In the American TV show "Gunsmoke" who played the character Matt Dillon?

James Arness (Aurness, May 26, 1923 – June 4, 2011) was an American actor, best known for portraying Marshal Matt Dillon for 21 years in the CBS television series "Gunsmoke". He had the distinction of having played the role of Dillon in five decades: 1955 to 1976 in the weekly series, then in "Gunsmoke: Return to Dodge" (1987) and four more made-for-television "Gunsmoke" films in the 1990s.

Arness was born in Minneapolis. His parents were businessman Rolf Aurness and journalist Ruth Duesler. His father's ancestry was Norwegian; his mother's was German. The family name had been Aursnes, but when Rolf's father, Peter Aursnes, emigrated from Norway in 1887, he changed it to Aurness.

"Gunsmoke" was created by director Norman Macdonnell and writer John Meston. It centers on Dodge City, Kansas, in the 1870s, during the settlement of the wild American West.

The central character is lawman Marshal Matt Dillon, played by William Conrad on radio and James Arness on television. The TV series ran from September 10, 1955, to March 31, 1975, on CBS, with 635 total episodes. The first 12 seasons aired Saturdays at 10 pm, seasons 13 through 16 aired Mondays at 7:30 pm, and the last four seasons aired Mondays at 8 pm. During its second season in 1956, the program joined the list of the top-10 television programs broadcast in the United States. It quickly moved to number one and stayed there until 1961.