneapolis. Fv 27, 2023 . Located on 1,400 acres of land in Simi Valley, California, the Gunsmoke star's former ranch is owned by the Brandeis-Bardin Institute. In 1978, James and Janet tied the knot at a wedding in Brentwood, Los Angeles wedding. James Arness, who played Marshal Matt Dillon on Gunsmoke, eventually became CBSs most important actor overall. Janet still lives in Los Angeles where she lived with James before his passing, according to Celeb Suburb. s.src = p + "://api.content-ad.net/Scripts/widget2.aspx?" In 1948 he married Virginia Chapman and adopted her child from Craig's previous marriage. Despite having a dream to be a pilot as a naval fighter, Arnesss dream came to the end because of his eyesight problem. Your email address will not be published. He is father of Three(Craig Aurness, Rolf Aurness, Jenny Lee Aurness). We just started talking, and he was a skier, and I was into skiing.". The whole package just came together.. They tied the knot in 1978 and lived in Brentwood, Los Angeles. She was 60. By the time they were finished, others had left, but their litters remained scattered around. He was also listed as the star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1960 at 1751 Vine Street. Please fill in your e-mail so we can share with you our top stories! 'https' : 'http'; He met her four yearsafter his divorce fromChapman and dated herfor six years. So, even after 33 years of marriage, there isnt a lot of information about the Hollywood actors wife. (Photo: Twitter) if(typeof ez_ad_units!='undefined'){ez_ad_units.push([[300,250],'hollywoodmask_com-large-mobile-banner-1','ezslot_10',173,'0','0'])};__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-hollywoodmask_com-large-mobile-banner-1-0'); Another report from The OCRreveals she wasemotionally troubled and had previouslyattempted suicide twice, in 1959 and 1960. Arness' daughter Jenny committed suicide on 12th May 1975 by drug overdose. Garner was born in Norman, Oklahoma, United States of America, and at the moment of his death, Garner was 86 years old. Janet remarked, After we were through, what had truly struck me about Jim was he stood up and he picked up all the trash that had been left on the ground by people who had camped there before and he put it in his saddlebag. He tidied up the entire area, and I thought, Now, thats a cool man. Many of them I never had a chance to see when we did them because it was (on television) on Saturday night and I was usually out doing something else at the time. He married his wife Janet Surtees on December 16, 1978. . Jim used to enjoy going to this grocery store and spending money. Jamess make-up artist on the set of Gunsmoke married the woman who owned the clothing store. On the other hand, the movies, he had appeared on as well in the entertainment industry. However, after one magical date, James didnt call Janet for three months! James Arness is married to Janet Surtees. Sadly, Chapman passed away in 1977 after a heroin overdose. They were last married in 1978 to Janet Surtees. During the 20th and final season of GUNSMOKE (1955-1975), . Copyright 2012-2023 Social Sweethearts GmbH. id: "beb5f82f-dce3-49e6-a836-cf24eb78a6f6", Arness' 20-year prime-time run as the marshal was tied only in recent times, by Kelsey Grammer's 20 years as Frasier Crane from 1984 to 2004 on "Cheers" and then on "Frasier." . James Arness was best known for playing Marshal Matt Dillon for two decades on CBS Gunsmoke. 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L-R: Actors James Arness, Milburn Stone, Amanda Blake, Ken Curtis and Burt Reynolds (seated). Then there was a knock at the door. Jim Backus. Arness and his wifeVirginia Chapman in 1956. The two met during the last season of Gunsmoke. According to the coroner's office, she wasfound dead in herbeach home. He did an outstanding job in the lead role of U.S. A: Matt Dillon (James Arness) and Kitty (Amanda Blake) never married during the series 1955-75 run, although close watchers of the show were convinced they had connected at some time. His chest- waist, and hips measurements were 48-36-36 respectively. Janet Surtees Arness is. James Arness married two women in his lifetime the first, a woman with whom he shared three kids, faded into obscurity after their divorce, but the second lady stood by his side till death parted them. During an interview, Janet opened up about the night she met James. Andrew Dorff Cause of Death: What Happened to Andrew Dorff? The star, James Arness was married twice in his life. His fans were certainly devasted by this tragic news. In reality, Wayne suggested Arness for the part and even introduced the first episode of Gunsmoke. Also get to know more about Fatima Bhutto,Sheridan Smith, and Lara Pulver. However, James and Janet never had any children together. His father belonged to Norwegian ancestry whereas his mother's belonged to German. James wrote, 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. Wayne was still making box office hits at the time anyway, so it would have been a shocker for him to take a lead part in the then-nascent world of television. 20 Things You Didnt Know About The Good, The Bad And The Ugly, Gunsmoke: James Arness Called Wife Best Part of My Life. He didn't remarry for 18 whole years until Janet Surtees came along. He pursued acting as a profession, but most leading males refused to work with him due to his towering stature. Then there was a knock at the door. The Gunsmoke family was the thing that people got used to, and (they) wanted to see that in their homes on Saturday nights, you see, he told the Signal. Incredibly, although he played a Western hero for most of his life, the leg injury made it impossible for him to ride a horse. Arness passed away on June 3, 2011 at his Brentwood home from natural causes. Arness and Surtees were married for over 35 years at the time of his death in 2011. One night she [her friend] said, Well, Jim is coming over for dinner. She would later admit that she lost him to his work, describing him as a comet that left her lonely on earth. He graduated high school in June 1942, despite being a poor student and skipping classes. His father, Rolf Aurness, was a businessman, while his mother, Ruth, was a journalist. But in a 1973 episode, Matt had a brief affair with another woman, Mike Yardner (Michael Learned), while he had amnesia. James Arness was born in May 1923 in Minneapolis, and he passed away in June 2011. He grew up with his sibling, his younger brother, Peter Graves who is also an actor. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Arness was 88 years old. His younger brother Peter Greaves used the stage name "Graves" which was a maternal family name. 1960) Janet Surtees (m. 1978) James and Janet lived happily, even after his stint as Marshal Matt Dillon in "Gunsmoke" and his movies. "We were introduced to each other, we sat down, and Jim was so friendly he was just so down-to-earth, and my nervousness went away. Extremely private personality, James Arness refused to talk about his life's biggest tragedies. Your health is important to us. His father was a traveling salesman of medical supplies and his mother . But because of his poor vision and problem with eyesight was the major obstacle that blocked him from it. Then, what happened? He had a young brother named Peter who later gained fame as an actor named Peter Graves. Janet had one son (the previously mentioned Gunsmoke fan). Both his letter and his love story prove that James Arness was not just a gritty actor. The series was so huge it even got a 400-page "epic-length" paperback novelization of one of its first few episodes. James Arness and his wife went on the most romantic first date ever. Other than that, there is no controversy surrounding him. He died of natural causes at his home in Brentwood Brentwood, Los Angeles on June 3, 2011, at the age of 88. In the early 1960s, John Wayne took an interest in Arness and was instrumental in getting him cast in Gunsmoke, the show that would ultimately define his career for the next two decades. Jim is Surtees's first child from a previous relationship. As of June 3, 2011, James Arnesss life had ended at the age of 88. Arness was married twice, first to Virginia Chapman in 1948, and then to Janet Surtees in 1978. Full NameJames King Aurness Net Worth$8 Million Date of Birth26 May, 1923 NicknameJames Marital Status Married BirthplaceMinneapolis, Minnesota, U.S. His father was a vendor for surgical instruments while his mom stayed home to tend the house and raise the kids she later became a newspaper columnist, and her marriage with Rolf ended in the 40s. James Arness was married to in 1960 from Virginia Chapman. Who Is Ashton Kutcher Married To? Janet revealed that he was very polite and friendly. The two spent the entire night talking and at the end of the night, James asked Janet for her phone number. But she died of a drug overdose in 1975. Both James and Janet had children from previous marriages. . The tragedy does not stop there. However, in 1963, James Arness divorced Virginia Chapman. 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