Norman Macdonnell an anthology series they had done. Their boss at CBS, Harry Ackerman, and other network executives dismissed that title, preferring "Gunsmoke", a program heading that Ackerman himself was credited with conceiving. Once given permission to proceed with "Gunsmoke", Macdonnell began developing a detailed production schedule for the new series' 30-minute episodes and arranging auditions to cast its recurring characters. His and Meston’s "Jeff Spain" soon became United States Marshal Matt Dillon, and veteran voice actor William Conrad was chosen by Macdonnell, Meston, and two other CBS screeners to portray that lead character. Other seasoned actors soon filled the needed regular
Matt Dillon Movie Award for Best Villain. In 2002, he wrote and directed the film "City of Ghosts", starring himself, James Caan and Gérard Depardieu. In 2005, he starred in "Factotum", a film adaptation of an autobiographical work by Charles Bukowski. Two years later he received critical praise and earned Best Supporting Actor Golden Globe and Academy Award nominations for his role in "Crash", a film co-written and directed by Paul Haggis. In 2005, Dillon co-starred in Disney's "" and on March 11, 2006 hosted "Saturday Night Live", in which he impersonated Greg Anderson and Rod Serling in sketches. Dillon starred in