Biography
The star of one of the longest-running shows in U.S. television history, Gunsmoke (1955). Born of Norwegian heritage (the family name, Aurness (formerly had been Aursness) in Minneapolis, Minnesota to Rolf and Ruth Duesler Aurness. His father was a traveling salesman of medical supplies and his mother later became a newspaper columnist. James attended West High School in Minneapolis. Although he appeared in school plays, he had no interest in performing, and dreamed instead of going to sea...
Known For
Complete Filmography
For the Love of Spock
2016
as Matt Dillon (archive footage)
The life of Mr. Spock, as well as that of Leonard Nimoy, the actor who played him for almost fifty years, written and directed by his son: Adam.
Gunsmoke: One Man's Justice
1994
as Matt Dillon
Retired marshal Dillon goes after a 15 year old boy who is determined to kill the men responsible for the murder of his mother during a stagecoach rob...
Gunsmoke: One Man's Justice
1994
Executive Producer
Retired marshal Dillon goes after a 15 year old boy who is determined to kill the men responsible for the murder of his mother during a stagecoach rob...
Gunsmoke: The Long Ride
1993
as Matt Dillon
For thirty years, Marshall Matt Dillon fought to preserve the law in Dodge City… now, he's wanted for murder and fighting to clear his name. Three dep...
Gunsmoke: The Long Ride
1993
Executive Producer
For thirty years, Marshall Matt Dillon fought to preserve the law in Dodge City… now, he's wanted for murder and fighting to clear his name. Three dep...
Gunsmoke: To the Last Man
1992
as Matt Dillon
Retired marshal Matt Dillon tracks Arizona rustlers and lands in the middle of the 1880s Pleasant Valley War.
Gunsmoke: The Last Apache
1990
as Matt Dillon
James Arness rides again as Matt Dillon, the US Marshal he made popular in the 1955-75 TV series. In this movie he goes after a renegade Apache named ...
John Wayne Standing Tall
1989
as Self - Host
Profile of one of the world's most popular motion picture stars, told through interviews with some of the artists who worked with him, family, friends...
Red River
1988
as Thomas Dunson
Remake of the 1948 John Wayne feature about a man who rebels against his tyrannical guardian during a crucial cattle drive.
The Alamo: Thirteen Days to Glory
1987
as Jim Bowie
Against orders and with no help of relief Texas patriots led by William Travis, Jim Bowie, and Davy Crockett defend the Alamo against overwhelming Mex...
Gunsmoke: Return to Dodge
1987
as Matt Dillon
Will Mannon, "product of the Devil's loins", is released from a frontier prison and promptly goes in search of the people who put him there around twe...
The Horror Show
1979
as (archive footage)
A history of horror movies.
The Macahans
1976
as Zeb Macahan
Zeb Macahan, a pioneering westerner, helps move his brother's family to the wild west. They run into several obstacles including the breakout of the C...
Alias Jesse James
1959
as Marshal Matt Dillon (uncredited)
Insurance salesman Milford Farnsworth sells a man a life policy only to discover that the man in question is the outlaw Jesse James. Milford is sent t...
Gun the Man Down
1956
as Rem Anderson
An outlaw is left for dead by his gang after being shot. A year later, he is released from jail with one thing on his mind: Revenge.
The First Traveling Saleslady
1956
as Joel Kingdom
At the turn of the century Rose and ex-showbiz friend Molly get involved in selling steel. When they come unstuck with corsets they embark on the even...
Flame of the Islands
1955
as Kelly Rand
A café singer buys a gambling casino and several men fall in love with her.
The Sea Chase
1955
as Schlieter
As the Second World War breaks out, German freighter captain Karl Ehrlich is about to leave Sydney, Australia with his vessel, the Ergenstrasse. Ehrli...
Many Rivers to Cross
1955
as Esau Hamilton
Robert Taylor and Eleanor Parker star as a Kentucky backwoodsman and the woman who will NOT let anything interfere with her plans to marry him in this...
Her Twelve Men
1954
as Ralph Munsey
An inexperienced female teacher is hired at a private elite school for boys where she raises a few eyebrows among the all-male faculty.
Them!
1954
as FBI Agent Robert Graham
As a result of nuclear testing, gigantic, ferocious mutant ants appear in the American desert southwest, and a father-daughter team of entomologists ...
Hondo
1953
as Lennie
Army despatch rider Hondo Lane discovers a woman and her son living in the midst of warring Apaches, and he becomes their protector.
The Veils of Bagdad
1953
as Targut
Antar is sent by Suleiman, head of the Ottoman Empire, to Bagdad to prevent Hammam, Pasha of Bagdad, from purchasing the services of local leader Must...
Island in the Sky
1953
as Mac McMullen
A C-47 transport plane, named the Corsair, makes a forced landing in the frozen wastelands of Labrador, and the plane's pilot, Captain Dooley, must ke...
The Lone Hand
1953
as Gus Varden
Zachary Hallock and his son Joshua are farmers who live in a frontier town that suffers the assaults of a band of outlaws. After the murder of a Pinke...
Horizons West
1952
as Tiny McGilligan
Brothers Dan and Neil Hammond return to Texas after the Civil War. Ambitious Dan turns to rustling and then shady land deals to build an empire. Being...
Hellgate
1952
as George Redfield
A man is framed and sent to the toughest prison in the territory.
Big Jim McLain
1952
as Mal Baxter
House Un-American Activities Committee investigators Jim McLain and Mal Baxter come to post war Hawaii to track Communist Party activities even though...
The Girl in White
1952
as Matt
The first female doctor in New York City comes up against prejudice from male counterparts who feel threatened by her skills. Eventually, though, they...
Carbine Williams
1952
as Leon Williams
David Marshall Williams is sent to a prison farm where he works in the tool shop and eventually develops the precursor of the famous M-1 Carbine autom...
Iron Man
1951
as Alex Mallick
In Coaltown, Pennsylvania, miner Coke Mason hopes to better himself, buy a radio store, and marry Rose Warren. His gambler brother George thinks Coke ...
The People Against O'Hara
1951
as John Fordman 'Johnny' O'Hara
A defense attorney jeopardizes his career to save his client.
Cavalry Scout
1951
as Barth
Kirby Frye, a former Confederate officer but now a Union Cavalry scout, is sent into Montana territory to locate and retrieve three Gatling Guns stole...
The Thing from Another World
1951
as 'The Thing'
Scientists and US Air Force officials fend off a blood-thirsty alien organism while investigating at a remote arctic outpost.
Two Lost Worlds
1951
as Kirk Hamilton
Shipwreck survivors land on an uncharted island inhabited by prehistoric beasts.
Wyoming Mail
1950
as Russell
In 1869, the United States begins a railroad mail service to the West Coast which proves highly tempting to train robbers, in particular an organized ...
Sierra
1950
as Little Sam (as Jim Arness)
Ring Hassard and his father Jeff, wild horse breakers, live in a hidden mountain eyrie as Jeff is wanted for a murder he didn't commit. Things change ...
In a Lonely Place
1950
as Young Detective (uncredited)
A violent screenwriter and a female neighbor fall in love after she clears him of murder, but she begins to have second thoughts.
Stars in My Crown
1950
as Rolfe Isbell (uncredited)
Civil War veteran Josiah Grey comes to a small town to be a gospel minister. In time, he has a family and many friends but also finds friction with a ...
Wagon Master
1950
as Floyd Clegg
Two young horse traders guide a Mormon wagon train to the San Juan Valley and encounter rugged terrain, the cutthroat Clegg gang, hospitable Navajo, a...
Battleground
1949
as Garby
Members of the U.S. Army's 101st Airborne Division are fighting for their country amidst the rugged terrain of Bastogne, Belgium, in December 1944. Ho...
The Man from Texas
1948
as (uncredited)
James Craig is torn between his criminal career as the masked bandit named the "El Paso Kid," and the life of a law-abiding citizen with his long-suff...
Roses Are Red
1947
as Ray (as James Aurness)
A crooked crime boss tries to put a crony into office.
The Farmer's Daughter
1947
as Peter Holstrom (as James Aurness)
After leaving her family's farm to study nursing in the city, a young woman finds herself on an unexpected path towards politics.