Every Actor In The Gunsmoke Cast Who's Still Alive

MovieStillsDB Updated Sep 23, 2026, 12:45 PM EDT Colin McCormick is a Senior Writer with Screen Rant and has been a proud member of the team since 2019. In addition to his work as Screen Rant, Colin is also a writer of News, Feature and Review pieces at Game Rant. Colin has had a long passion and obsession with movies going back to the first time he saw The Lion King in theaters. Along with movies, Colin stays up-to-date on the latest must-see TV shows. While he loves to find interesting projects in any kind of genre, he has a special movie of crime stories that are infused with a little dark humor much like the work of his favorite author, Elmore Leonard. Sign in to your ScreenRant account As a series that ran from 1955-1975, there are sadly only a few of the Gunsmoke cast still alive, but these actors have continued with long and notable careers, or have gracefully exited the acting world to pursue personal interests. Gunsmoke was originally a radio series of the same name that broadcast from 1952 to 1961 and in 1955, Gunsmoke became a television show that lasted for 20 years. The series is centered on Dodge City, Kansas in the 1870s as the settlement of the American West is getting underway. With a large cast of characters, Gunsmoke was always well-rounded. Often ranked as one of the best Western TV shows of all time, Gunsmoke is a grittier depiction of life in the American West than the serials that came before it or even after. The show stars U.S. Marshal Matt Dillon (James Arness) but features an ensemble cast of characters including dozens of guest stars who appeared in shorter arcs throughout the series. Screen legends like Burt Reynolds, Bette Davis, and John Wayne all appeared in Gunsmoke. Though many of the cast members have since passed away, there are a few still living and even working in the entertainment industry. Gunsmoke Actors Who Are Still Living Image Actor Character Buck Taylor Newly O'Brien Kim Darby Carrie Neely William Shatner Fred Bateman Buck Taylor As Newly O'Brien Name DOB Notable Characters Buck Taylor May 13, 1938 Emmett Walsh in Yellowstone, "Turkey Creek" Jack Johnson in Tombstone Newly O'Brien, played by Buck Taylor, first appears in Gunsmoke in season 13, episode 13, "Vengeance (Part 1)", as a recurring character. Taylor was elevated to the main cast in season 14 and remained a significant character up until Gunsmoke ended in season 20. In the 1987 TV movie and revival, Gunsmoke: Return to Dodge, Newly plays an even more outsized role, taking over Matt Dillon's job as Marshall of Dodge City. O'Brien is one of Matt Dillon's most accomplished and intelligent sidekicks and gives the Marshall a run for his money in terms of catching bad guys. O'Brien is a gunsmith and a doctor-in-training. He offers all kinds of help to Matt Dillon and is a critical part of keeping Dodge City safe. Taylor has had a long career in Westerns, appearing in many notable films and television shows in the genre. In movies, Taylor plays "Turkey Creek" Jack Johnson in Tombstone, Wes Claibourne in Cowboys & Aliens, and Robert Edward Gattlin in The Legend of the Lone Ranger. His best-known movie outside Westerns is in The Mist as Ambrose Cornell, who gets killed by spider creatures in the pharmacy. On television, most fans will recognize Taylor as Emmett Walsh on Yellowstone, but he also has smaller performances in other series. Taylor plays George Neville in the Rough Riders miniseries, John "Brad" Bradford in The Monroes, and "Colorado" Smith in the miniseries The Alamo: 13 Days to Glory​​​​​. Kim Darby As Carrie Neely And Angel Name DOB Notable Characters Kim Darby July 8, 1947 Mattie Ross in True Grit, Debra Strode in Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers Kim Darby appears as two different characters in Gunsmoke. The first, Carrie Neely, the daughter of a fugitive named Dal Neely (Stephen McNally), appears in a brief scene in season 12, episode 23, "The Lure". Darby then reappears in season 13, episode 4, "Vengeance (Part 1)", and episode 5, "Vengeance (Part 2)", as a young girl named Angel. Her performances in Gunsmoke may have been brief, but Darby has had a long career in film and television in a variety of genres and has worked well into her 60s. Darby's notable film performances come in Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers as Debra Strode, Better Off Dead as Jenny Meyer, Teen Wolf Too as Professor Brooks, and the 1969 True Grit as Mattie Ross, the young girl seeking vengeance for her father. On TV, Darby has played numerous guest characters, including Kathy Lee Tencate in The X-Files, Katherine in Becker, Doris Garrett in The Facts of Life, Trudy Loughlin in Bonanza, Sandy True in The Man from U.N.C.L.E, and many more. William Shatner As Fred Bateman Name DOB Notable Roles William Shatner March 22, 1931 Captain Kirk in Star Trek, Denny Crane in Boston Legal William Shatner is up there with some of the most famous actors to ever appear in Gunsmoke, and that's saying a lot. He only appears in a single episode, as Fred Bateman in season 12, episode 12, "Quaker Girl". Bateman is a killer on the run and Thad Greenwood chases him to a Quaker Town. As Bateman, Shatner gets to flex his villainous chops, something he would not often do in his long and vaunted career. Of course, Shatner is best known for playing Captain Kirk in Star Trek: The Original Series, but audiences of all generations will know him from a variety of roles. Shatner's most notable film roles include Alexey Karamazov in The Brothers Karamazov (1958), Captain Harrison Byers in Judgment at Nuremberg, and William J. Baxter in Big Bad Mama. The latter half of his career featured his performances as Captain Kirk in the Star Trek movies as well as a memorable cameo in Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story as the Dodgeball Chancellor and a supporting role in the Miss Congeniality franchise as Stan Fields. On television, Shatner starred in T.J. Hooker as the eponymous Sergeant and Boston Legal and The Practice as Denny Crane, a role which earned him five Emmy nominations for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series and one win in 2005, as well as an Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series win at the Emmys, and two Best Supporting Actor – Television nominations at the Golden Globes, one of which he won. Shatner also had a memorable guest appearance on 3rd Rock from the Sun as The Big Giant Head, which earned Shatner another Emmy nomination for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series. Known for his deep and powerful voice, Shatner has loaned his talents to many creating spoken word albums where he performs dramatic recitations of popular songs. He earned a Grammy nomination for Best Audio Book, Narration & Storytelling Recording for his album Boldly Go: Reflections on a Life of Awe and Wonder. Shatner may very well be one of the most significant actors to come out of Gunsmoke, with a career that does not look to be letting up anytime soon. A Lot Of Great Gunsmoke Guest Stars Are Still Alive Actor Character(s) Episode(s) Harrison Ford Print, Hobey "The Sodbusters" "Whelan's Men" Jodie Foster Susan Sadler, Patricia, Marianne "Roots of Fear" "P.S. Murry Christmas" "The Predators" Kurt Russell Packy, Buck Henry Woolfe "Blue Heaven" "Trail of Bloodshed" Sam Elliott Cody Soames "The Wedding" Ron Howard Jamie "Charlie Noon" Nick Nolte Barney Austin "The Tarnished Bridge" Richard Dreyfuss Gearshon Gorofsky "This Golden Land" Jon Voight Steven Downing, Cory, Petter Karlgren "The Newcomers", "Prairie Wolfer", "The Prisoner" Along with the main cast members of the series, Gunsmoke has several high-profile guest actors who are still around. The show helped to launch the careers of many future stars, some of whom have sadly passed away since then. However, fans will recognize some famous faces who are still working and have since delivered some truly iconic performances outside of their time in Gunsmoke. Looking back on Gunsmoke and the actors who graced the series over the years, Harrison Ford is likely the biggest name. Ford actually appeared in two episodes of the show's 18th season as two separate characters. He played Print in "The Sodbusters" and Hobey in "Whelan's Men." Four years after his appearance, Ford would appear as Han Solo in Star Wars and launch his career as a movie star. Two-time Oscar winner Jodie Foster was also a notable name in Gunsmoke's list of guest stars, appearing as three different characters in the series when she was still a child actor. She first appeared in season 15's "Roots of Fear" as Susan Sadler and appeared twice in season 17's "P.S. Murray Christmas" as Patricia and as Marianne in "The Predators." Four years after her final appearance on the show, Foster earned her first Oscar nomination for Martin Scorsese's Taxi Driver. Unsurprisingly, Gunsmoke was also known for kickstarting the careers of several actors who would become popular in the Western genre. Kurt Russell and Sam Elliott are two Western veterans and favorites in the genre. Russell has starred in the likes of Tombstone, Bone Tomahawk, and The Hateful Eight while he has also been tapped for the upcoming Yellowstone spinoff series. Elliott co-starred with Russell in Tombstone and appeared in the Yellowstone prequel 1883. Both actors appeared on Gunsmoke with Russell playing Packy in season 10's "Blue Heaven" and Buck Henry Woolfe in season 19's "Trail of Bloodshed". Meanwhile, Elliott as Cody Soames in season 17's "The Wedding." Among the other notable Gunsmoke guest stars who are still alive are Ron Howard, Nick Nolte, Richard Dreyfuss, and John Voight. Release Date 1955 - 1975-00-00 Directors Andrew V. McLaglen, Harry Harris, Ted Post, Bernard McEveety, Vincent McEveety Writers John Meston, Charles Marquis Warren, Paul Savage Cast James Arness Marshal Matt Dillon Set in the American West, Gunsmoke follows Marshal Matt Dillon as he maintains law and order in Dodge City, Kansas. This Western drama explores the challenges of frontier justice and the complex relationships between settlers, outlaws, and Native Americans during the settlement period. Seasons 20 Creator(s) Charles Marquis Warren, Clyde Ware