James Arness Bio, Net Worth, Age, Married, Wife, Children & Height

They say it’s not a matter in what field you are engaged, if you are working hard with equal dedication, you will definitely gain both name and fame. Keeping this in mind, the American actor James Arness build up his profession in acting, despite having a dream to be a naval fighter pilot.

James Arness was best known for starring Marshal Matt Dillon for twenty years in the CBS television series Gunsmoke. Besides, James had married twice in his life. With his second spouse, James shared four children. To know all the details about James Arness’s life including his bio, wiki, net worth, salary, and personal life, read this article till the end.

About Arness

James Arness was born as James King Aurness on May 26, 1923, in Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States. Arnes was of American nationality and used to belongs to the white ethnicity. James’ father, Rolf Cirkler Aurness was a business person, and his mother, Ruth Duesler was a journalist.

Moreover, James attended John Burroughs Grade School, Washburn High School, and West High School in Minneapolis. Previously, Arness worked as a courier for a jewelry wholesaler loading and unloading railway boxcars on Minneapolis ‘ Burlington freight yards, and logging in Pierce, Idaho. He graduated high school in June 1942, despite being a poor student and skipping classes.

Career Overview

Despite having a dream to be a pilot as a naval fighter, Arness’s dream came to the end because of his eyesight problem. Arness had served as a rifleman in the 3rd range in the United States during the Infantry Division. Arness entered Beloit College in Wisconsin after his service discharge.

Later, James had started his entertainment career at Minneapolis station WLOL in 1945 as a radio announcer. Some of his films include The Farmers’ Daughter, Roses are red, Man from Texas, Stars in My Crown, Flame of the Islands, and Gunsmoke: Return to Dodge.

His Marital Status

The star, James Arness was married twice in his life. Previously, Arness had tied the knot with his long-term girlfriend, Virginia Chapman in 1948. Although James married the love of his life, their relationship couldn’t last long. Despite spending more than a decade together, the couple never shared any children.

After the end of his first marriage, James exchanged his wedding vows with Janet Surtees. Through their marital relationship, the couple had four children Rolf Arness, Craig Arness, Jim Arness, and Jenny Lee Arness. There was a high rumor about a long-term relationship between James Arness and actress, Thordis Brandt, but they never get married. In fact, they never accepted their relationship in public. Apart, Arness had already become a grandfather of six grandchildren.

What’s His Net Worth?

The American actor, James Arness had maintained a net worth of $8 Million till he was alive. After appearing in numerous television series and movies, James earned a pretty good amount as his salary. Additionally, the only source of his earning was his acting career. He was also listed as the star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1960 at 1751 Vine Street. He used to reside in a million dollars house in Los Angeles, California.

On the other hand, the movies, he had appeared on as well in the entertainment industry. So from the movie’s success, he might have received a decent amount of money. Woody McClain, Brian Blosil, and Tom Rhys are some renowned American actors.