James Arness Net Worth

James King Aurness was a Minneapolis, Minnesota-born American actor best known for his role as Marshall Matt Dillion in the television series “Gunsmoke”. Born to parents of Norwegian (father) and German (mother) descent, James was raised in a middle-class family. He came into the world on 26 May, 1923 and was active in the entertainment sector between 1947 and 1994, before he died on 3 June 2011 at the age of 88 years.

Once a domineering name in American television due to his impeccable acting skills, how wealthy was James at the time of his death? When James passed away he had managed to die a multi-millionaire as his net worth in 2011 was $10 million. Obviously, the major source of his income was his successful career in acting while his service in military has also served to add to his wealth.

James Arness Net Worth $10 Million

James’ father was a businessman and mother, a journalist. Although he was not quite a bright student in his school, James graduated from Minneapolis Washburn High School in 1942 and joined military services. His initial dream job was to be a naval fighter pilot but his height being 6ft 7inches (2.01m) barred him from realizing his dreams, so he served as a rifleman in the army during World War II, being wounded before he was honorably discharged at the end of the war, and this was when he found his inclination towards the entertainment industry.

As he started his acting career from 1947, he dropped “u” from Aurness to become James Arness. Debuting in the movie “The Farmer’s Daughter”, he then appeared in movies like “The Thing From Another World”, “Carbine Williams”, “The Girl in White”, “The Lone Hand” and many more before appearing in “Gunsmoke”. James became a star of the popular television drama “Gunsmoke”, from 1955 until 1975, appearing in 635 episode sof this long running drama. With this television appearance, James became one of the most recognized actors in America.

Apart from his iconic role in “Gunsmoke” which he reprised many times even after it ended in 1975, James played roles in television dramas like “How The West Was Won”, “McClain’s Law” and more. He found his fame in European countries with his role in the television series “How The West Was Won”. Also, he reprised the role of “Marshall Matt Dillion” in television movies of Gunsmoke such as “Gunsmoke: Return to Dodge”, “Gunsmoke II: The Last Apache” and three more. Overall James starred in more than 40 films as well as his TV appearances.

For his contribution to the field of entertainment and acting, James was rewarded with a star on the “Hollywood Walk Of Fame”. He has also been inducted into the “Western Performers Hall of Fame” and “Walk of Western Stars”. Furthermore, James was nominated for Emmy Awards thrice during his acting career. As much as popularity and fame, his career in acting added considerably to James’ wealth.

As for his personal life, James was married twice; his first wife was Virginia Chapman who was the mother to one of his sons. After their marriage ended in divorce in 1960, James married Janet Surtees in 1978, and she was with him until he died in 2011. While two of his children, a son and a daughter died untimely, this father of four died at the age of 88, in his Los Angeles, California, and rests in Forest Lawn Memorial Park Cemetery.