1916-07-02 Lamar, Colorado, USA
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
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John Wayne's 'The Alamo' | Self | 1992-06-06 |
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Conagher | Seaborn Tay, Cattle Rancher | 1991-07-01 |
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Once Upon a Texas Train | Kelly Sutton | 1988-10-12 |
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Lost | Wyatt Cosgrove | 1983-10-22 |
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Legend of the Wild | 1981-11-01 | |
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California Gold Rush | Kentuck | 1981-07-30 |
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When the West Was Fun: A Western Reunion | Self | 1979-06-05 |
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Once Upon a Starry Night | Uncle Ned | 1978-12-19 |
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Pony Express Rider | Jed Richardson | 1976-11-01 |
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Robin Hood | Nutsy - A Vulture (voice) | 1973-11-08 |
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Cheyenne Autumn | Joe | 1964-10-15 |
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How the West Was Won | Corporal Ben (uncredited) | 1962-11-02 |
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Two Rode Together | Greeley Clegg | 1961-05-24 |
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Freckles | Wessner | 1960-10-19 |
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My Dog, Buddy | Dr. Lusk | 1960-08-01 |
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The Alamo | Capt. Almeron Dickinson | 1960-10-23 |
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The Killer Shrews | Jerry Farrell | 1959-06-25 |
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Woman on the Run | 1959-05-15 | |
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The Horse Soldiers | Cpl. Wilkie | 1959-06-11 |
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The Young Land | Lee Hearn | 1959-05-01 |
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Escort West | Trooper Burch | 1959-01-23 |
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The Missouri Traveler | Fred Mueller | 1958-01-21 |
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The Last Hurrah | Monsignor Killian | 1958-12-31 |
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The Growler Story | Captain Howard W. Gilmore | 1957-01-01 |
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The Wings of Eagles | John Dale Price | 1957-01-31 |
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Spring Reunion | Al | 1957-03-01 |
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The Searchers | Charlie McCorry | 1956-05-16 |
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5 Steps to Danger | FBI Agent Jim Anderson (uncredited) | 1956-11-05 |
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Mister Roberts | Dolan | 1955-07-10 |
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The Long Gray Line | Specialty (uncredited) | 1955-01-04 |
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The Quiet Man | Dermot Fahy (uncredited) | 1952-07-21 |
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Fighting Coast Guard | Ken - Member Sons of the Pioneers | 1951-05-31 |
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Don Daredevil Rides Again | Lee Hadley / Don Daredevil | 1951-04-10 |
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Rio Grande | Donnelly - Regimental Singer (uncredited) | 1950-11-15 |
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Call of the Forest | Bob Brand | 1949-11-18 |
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Riders of the Pony Express | Tom Blake | 1949-05-13 |
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Stallion Canyon | Curt Benson | 1949-06-15 |
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Over the Santa Fe Trail | Curt Mason | 1947-02-13 |
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Lone Star Moonlight | Curt Norton | 1946-12-12 |
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That Texas Jamboree | Curt Chambers | 1946-05-16 |
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Singing on the Trail | Curt Stanton | 1946-09-01 |
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Cowboy Blues | Curt Durant | 1946-07-18 |
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Throw a Saddle on a Star | Curt Walker | 1946-03-14 |
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Out of the Depths | Buck Clayton | 1945-12-27 |
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Rhythm Round-Up | Jimmy Benson | 1945-09-06 |
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Song of the Prairie | Dan Tyler | 1945-09-27 |
