{"id":5022,"date":"2023-11-15T03:31:24","date_gmt":"2023-11-15T02:31:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/newzdiscover.com\/?p=5022"},"modified":"2023-11-15T03:31:24","modified_gmt":"2023-11-15T02:31:24","slug":"after-their-divorce-james-arness-wife-vanished-only-to-reappearance-a-few-years-later-with-a-shocking-surprise","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/newzdiscover.com\/?p=5022","title":{"rendered":"After their divorce, James Arness\u2019 wife vanished, only to reappearance a few years later with a shocking surprise\u2026"},"content":{"rendered":"

James Arness was one of the most well-known television personalities in the United States from the 1950s until the 1990s. Because of his imposing build and captivating manner, he was a famous Western drama actor in Hollywood at the time.<\/p>\n

The character of Marshal Matt Dillon, which he played for 20 years in the CBS television series \u00abGunsmoke,\u00bb is notable since it greatly aided James\u2019s recognition. Because James has been recognized for the role throughout his career, it is linked to future projects in which he appears.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

He starred in the weekly series \u00abGunsmoke\u00bb from 1955 to 1975. In 1987, he played the same character in the television film \u00abGunsmoke: Return to Dodge.\u00bb He also reprised the character in the subsequent films, \u00abGunsmoke: The Last Apache\u00bb in 1990, \u00abGunsmoke: To the Last Man\u00bb in 1992, \u00abGunsmoke: The Long Ride\u00bb in 1993, and \u00abGunsmoke: One Man\u2019s Justice\u00bb in 1994.<\/p>\n

In addition to the \u00abGunsmoke\u00bb series, James rose to prominence in the 1950s by participating in other films. Examples include \u00abWyoming Mail,\u00bb \u00abTwo Lost Worlds,\u00bb \u00abThe People Against O\u2019Hara,\u00bb \u00abIron Man,\u00bb \u00abThe Lone Hand,\u00bb and \u00abIsland in the Sky.\u00bb<\/p>\n

His role as Zeb Macahan in \u00abHow the West Was Won\u00bb solidified his fame as a television star in the United States and Europe. James co-starred in a television classic alongside Eva Marie Saint, Fionnula Flanagan, Bruce Boxleitner, and Richard Kiley. The show was so popular that one of its early episodes was novelized as a 400-page paperback \u00abepic-length\u00bb novel.<\/p>\n

Despite living a dazzling life in the spotlight, James had a rough background prior to marrying his second wife, who became his lifelong partner and died before him.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

James King Aurness, the son of businessmen Rolf Cirkler Aurness and writer Ruth Duesler, enjoyed a very prosperous life as a Norwegian of German origin. When he was younger, James dabbled in theater acting, but he was uninterested in making a career out of it and instead chose to follow the call of the sea.<\/p>\n

Peter Graves, the actor who starred in \u00abAirplane!\u00bb and \u00abMission: Impossible,\u00bb is his older brother. Their mother instilled in them a love of the arts when they were little. Peter went after it right away, but James took considerably longer to realize it was his fate.<\/p>\n

In 1943, James enrolled in the Navy. He fought alongside Peter during WWII, but he was not wholly uninjured. During the Battle of Anzio, his right leg was severely injured. He had many surgeries before being medically released.<\/p>\n

Years later, when he was an experienced veteran at the pinnacle of his talents, James explored his passion for acting. While acting at a Los Angeles theater, a Hollywood agent noticed him and introduced him to Dore Schary, who cast him in a few roles in 1947.<\/p>\n

A year later, he married Virginia Chapman, his first wife. James took Craig in as his own. Jenny and Rolf, the latter of whom won the world surfing championship in 1970, are James and Virginia\u2019s two children. Craig, on the other hand, pursued photography and worked as an official photographer for National Geographic.<\/p>\n

However, after 15 years of marriage, James and Virginia divorced, and James was granted legal custody of their children. Virginia finally fled to San Bernardino, California, and vanished shortly after the divorce was finalized. She died of a heroin overdose in 1977, two years after her daughter died of the same cause.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Janet was first hesitant about meeting James, a television personality, but since her son was a fan, she gave it a shot and trusted fate.
\n\u201cI\u2019m tensely waiting there when I hear a knock at the door. Oh my my, I thought, as this gigantic man entered through the entrance. He is a large man and was really nice, \u201cShe remembers having met James.
\n\u201cWe sat down after being introduced to one another, and Jim was so amiable and down to earth that my anxiety vanished. He was a skier, and I was interested in skiing when we first started conversing.\u201d
\nJanet didn\u2019t call James after their initial encounter until three months had passed. They scheduled a second dinner date, which marked the beginning of their everlasting relationship.
\nJames and Janet exchanged vows in 1978 in a ceremony in Brentwood, Los Angeles. Even after James\u2019 role as Marshal Matt Dillon in \u201cGunsmoke\u201d and his films, he and Janet continued to enjoy one other\u2019s company.
\nThe Los Angeles Times reports that James died on March 16, 2014, at the age of 88, from natural causes. Janet was at his side until he took his last breath. He left behind Janet, his Virginia-born son Rolf, and Janet\u2019s stepson James.
\nDespite the separation, James continued to concentrate on his profession. Arness met Janet Surtees, his second wife, during the later seasons of \u00abGunsmoke.\u00bb He met Janet through the wife of his makeup artist Glen Alden. Janet and Alden\u2019s wife shared a fashion business at the time.<\/p>\n

Janet was first apprehensive to meet James, a television star, but because her son was a fan, she took a chance and trusted fate.<\/p>\n

\u00abI\u2019m standing there tensely waiting when I hear a knock at the door.\u00bb Oh my goodness, I thought as this massive man walked through the door. \u00abHe is a big man who was really nice,\u00bb she recalls meeting James.<\/p>\n

\u00abWe sat down after being introduced, and Jim was so friendly and down-to-earth that my nerves vanished. He was a skier, and I was interested in skiing when we first met.\u00bb<\/p>\n

Janet didn\u2019t call James again for three months following their first meeting. They planned a second dinner date, and that was the start of their lifelong relationship.<\/p>\n

James and Janet married at a ceremony in Brentwood, Los Angeles, in 1978. Even after James\u2019 role as Marshal Matt Dillon in \u00abGunsmoke\u00bb and his subsequent films, he and Janet remained close.<\/p>\n

According to the Los Angeles Times, James died on March 16, 2014, at the age of 88, of natural causes. Janet was by his side until he breathed his last. He left Janet, his Virginia-born son Rolf, and Janet\u2019s stepson James in his wake.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

James Arness was one of the most well-known television personalities in the United States from the 1950s until the 1990s. Because of his imposing build and captivating manner, he was a famous Western drama actor in Hollywood at the time. The character of Marshal Matt Dillon, which he played for 20 years in the CBS […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5022","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/newzdiscover.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5022","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/newzdiscover.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/newzdiscover.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newzdiscover.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newzdiscover.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=5022"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/newzdiscover.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5022\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5027,"href":"https:\/\/newzdiscover.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5022\/revisions\/5027"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/newzdiscover.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=5022"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newzdiscover.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=5022"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newzdiscover.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=5022"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}