John Meston and refined the main characters who would populate his and Macdonnell's radio portrayal of Dodge. Jeff Spain soon became United States Marshal Matt Dillon, and veteran voice actor William Conrad was chosen by Meston, Macdonnell, and two other network audition judges to be the lawman and the series' central figure. Other seasoned actors filled the needed regular supporting roles, including Parley Baer as Marshal Dillon's trusty assistant Chester Proudfoot, Howard McNear as Dr. Charles "Doc" Adams, and Georgia Ellis, whose role in the series' early episodes would quickly evolve into the saloon "hostess" Kitty Russell. "Gunsmoke" was broadcast for the
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