Gunsmoke Gunsmoke Gunsmoke is an American radio and television Western drama series created by director Norman Macdonnell and writer John Meston. The stories take place in and around Dodge City, Kansas, during the settlement of the American West. The central character is lawman Marshal Matt Dillon, played by William Conrad on radio and James Arness on television. When aired in the UK, the television series was initially titled Gun Law, later reverting to "Gunsmoke". The radio series ran from 1952 to 1961. John Dunning wrote that among radio drama enthusiasts, ""Gunsmoke" is routinely placed among the best shows of any kind
James Arness 1996, "TV Guide" ranked him number 20 on its 50 Greatest TV Stars of All Time list. Arness was nominated for the following Emmy Awards: James Arness James Arness (born James King Aurness, May 26, 1923 – June 3, 2011) was an American actor, best known for portraying Marshal Matt Dillon for 20 years in the CBS television series "Gunsmoke". Arness has the distinction of having played the role of Dillon in five separate decades: 1955 to 1975 in the weekly series, then in "" (1987) and four more made-for-television "Gunsmoke" films in the 1990s. In Europe, Arness reached cult