Matt Dillon (Gunsmoke) no uncertain terms that he had no interest whatsoever. (Wayne was arguably the cinema's foremost box office attraction at the time.) Warren stated that the inquiry had not been serious inasmuch as Wayne could not realistically have been expected to abandon a thriving movie career for a less certain and immensely less lucrative television role. Wayne did, however, recommend James Arness for the part and his offer to introduce the first episode was readily accepted by CBS. Others who had auditioned for the part included Raymond Burr, Richard Boone, Denver Pyle, and William Conrad. All would go on to other
Hugh Dillon a 2007 Genie Award for Best Supporting Actor for his role in "". He starred opposite Vera Farmiga in the Sundance Film Festival award-winning movie, "Down to the Bone". Dillon has guest-starred on various television programs, including "The Eleventh Hour", "ReGenesis", "". He has also created voice-overs a number of television and radio advertisements. Dillon starred as Mike Sweeney in the Canadian dramatic series "Durham County". His performance earned him a Gemini nomination for Best Actor in 2008; the show itself won five Gemini awards and its second season was aired on TMN and Movie Central. Dillon starred as Sergeant