Peter Graves passed away only one year before his older brother James Arness. Peter Graves died on March 14, 2010 while James Arness died on June 3, 2011.
"No disease, nothing untoward, he just got tired, I guess," she said. Arness was best known for his 20 years on TV playing Matt Dillon, the U.S. marshal in the dusty wild-west town of Dodge City, Kansas, a role for which he was recommended by his showbiz mentor and friend, the film star John Wayne.
Why did James Arness and Peter Graves have different last names?
Early life
The family name had been Aursnes, but when Rolf's father, Peter Aursnes, emigrated from Norway in 1887, he changed it to Aurness. Arness and his family were Methodists. Arness' younger brother was actor Peter Graves. Peter used the stage name "Graves", a maternal family name.
Peter Graves (born Peter Duesler Aurness; March 18, 1926 – March 14, 2010) was an American actor who portrayed Jim Phelps in the television series Mission: Impossible from 1967 to 1973 and in its revival from 1988 to 1990. His elder brother was actor James Arness.
In the unedited version, there is an odd scene where Matt and Chester approach a gypsy in Dodge City played by James Arness's wife at the time, Virginia Chapman. She is uncredited in this show; however, in a previous episode, Reed Survives (1955), she is credited as a gypsy but never seen.
Did Dennis Weaver and James Arness get along on Gunsmoke?
' ” Arness, who remained close to Weaver after he left the series, praised him as a “really fine actor.” “We really liked each other a whole lot,” Arness said.
A: Matt Dillon (James Arness) and Kitty (Amanda Blake) never married during the series 1955-75 run, although close watchers of the show were convinced they had connected at some time. But in a 1973 episode, Matt had a brief affair with another woman, Mike Yardner (Michael Learned), while he had amnesia.
Wounded in the leg during the 1944 invasion at Anzio, Italy, Arness was hospitalized for a year and left with a slight limp. He returned to Minneapolis to work as a radio announcer and in small theater roles.
Amanda Blake, who played Miss Kitty, grew tired of commuting from her Phoenix home to Hollywood and quit the show in 1974. --that`s a nasty thing for me to say, but it`s true,'' she said, grinning. Blake went on to live through her own personal drama. She got cancer.
Why did Miss Kitty and Matt never kiss on Gunsmoke?
They knew that if he kissed her, the next time he better kiss her twice, show a little more passion.” As James Arness told the Archive of American Television, “I think they felt that… you could only go so far with it and then you'd have to change the character and nature of the show, so they kept it in that groove.
Kitty and Matt were clearly devoted to each other. They NEVER expressed any outward affection. I blame the producers and writers of the show. They wanted chemistry between the characters, not open displays of affection and emotion.
Following from Wikipedia — Miss Kitty was written out in 1974. The actress said she was tired and quit to protect the cast and crew she loved so much. When Blake decided not to return for the show's 20th (and final) season, the character was said to have returned to New Orleans.
He is survived by his wife, Janet Surtees of Brentwood, Los Angeles, California; son, Rolf Arness; stepson, Jim Surtees; six grandchildren, and a great grandchild. His adopted son, Craig, passed away in 2004 and his daughter Jenny passed away in 1975.
