How tall was James Arness? ‘Gunsmoke’ actor once refused to pose for promotional photos due to his towering height

MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA: Actor James King Aurness or James Arness, who died at the age of 88, was 6 feet and 7 inches (2.0 m/200 cm) tall, as per IMDb. Arness may not have been the biggest film star ever, but he was certainly one of the tallest.

Arness played US Marshal Matt Dillon on the television western series 'Gunsmoke' for 20 years, and his height and girth left a lasting impression on the audience. He frequently had to perform in medium-close shots while standing in a hole, or else other actors had to stand on boxes so their faces could be in the frame.

Arness played the poker-faced, taciturn marshal of Dodge City, who sought to maintain law and order on the western frontier in the 1870s. His casting in the lead role of The 'Thing from Another World' (1951), popularly known as The Thing, launched his career and was also influenced by his height.

James Arness or Peter Graves: Who was taller?

Peter Graves was an American actor and younger brother of James Arness. His height was 6 feet and 3 inches (1.91 m/ 191 cm), as per IMDb, making him 4 inches shorter than his older brother.

Graves portrayed Jim Phelps in the CBS television series 'Mission: Impossible' from 1967 to 1973 and in its revival from 1988 to 1990.

Graves died of a heart attack when he was 83 years old in 2010.

Peter Aurness, popularly known as Peter Graves, grew up with his older brother in Minneapolis. The two boys both joined the Army in World War II and later forayed into the world of acting.

While James changed the last name of the family to Arness, Peter chose to go by Graves, his mother's side stage name.

Although Peter Graves and James Arness chose different names, their early careers were quite similar.

In the Western Fury, which focused mostly on horses, Graves played a California rancher, while Arness played Marshal Matt Dillon on 'Gunsmoke'.

Arness never shared the screen with his brother Graves, though the two did direct Arness in the 1966 episode of 'Gunsmoke' titled 'Which Dr'.

James Arness' height 'humiliated' him

Although the audience loved James Arness in 'Gunsmoke' due to his look and the personality required for the part, he wasn't always so sure of himself when it came to his height.

According to a 1961 interview with TV Guide, the actor reflected on his journey through his adolescence regarding his height. It should come as no surprise that the football coaches he encountered throughout his childhood were eager to have him participate in the game. Arness loved boating and fishing, but he had little interest in team sports.

Due to his height, no major male actor wanted to work with Arness and thus, he was unable to break into the Hollywood feature film industry.

A friend of Arness told TV Guide that in the years leading up to 'Gunsmoke', Arness would “always try to sit down when he talked to you. Or if he had to stand, he’d hunch over. His height may have been the envy of lots of men, but it humiliated Jim.”

Arness didn't like it when a magazine photo editor wanted to perform a promotional photo session with him on a smaller-than-average horse.

“Jim’s feet would have almost touched the ground,” the publicist said, adding, “It was just a gag shot but Jim refused to pose. He said it would make him look ridiculous.”