John Wayne could have played Matt Dillon. Instead, he helped James Arness land the role that defined his career.

James Arness, the towering actor best known for portraying Marshal Matt Dillon, the strong and commanding symbol of frontier justice on the landmark TV western series "Gunsmoke," died Friday. He was ...

When considering the vast catalog of Western television programs, there is only one series that reigns not only as the leading champion of the televised genre, but sits on the throne as the "gold ...

Add Yahoo as a preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. Born Peter and James Aurness in Minneapolis, the brothers took different professional names and very different paths to stardom.

Across five pieces, John Wayne is shown as a transformative figure in American Western cinema: he famously passed on Gunsmoke ...