Matt Dillon (Gunsmoke) 1840) trying to take a bath in a wooden washtub without fully undressing left his soul a little warped. Anyway, there'd have to be something wrong with him or he wouldn't have hired on as a United States Marshal in the heyday of Dodge City, Kansas." Notwithstanding Meston's original vision, the character evolved considerably during "Gunsmoke"s nine-year run on CBS Radio and its 20-year run on CBS Television (Columbia Broadcasting System). On the radio series which ran from 1952 until 1961, Matt was portrayed by William Conrad, whose deep and resonant voice helped to project a larger than life presence.
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