When you think of the classic American cowboy, you probably picture someone lean, rugged, and maybe a little larger than life. But James Arness didn't just play "larger than life"—he actually was. If you ever watched an episode of Gunsmoke and thought Matt Dillon looked like he could simply reach out and pluck a villain off their horse, you weren't imagining things.
The man was massive.
James Arness stood exactly 6 feet 7 inches tall.
To put that in perspective, in the mid-1950s, the average American man was about 5'8". Arness was nearly a full foot taller than the average guy walking down the street. He wasn't just tall for Hollywood; he was tall for a professional basketball player. In fact, he was the same height as NBA legend Julius "Dr. J" Erving.
The "Human Depth Finder" of Anzio
Height wasn't just a fun fact for Arness; it actually played a bizarre and dangerous role in his real-life military service. During World War II, Arness served as a rifleman with the 3rd Infantry Division. On January 22, 1944, his unit was part of the invasion of Anzio, Italy.
The story goes that when it was time to leave the landing craft, the commanders looked at Arness and saw a tactical advantage. Because he was 6'7", they ordered him to be the first man off the boat. Why? They used him as a human depth finder. If the water only came up to his waist, the shorter guys behind him wouldn't drown in their heavy gear.
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Unfortunately, his height made him an easy target. Ten days into the invasion, Arness was severely wounded by machine-gun fire in his right leg and foot. He earned a Bronze Star and a Purple Heart, but the injuries plagued him for the rest of his life.
One fascinating detail many fans don't know: his right leg ended up being about 5/8 of an inch shorter than his left due to those war wounds. For the rest of his career, he had to wear a lift in his right shoe just to stand level. When you see Matt Dillon walking the dusty streets of Dodge City, you're watching a man who was literally walking on a battle scar.
Towering Over the Duke
You’ve likely heard the story that John Wayne was the one who "discovered" James Arness. It’s mostly true. Wayne had Arness under contract and was actually the first choice to play Matt Dillon. When "The Duke" passed on the role, he personally recommended Arness, even introducing the first episode of Gunsmoke to the TV audience.
But there was a funny dynamic between them. John Wayne was a big man, standing around 6'4". In most movies, Wayne was the biggest guy in the room. But when he stood next to Arness, the Duke had to look up.
Hollywood has a long history of being insecure about height. Most leading men back then, like Alan Ladd or Humphrey Bogart, were surprisingly short. Producers often used "apple boxes" (wooden crates) to make shorter actors look taller than their female co-stars. With Arness, they had the opposite problem.
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How Gunsmoke Hid the Height
The producers of Gunsmoke were constantly worried that Arness would make everyone else look like children. Think about it: if the Marshal is a foot taller than the outlaws, the outlaws don't look very threatening.
They used a few clever tricks to manage his 6'7" frame:
- The "Connors" Incident: In one famous episode, they brought in guest star Chuck Connors (who was 6'5" and a former professional athlete). To make Connors look more imposing as a villain, the director used forced perspective and even had Arness stand in shallow trenches during certain shots.
- The Doorways: If you look closely at the sets in Dodge City, the doorways were often built taller than standard specs so Arness wouldn't have to duck every time he walked into the Long Branch Saloon.
- The Costumes: His hats were specifically chosen to not add too much height, though a Stetson on a 6'7" man is always going to be a lot of hat.
Why He Couldn't Be a Pilot
Before he was a "human depth finder" or a TV Marshal, Arness had a very different dream. He wanted to be a naval fighter pilot. He had the drive and the guts, but he ran into a literal ceiling.
The U.S. Navy at the time had a strict height limit for pilots: 6'2". At 6'7", Arness wasn't just a little over; he was physically incapable of fitting into the cramped cockpits of WWII fighter planes. It’s one of those "sliding doors" moments in history. If Arness had been five inches shorter, he might have spent the 50s in the sky instead of on a soundstage, and the history of Western television would look completely different.
More Than Just Inches
Honestly, his height was a huge part of why the character of Matt Dillon worked so well. It gave him an inherent authority. He didn't have to shout or wave a gun around to get respect; he just had to stand up.
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But it came at a cost. By the later years of Gunsmoke, the combination of his wartime leg injury and the sheer physical toll of being that large took its meat. He suffered from severe arthritis. If you notice in the later seasons (and the subsequent TV movies), Matt Dillon spends a lot more time sitting on his horse or in his office chair than he does in sprawling fistfights.
James Arness remains one of the tallest leading men in the history of television. Even today, with actors getting taller on average, 6'7" is rare for a series lead. He used that stature to create a character that felt like a pillar of the community—literally.
Moving Forward with the Legacy
If you're a fan of classic television, it's worth revisiting Gunsmoke with this knowledge in mind. Watch the way he moves in relation to the other actors. Notice the "Dillon Lean" he often used to get closer to eye level with Milburn Stone (Doc Adams), who was nearly a foot shorter.
To really appreciate the scale, you might want to:
- Check out the 1951 film The Thing from Another World. Arness played the "Thing." Because he was so massive and costumed in a way that hid his face, he was terrifyingly effective as a giant alien.
- Compare the early B&W episodes to the later color ones. You can see how the directors got more comfortable with his height over time, eventually leaning into it as a symbol of his character's strength.
- Look for his brother, Peter Graves. Peter was also a tall guy (around 6'3"), but next to James, he still looked like the "little" brother.
Arness didn't just fill the screen; he dominated it. He was a giant of the Golden Age, both in stature and in the legacy he left behind in Dodge City.
Practical Insight: When researching classic Hollywood heights, always look for military records or early studio biographies. Studios often "inflated" heights for marketing, but Arness's 6'7" was verified by the U.S. Army—a source that has no reason to exaggerate.