Ken Curtis (born Curtis Wain Gates, July 2, 1916 – April 28, 1991) was an American singer and actor best known for his role as Festus Haggen on the CBS western television series Gunsmoke. They said the cause of death was unkown. The former Screen Actors Guild president recalled being told that producers were hesitant to cast him because he didn’t look like a supporting player. Why did Amanda Blake leave gunsmoke? His next appearance was Season 9, episode 2, October 5, 1963 as Kyle Kelly, in "Lover Boy".

His last episode, titled "Bently," saw Chester leave Dodge City, Kan. to find a murderer following a suspicious deathbed confession. I know why she detests Festus. In an interview conducted four years before his death, Dennis revealed that he invented the character’s disability during his audition. "I’d done the show for nine years, and I just felt that if I didn’t get away from the guy… I pretty much exhausted all creative possibilities with the character and I just wanted to do something else," Dennis explained in a "I felt it was time to move on and I know it was very risky doing that because a lot of actors did the same thing and really disappeared," he noted. Dennis Weaver dressed as his character from 'McCloud. I had to take yoga lessons to do some of that stuff." ""If I knew I was going to be doing that for nine years, I might’ve had a different thought about it," the Emmy winner confessed. For much of 1948, Curtis was a featured singer and host of the long-running country music radio program Through his second marriage, Curtis was a son-in-law of film director Curtis guest-starred five times on the Western television series In 1964, Curtis appeared as muleskinner Graydon in the episode "Graydon's Charge" of the syndicated Curtis remains best known for his role as Festus Haggen, the scruffy, cantankerous, and illiterate deputy in Besides engaging in the usual personal appearances most television stars undertake to promote their program, Curtis also traveled around the country performing a Western-themed stage show at fairs, rodeos, and other venues when Curtis' last acting role was as the aging cattle rancher "Seaborn Tay" in the television production Curtis married Torrie Connelly in 1966. Curtis was a singer before moving into acting, and combined both careers once he entered films.Curtis met his first wife, Lorraine Page, at Universal Studios, and they were married in 1943. Notably , James Arness as Matt Dillon , Milburn Stone as Doc , Amanda Blake as Kitty , Ken Curtis as Festus and Dennis Weaver as Chester . No other network has a better collection of classic television shows, including What makes the western unique is that it originally started as a radio series, and ran concurrently with the TV adaptation for six years. TV Land is proving to be the channel to watch during the COVID-19 quarantine. They were married until his death in 1991 and he had two step-children.A statue of Ken Curtis as Festus can be found at 430 Pollasky Avenue in Curtis died on April 28, 1991, in his sleep of a heart attack in Festus was the character name of the 2nd official deputy on the CBS series called Gunsmoke. 'The then 39-year-old followed up his big break with a starring role on the short-lived NBC dramedy The series might not have lasted long, but Dennis found his footing again with the police drama One of Chester’s most noticeable features is his stiff right leg — the cause of which is never explicitly stated, though it’s implied that he was injured during the Civil War. His real name was Ken Curtis (born July 2, 1916 and died April 28, 1991) Why did chester leave Gunsmoke? "Because you ever try and build a campfire with a stiff leg? Thankfully, the Missouri native wasn’t one of them. ... who played Festus, was a singer. Kenna thinks he’s an unpolished halfwit. Curtis joined the cast of Gunsmoke permanently as Festus in "Prairie Wolfer", seaso…

TV Land is proving to be the channel to watch during the COVID-19 quarantine. He remembered one agent saying, "You know, my problem is that you are physically a leading man, and James Arness [who played Matt Dillon] is physically a leading man, and historically and traditionally, a sidekick has always been too old or too fat or too young or too something to get involved in the physical stuff. The two casts were not only different, but also featured a few discrepancies in the portrayals of the beloved characters.Despite being a main staple when the CBS show debuted in 1955, viewers will notice that Chester is absent from the drama’s later seasons. Curtis, who played deputy Festus Haggin from 1963-75, died in his sleep Sunday at his home here, family members said Monday. Or worst of all, you ever try to put your boot on without bending your knee? Here’s why he left midway through the program’s 20-year run.Actor Dennis Weaver (who played TV Chester) decided to exit the series after nine seasons to pursue other opportunities. Although he appeared on Gunsmoke earlier in other roles, he was first cast as Festus in season 8 episode 13, December 8, 1962 "Us Haggens". FRESNO, Calif. (AP) _ Ken Curtis, a singer and actor who starred as Marshal Matt Dillon’s sidekick on the long-running television western ″Gunsmoke,″ has died at age 74.