What Happened To The Cast Of Gunsmoke After The Hit Western Show Ended?

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It might be completely unknown to younger audiences. But CBS hit "Gunsmoke" was the longest-running prime-time show in U.S. television history until "The Simpsons" came along — the Fox animation series even referenced the fact when it achieved the feat in 2018. The western, which centered on U.S. Marshal Matt Dillon's attempts to protect Kansas' Dodge City in the aftermath of the American Civil War, lasted for 20 seasons and a whopping 635 episodes. It premiered in September 1955 and wrapped up in March 1975.

So what happened to the main cast members after they hung up their sharp-shooting, saloon-drinking boots? Who decided to stick with the genre that had launched them to fame? Who became one of the defining Hollywood stars of their generation? And who chose to quit the industry altogether? Furthermore, which actor is remarkably still in the business they call show? Here's a look at a dozen post-show careers.

The undisputed star of "Gunsmoke," James Arness picked up a trio of Emmy Award nominations during his 20-year stint as U.S. Marshal Matt Dillon. Perhaps unsurprisingly, the Minnesota native largely stayed within the genre once the long-running series came to an end.

Arness appeared in "The Macahans," "How The West Was Won," and "The Alamo: Thirteen Days to Glory" before assuming the role of Thomas Dunson previously played by western legend John Wayne in 1988's "Red River." A year later, Arness presented a tribute to Wayne in the 1989 TV special "Standing Tall." The veteran also returned to the world of "Gunsmoke" for its five TV movies, including his final screen appearance in 1994's "One Man's Justice."

Arness, who'd previously served in the U.S. Army during World War II, was also named an honorary U.S. Marshal during the recruitment documentary "America's Star." Sadly, he died in 2011 at the age of 88, leaving behind three children and his second wife, Janet Surtees. "I had a wonderful life and was blessed with some many loving people and great friends," he wrote (via Jacksonville.com) in a letter that he'd planned to be published posthumously on his website.  

Milburn Stone was another "Gunsmoke" ever-present, having played the town medic Galen 'Doc' Adams in nearly every one of its 20 seasons on air. The actor, who was in his early 70s when the show wrapped up, certainly earned the opportunity to put his feet up.

Indeed, Stone never graced the screen again, immediately retiring to his Rancho Santa Fe home with wife Jane Garrison. Sadly, the Kansas native, whose other credits include "The Spider Woman Strikes Back," "The Frozen Ghost," and "Captive Wild Woman," only got to enjoy five years away from the business. In 1980, nearly a decade after he underwent a coronary bypass, he died from a heart attack aged 75, leaving behind not only his spouse but also daughter Shirley Gleason and four grandkids.

Stone, who won Best Supporting Actor in a Drama at the Emmy Awards in 1968 for his turn in "Gunsmoke," had a somewhat relaxed approach to his craft. "Someone told me a long time ago, 'Acting is a great profession, but don't let anyone catch you at it,'" he once remarked (via The New York Times). "In other words, be as natural as possible."

Amanda Blake continued to pursue her acting career after saying goodbye to the character, saloon owner Kitty Russell, she'd played for all but one of the 20 years "Gunsmoke" was on air. She appeared in "The Love Boat," "Hart to Hart," and "The New Dragnet" on the small screen and made a rare film appearance in the 1988 drama "The Boost."

But it was Blake's animal activism that became her true passion. Just a year after the western wrapped up, she advocated for the banning of euthanizing dogs via decompression chamber. "People had money tied up in those chambers, and oh, did I get threats!" she told The Kansas City Star (via MeTV) about the pushback she received. "One guy at a county pound said, 'If I lose my job on this bill, I'm gonna get Amanda Blake and all her damn animals.' So I had to get extra security."

Perhaps surprisingly considering her most famous role, Blake was also against the concept of the rodeo. She even marched a group of protestors to the Colorado statehouse in a bid to get rodeos legislated against. "There were only about six of us and, of course, the bill died in committee," she recalled. "Walking out, some goofball comes up to me and says, 'Well, I'll never watch 'Gunsmoke' again.' And I say that's fine with me and I just sock him." Sadly, Blake died from AIDS-related complications in 1989, aged 60.

Dennis Weaver, who portrayed Deputy Chester Goode, had exited "Gunsmoke" long before it was taken off the air: His nine-year stint, for which he won an Emmy Award, came to an end in 1964. During the rest of the show's run, he continued to further establish himself in Hollywood, starring in the early Steven Spielberg movie "Duel," serving as the Screen Actors Guild's president, and landing his very own vehicle, the police drama "McCloud," in which he played the titular Deputy Marshal.

Weaver remained in demand throughout the following decades, appearing in countless TV movies, taking the lead role in medical drama "Buck James" and returning to the western genre in "The Great Battles of the Civil War." In the '00s, he voiced show cow owner Abner in "Home on the Range" and enjoyed a recurring role in the teen drama "Wildfire."

Like castmate Amanda Blake, Weaver was also a keen philanthropist, particularly in the field of saving the planet. He even relocated to Colorado in the late '80s to build his own solar-powered house. Sadly, the actor died in 2006 from cancer at the age of 81. "He was an American legend not only for his contribution to the acting community but for his extensive and inspirational environmental work," read a statement from ABC (via BBC News).

Dennis Weaver's loss proved to be Ken Curtis' gain in 1964 when he stepped in for the role of the town's new unkempt deputy Festus on "Gunsmoke." The actor already boasted a strong western pedigree, having appeared alongside legend John Wayne in both "The Quiet Man" and "The Searchers." And he continued to stick with the genre once the show finished.

Indeed, Weaver, who'd started his career as a singing cowboy, reunited with "Gunsmoke" director Robert Totten in 1976's "Pony Express Rider," played gang member Kelly Sutton in 1988's "Once Upon a Texas Train," and appeared opposite Sam Elliott as cattle rancher Seaborn Tay in 1991 TV movie "Conagher."

The latter proved to be Curtis' final role, as that same year, he died from natural causes in his sleep at the age of 74, leaving behind his third wife, Torrie Ahern Connelly, and two stepchildren. Keeping things western right until the end, he'd attended a rodeo just the day beforehand.

Burt Reynolds — read his untold truth — who'd played blacksmith Quint Asper on "Gunsmoke" for three years in the 1960s, was already a major superstar when the western bowed out. He'd taken center stage in wilderness thriller "Deliverance," football tale "The Longest Yard," and action movie "White Lightning," just to name a few. But his imperial phase undoubtedly started in 1977.

Indeed, well into the 1980s, Reynolds dominated the US box office thanks to hits such as "Smokey and the Bandit," "The Cannonball Run," and "The Best Little Wh***house in Texas." He was named the most bankable actor five years in a row! The heartthrob's stock eventually fell as the decade progressed, but he bounced back in the late '90s with an Academy Award-nominated turn as a director in Paul Thomas Anderson's "Boogie Nights."

Reynolds' personal life proved to be as eventful as his professional. He married, adopted a son with, and divorced fellow actor Lori Anderson; went bankrupt after falling into debt of approximately $11 million, and enjoyed an on-and-off, long-running affair with Sally Field (learn more about the actress). The sex symbol died from a heart attack at the age of 82 in 2018. "I always wanted to experience everything and go down swinging," he remarked (via BBC News) in his second memoir "But Enough About Me" three years earlier. "Well, so far, so good. I know I'm old, but I feel young. And there's one thing they can never take away: Nobody had more fun than I did."

Roger Ewing first appeared on "Gunsmoke" playing Ben Lukens before being brought in to fill the heartthrob vacancy left by Burt Reynolds' departure for an entirely different character. The actor ended up portraying Deputy Marshal Thad Greenwood for more than 52 episodes before he, too, was replaced in 1967 by Buck Taylor.

While Ewing had already quit acting by the time "Gunsmoke" wrapped up, he appeared in episodes of "The Mothers-in-Law" and "Death Valley Days" and the movies "Smith!" and "Play It As It Lays" before 1975. He subsequently turned to photography, a profession that allowed him to travel across Europe and Mexico, and in 2003, he made a bid to join his local Morro Bay city council.

Ewing died at the age of 83 in 2025 without ever walking down the aisle or having kids. Interestingly, shortly after he left "Gunsmoke," he competed on "The Dating Game," where he tried to romance none other than future superhero Lindsay Wagner, aka the original Wonder Woman.

It seems hard to believe, considering "Gunsmoke" ended more than 50 years ago and the fact that he was already in his late 30s at the time, but Buck Taylor, aka Deputy Newly O'Brien, is still racking up the acting credits! Yes, the only surviving main cast member most recently popped up in the 2025 western "Sod and Stubble."

Most of Taylor's filmography is rooted in the same genre. He's appeared in "Cattle Annie and Little Britches," "Triumphs of a Man Called Horse," and "The Alamo: Thirteen Days to Glory," for example, and '00s cinemagoers may well have seen him grace the likes of "Cowboys and Aliens" and "Hell or High Water." The latter's director, the oft-tragic Taylor Sheridan, was obviously impressed with what he saw. He cast Taylor as Emmett Walsh in his franchise-spawning western "Yellowstone," a role which lasted eight episodes.

In a 2024 interview with Cowboys and Indians, Taylor revealed that he found it difficult to work on "Gunsmoke" whenever he had a scene with leading man James Arness. "He had this great sense of humor, and I could not look him in the eye. If I looked him in the eye, I'd start laughing because I was always kind of the serious guy. I went in there and said, 'I'm not cracking jokes. I'm just doing my job.'"

Ted Jordan showed up as multiple characters on "Gunsmoke" over the years, playing everything from a jailhouse guard to a townsman. But his longest-running stint was as freight agent Nathan Burke.

Jordan went on to showcase his versatility with several roles in "The Waltons," "Eight Is Enough," and "How The West Was Won." He guested on "Dallas," "The Blue Knight," and "The Magical World of Disney," and graced the big screen in western comedy "The Apple Dumpling Gang Rides Again." However, it was his personal life that attracted the most attention.

Indeed, fed up with the string of biographies he felt didn't depict the real Marilyn Monroe, Jordan wrote his own based on his experiences with the Hollywood legend in the 1950s. "Norma Jean: My Secret Life with Marilyn Monroe" hit the shelves in 1989, but was also subjected to scrutiny from friends of the blonde bombshell who argued that the pair had never even met. They no doubt weren't particularly happy with what he had to say, either. "She couldn't act, she couldn't stand, she couldn't look at the camera," the actor, who died in 2005 aged 80, told the Los Angeles Times about their first introduction. "You would never say this girl is ever going to amount to anything. Absolutely never. She never would have made it the way she was. I mean, it was a different person." Here's a closer look inside Marilyn Monroe's relationship history.

James Nusser portrayed the town's resident hard drinker Louie Pheeters on "Gunsmoke" for dozens of episodes between 1961 and 1970. But the actor, who reportedly also had a problem with alcohol in real life, had also played several different characters before in guest parts. He suggested he was typecast initially, as he was simply credited as "Bum" in an early episode of "Gunsmoke."

Once his 14-year-stint on the show came to an end, Nusser appeared as a slightly more upstanding member of society, a doctor, on another western, the John Wayne-starring "Cahill U.S. Marshal." He also guested as "Jake the Junkman" on the '70s most wholesome family drama "The Waltons."

Nusser's last screen appearance came a year after "Gunsmoke" ended in the fifth season of CBS detective show "Cannon," where he played a guy named Ryan. The Californian, who'd also previously enjoyed recurring gigs in "Bat Masterson," "The Virginian," and "The Line Up," sadly died in 1979 at the age of 74.

Howard Culver showed up at least once in every single season of "Gunsmoke" as hotel clerk Howie Uzzell. The Colorado native had first caught attention in another western, and a radio one at that, as the titular heroic rancher in "Straight Arrow." But his latter-day career took an unlikely pivot into the world of horror.

Indeed, in 1978, Culver played an airman in "The Swarm," the adaptation of Arthur Herzog's same-named novel in which a swarm of killer bees invades Texas. Three years later, he landed a minor role — so minor, in fact, that he was credited as "Man in Pajamas" — in the slasher "Halloween II."

Culver, whose filmography also includes "The Black Whip," "Hot Car Girl," and "Brigham," sadly died in 1984 aged 66. The actor had been on holiday in Hong Kong when he contracted a fatal bout of meningitis.

Woodrow Chambliss played various roles on the western — most notably shopkeeper Mr. Lathrop — over the course of 18 years. And he enjoyed a somewhat eclectic career after "Gunsmoke" was put out to pasture.

Indeed, in 1978, Chambliss shared the screen with the likes of George Burns, Steve Martin, and the Bee Gees in "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band," the much-maligned jukebox musical heavily inspired by The Beatles' same-named album: He actually played the older version of Sgt. Pepper. The Texan also guested on "Logan's Run," "Police Woman," and "The Waltons," appeared alongside his real-life wife Erika Kapralik in the TV movie "Forever," and graced the big screen again in the aviation tale "Cloud Dancer" and supernatural horror "The Devil's Rain."

Chambliss died from colon cancer in 1981 at the age of 66. He received posthumous credits thanks to performances in the TV movies "Murder in Texas" and "Through the Magic Pyramid" and Hal Ashby's comedy "Second-Hand Hearts."