KC
Ken Curtis
Actor, Producer
Born July 2, 1916Died April 28, 1991 (74 years)
Ken Curtis (born Curtis Wain Gates; July 2, 1916 – April 28, 1991) was an American actor and singer best known for his role as Festus Haggen on the Western television series Gunsmoke.
Early years
Born on July 2, 1916 as the youngest of three boys in Lamar in Prowers County in southeastern Colorado, Curtis lived his first 10 years on a ranch on Muddy Creek in eastern Bent County. In 1926, the family moved to Las Animas, the county seat of Bent County, so that his father, Dan Sullivan Gates, could run for sheriff. The campaign was successful, and Gates served from 1926 to 1931 as Bent County sheriff.
Curtis was the quarterback of his Bent County High School football team and played clarinet in the school band. He graduated in 1935. During World War II, Curtis served in the U.S. Army from 1943 to 1945.
He attended Colorado College to study medicine, but left after a short time to pursue his musical career.
Film
Columbia Pictures signed Curtis to a contract in 1945. He starred in a series of musical Westerns with the Hoosier Hot Shots, playing singing cowboy romantic leads.
By virtue of his second marriage, Curtis was a son-in-law of film director John Ford. Curtis teamed with Ford and John Wayne in Rio Grande. He was a singer in the movie's fictional band, The Regimental Singers, who actually consisted of the Sons of the Pioneers; Curtis is not listed as a member of the principal cast. Possibly, he played a bit part, but Curtis is best remembered as Charlie McCorry in The Searchers, and for his appearances in The Quiet Man, The Wings of Eagles, The Horse Soldiers, The Alamo, and How the West Was Won. Curtis also joined Ford, along with Henry Fonda, James Cagney, William Powell, and Jack Lemmon, in the comedy Navy classic Mister Roberts. He was featured in all three of the only films produced by Cornelius Vanderbilt Whitney's C. V. Whitney Pictures: The Searchers (1956); The Missouri Traveler (1958) with Brandon deWilde and Lee Marvin; and The Young Land (1959) with Patrick Wayne and Dennis Hopper. In 5 Steps to Danger (1957 film), he is uncredited as FBI Agent Jim Anderson.
Curtis remains best known for his role as Festus Haggen, the scruffy, cantankerous, and illiterate deputy in Gunsmoke. He first appeared in 1962 and joined the regular Gunsmoke cast in 1964, replacing Chester Goode, played by Dennis Weaver. While Marshal Matt Dillon had a total of five deputies over two decades, Festus held the role the longest (11 years), in 304 episodes. Festus was patterned after "Cedar Jack" (Frederick Munden), a man from Curtis' Las Animas childhood. Cedar Jack, who lived 15 miles south of town, made a living cutting cedar fence posts. Curtis observed many times that Jack came to Las Animas, where he would often end up drunk and in Curtis' father's jail. Festus' character was known, in part, for the nasally, twangy, rural accent which Curtis developed for the role, but which did not reflect Curtis' actual voice.
Curtis married Torrie Connelly in 1966. They were married until his death in 1991 and he had two step-children.
Death
Curtis died on April 28, 1991, in his sleep in Fresno, California, after suffering a heart attack. He was 74. He was cremated, and his ashes were scattered in the Colorado flatlands. CLR
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Early years
Born on July 2, 1916 as the youngest of three boys in Lamar in Prowers County in southeastern Colorado, Curtis lived his first 10 years on a ranch on Muddy Creek in eastern Bent County. In 1926, the family moved to Las Animas, the county seat of Bent County, so that his father, Dan Sullivan Gates, could run for sheriff. The campaign was successful, and Gates served from 1926 to 1931 as Bent County sheriff.
Curtis was the quarterback of his Bent County High School football team and played clarinet in the school band. He graduated in 1935. During World War II, Curtis served in the U.S. Army from 1943 to 1945.
He attended Colorado College to study medicine, but left after a short time to pursue his musical career.
Film
Columbia Pictures signed Curtis to a contract in 1945. He starred in a series of musical Westerns with the Hoosier Hot Shots, playing singing cowboy romantic leads.
By virtue of his second marriage, Curtis was a son-in-law of film director John Ford. Curtis teamed with Ford and John Wayne in Rio Grande. He was a singer in the movie's fictional band, The Regimental Singers, who actually consisted of the Sons of the Pioneers; Curtis is not listed as a member of the principal cast. Possibly, he played a bit part, but Curtis is best remembered as Charlie McCorry in The Searchers, and for his appearances in The Quiet Man, The Wings of Eagles, The Horse Soldiers, The Alamo, and How the West Was Won. Curtis also joined Ford, along with Henry Fonda, James Cagney, William Powell, and Jack Lemmon, in the comedy Navy classic Mister Roberts. He was featured in all three of the only films produced by Cornelius Vanderbilt Whitney's C. V. Whitney Pictures: The Searchers (1956); The Missouri Traveler (1958) with Brandon deWilde and Lee Marvin; and The Young Land (1959) with Patrick Wayne and Dennis Hopper. In 5 Steps to Danger (1957 film), he is uncredited as FBI Agent Jim Anderson.
Curtis remains best known for his role as Festus Haggen, the scruffy, cantankerous, and illiterate deputy in Gunsmoke. He first appeared in 1962 and joined the regular Gunsmoke cast in 1964, replacing Chester Goode, played by Dennis Weaver. While Marshal Matt Dillon had a total of five deputies over two decades, Festus held the role the longest (11 years), in 304 episodes. Festus was patterned after "Cedar Jack" (Frederick Munden), a man from Curtis' Las Animas childhood. Cedar Jack, who lived 15 miles south of town, made a living cutting cedar fence posts. Curtis observed many times that Jack came to Las Animas, where he would often end up drunk and in Curtis' father's jail. Festus' character was known, in part, for the nasally, twangy, rural accent which Curtis developed for the role, but which did not reflect Curtis' actual voice.
Curtis married Torrie Connelly in 1966. They were married until his death in 1991 and he had two step-children.
Death
Curtis died on April 28, 1991, in his sleep in Fresno, California, after suffering a heart attack. He was 74. He was cremated, and his ashes were scattered in the Colorado flatlands. CLR
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Movies & Shows on Plex
Ken Curtis Filmography
| 2013 | John Ford et Monument Valley · as Cast |
| 1992 | Legends of the West · as Actor In 'cheyenne Autumn' |
| 1991 | Conagher · as Seaborn Tay, Cattle Rancher |
| 1988 | In the Heat of the Night (TV Series) · as Tom Mccauley |
| 1988 | Once Upon a Texas Train · as Kelly Sutton |
| 1987 | Gunsmoke: Return to Dodge · as Festus Haggen (flashback Sequence) |
| 1984 | Airwolf (TV Series) · as Cecil Carnes Sr. |
| 1983 | Lost · as Wyatt Cosgrove |
| 1983 | The Yellow Rose (TV Series) · as Hoyt Coryell |
| 1982 | Henry Fonda: The Man and His Movies · as Actor In 'mr. Roberts' |
| 1982 | Hollywood: The Gift of Laughter · as Actor - 'mr. Roberts' |
| 1981 | |
| 1978 | Once Upon a Starry Night · as Uncle Ned |
| 1978 | Vega$ (TV Series) |
| 1978 | Black Beauty (1978) (TV Series) · as Howard Jakes |
| 1977 | The Life and Times of Grizzly Adams (TV Series) · as Uncle Ned |
| 1976 | Pony Express Rider · as Jed Richardson |
| 1976 | How the West Was Won (TV Series) · as Orville Gant |
| 1974 | Petrocelli (TV Series) |
| 1973 | Robin Hood · as Nutsy - A Vulture (voice) |
| 1971 | The American West of John Ford · as Actor 'rio Grande' |
| 1964 | Cheyenne Autumn · as Joe |
| 1962 | How the West Was Won · as Corporal Ben (uncredited) |
| 1961 | Ripcord (TV Series) · as Jim Buckley |
| 1961 | Two Rode Together · as Greeley Clegg |
| 1960 | The Alamo · as Capt. Almeron Dickinson |
| 1960 | Freckles · as Wessner |
| 1960 | The Case of the Dangerous Robin (TV Series) · as Cast |
| 1960 | The Aquanauts (TV Series) · as Head Waiter |
| 1960 | My Dog, Buddy · as Dr. Lusk |
| 1959 | The Horse Soldiers · as Cpl. Wilkie |
| 1959 | The Killer Shrews · as Jerry Farrell |
| 1959 | |
| 1959 | The Young Land · as Lee Hearn |
| 1959 | Escort West · as Trooper Burch |
| 1959 | Rawhide (TV Series) · as Vic Slade |
| 1958 | The Last Hurrah · as Monsignor Killian |
| 1958 | The Missouri Traveler · as Fred Mueller |
| 1958 | Sea Hunt (TV Series) |
| 1957 | Perry Mason (TV Series) · as Tim Durant |
| 1957 | Wagon Train (TV Series) · as Pappy Lightfoot |
| 1957 | Have Gun, Will Travel (TV Series) · as Curley |
| 1957 | The Wings of Eagles · as John Dale Price |
| 1956 | Spring Reunion · as Al |
| 1956 | 5 Steps to Danger · as Fbi Agent Jim Anderson (uncredited) |
| 1956 | The Searchers · as Charlie Mccorry |
| 1955 | Gunsmoke (TV Series) · as Festus |
| 1955 | The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp (TV Series) · as Major Hendericks |
| 1955 | Mister Roberts · as Dolan |
| 1955 | The Long Gray Line · as Specialty (uncredited) |
| 1952 | The Quiet Man · as Dermot Fahy (uncredited) |
| 1952 | Death Valley Days (TV Series) · as Skinner Graydon |
| 1951 | Fighting Coast Guard · as Ken - Member Sons Of The Pioneers |
| 1951 | Don Daredevil Rides Again · as Lee Hadley / Don Daredevil |
| 1950 | Rio Grande · as Donnelly - Regimental Singer (uncredited) |
| 1949 | Call of the Forest · as Bob Brand |
| 1946 | That Texas Jamboree · as Curt Chambers |
| 1979 | When the West Was Fun: A Western Reunion · as Self |
| 1972 | The World of Sport Fishing · as Self |
| 1969 | The Glen Campbell Goodtime Hour (TV Series) · as Self |
| 1962 | The Merv Griffin Show (TV Series) · as Self |
| 1961 | The Mike Douglas Show (TV Series) · as Self - Actor |