Stars of the silver screen era are certainly some of the brightest in Hollywood’s lineup. Because they captured hearts in a bygone era, it can be tricky to try and visualize what being around them today might look like. However, if you can figure out how tall or heavy they were, you’re stepping in the right direction! Let’s answer: “How tall is James Arness?”
Actor and professional James Arness was 6’7, making him almost ten inches taller than the average American male according to Healthline.com. He lived to be 88 years old, having been born in 1923. He weighed roughly 105 kilograms, or 235 pounds, a healthy weight for someone of his height.
As we cover James Arness’ life, you’ll learn just how tall he really stood, as well as some interesting information about his weight and his career, including the age he lived to be. With so much interesting data to cover, we’ll go ahead and get started.
How Tall Was James Arness?
So how tall really was James Arness? After all, the man who landed and faithfully played the iconic hero of Matt Dillon in “Gunsmoke” couldn’t have been played by any small person. James Arness definitely was not that, being nothing less than 6 foot 7!
Like we said earlier, James Arness was almost ten full inches taller than the average man in the world. His height was actually a deterrent for one of James Arness’ first dreams: to be a naval fighter pilot.
After all, James Arness would eventually serve in the military during World War II. He was so tall that he would not be able to fit in the cockpit of the aviation machines of the age safely; for this reason, the height limit for aviation pilots was 6 feet and 2 inches. This was disappointing for the would-be actor, but he was still drafted into the United States Army as a rifleman.
James Arness’ height was absolutely unique, even in those days, but he does share it with some other figures in the public eye. For example, Jimmy Butler, Rick Fox, Peter Jones, RuPaul, Nick Young, and Andrew Wiggins are all also 6’7.
Although actors that used to be professional athletes and made forays into film and television have been taller than James Arness, he is still known in Hollywood as the tallest leading man in film and television.
How Much Did James Arness Weigh?
The height of someone as tall as James Arness is bound to lead to pretty substantial weight, too. James Arness was 235 pounds, which was certainly within a healthy range of weight for someone so tall.
His weight is certainly unique, but other celebrities have boasted about it, too. This list includes Pat Burrell, Doug Kramer, Kris Humphries, Randy Orton, and, perhaps surprisingly, former U.S. President Donald Trump!
James Arness kept up his physique despite the fact that he was wounded in World War II and had to move with a limp.
How Old Was James Arness?
Now that we’ve covered the stature and the heaviness of James Arness, let’s go over his age. James Arness was born in the year 1923, in the month of May, on the 26th. This birthday is shared by Roy Dotrice, as well as Henry Kissinger. Had he lived to the year 2023, James Arness would be 100 years old; as it is, he passed away in 2011, at the age of 88.
James Arness was born in the same year to several interesting events, such as the eruption of a volcano known as Mount Etna, the introduction of insulin as a diabetes treatment, the first baseball game ever played at Yankee Stadium, and the Berkley Fire in California occurred.
James Arness was born in Minneapolis to father Rolf Cirkler, a businessman, and mother Ruth Duesler, a journalist. Though his mother was German, his father was Norwegian.
When James Arness’ grandfather emigrated from Norway, their family name “Aursnes” was changed to “Aurness,” which was later simplified by James Arness for screen appearances.
James Arness was a Methodist Christian in terms of religion, and had a younger brother who also acted under the stage name “Peter Graves!”
In his early years, James Arness attended John Burroughs’ Grade School, as well as West High School. He first worked currying jewelry and unloading boxcars at the Chicago Railroad freight yards. Despite skipping classes frequently for work, James Arness managed to graduate high school.
He also attended Beloit College as part of the Beta Theta Phi fraternity. He suffered from poor eyesight, which he feared would keep him from achieving his goal of enlisting in the U.S. military at the time of World War II as a fighter pilot. However, it wasn’t his eyes, but his height that landed him as a rifleman instead, as previously stated.
In the war, James Arness’ height actually contributed to some of his orders, such as being the first to disembark from a landing craft so that soldiers would know the depth of the water on Anzio Beachhead in Italy during the Battle of Anzio.
It was in this battle that James Arness received wounds in his right leg. Because of his hopes of landing a job in radio work, he wasn’t too worried about this wound later on.
He had to be medically evacuated and walked with a limp, unable to participate in long shooting days for the rest of his career because of this; however, for his service he was awarded the Purple Heart, the Bronze Star, the American Campaign Medal, and the European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal.
James Arness also earned the World War II Victory Medal, three battle stars, and a Combat Infantryman Badge. When he finished with these outstanding accomplishments, he began a friendship with John Wayne that landed him the role as the lead man in Gunsmoke.
In addition to this, James Arness was cast in Western films, played the monster in two sci-fi films, and even, in later years, became one of the stars of “Law & Order.”
James Arness passed away in the year 2011 from natural causes.
In Conclusion
To sum it all up, James Arness loomed quite large, being 6 ‘7, and well above the normal height for American males, or males anywhere! It was not only his 235-pound stature that cast a long shadow, but also his illustrious career.
For 88 years, James Arness stunned audiences with excellent talent, championing the Universal Studios Western as a main character in Gunsmoke, and playing the monster in the science-fiction film “The Thing From Another World.” His star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and place in the Western Performers Hall of Fame are well earned!
