Ken Curtis
Ken Curtis is known for Robin Hood (1973), The Searchers (1956), The Quiet Man (1952).
Biography
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
Questions about Ken Curtis
How many Ken Curtis films are in the catalogue?
The CineQuiz catalogue has 40 films with Ken Curtis, from 1945 to 1992.
What is the best rated Ken Curtis film?
The best rated Ken Curtis film in the catalogue is The Searchers (1956), rated 7.7.
What was the first Ken Curtis film?
The first Ken Curtis film in the catalogue is Rio Grande, from 1950.
Who has Ken Curtis worked with the most?
In the catalogue, Ken Curtis shares the most credits with John Ford (10 films), Jack Murray (7 films) and John Wayne (6 films).
People data: TMDb.
Known for
Trivia
- Also works as
- singer · screenwriter · film producer
- Studied at
- Colorado College
Trivia from Wikidata, licensed CC0.
Full filmography
47 films — 40 in the catalogue
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8.3 John Wayne's 'The Alamo'
1992 · Self
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6.7 Conagher
1991 · Seaborn Tay, Cattle Rancher
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5.2 Once Upon a Texas Train
1988 · Kelly Sutton
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5.1 Lost
1983 · Wyatt Cosgrove
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6.0 Legend of the Wild
1981
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7.0 California Gold Rush
1981 · Kentuck
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When the West Was Fun: A Western Reunion
1979 · Self
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10.0
Once Upon a Starry Night
1978 · Uncle Ned
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6.0 Pony Express Rider
1976 · Jed Richardson
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7.3 Robin Hood
1973 · Nutsy - A Vulture (voice)
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6.7 Cheyenne Autumn
1964 · Joe
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7.0 How the West Was Won
1962 · Corporal Ben (uncredited)
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6.4 Two Rode Together
1961 · Greeley Clegg
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7.1 The Alamo
1960 · Capt. Almeron Dickinson
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5.3 Freckles
1960 · Wessner
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9.0 My Dog, Buddy
1960 · Dr. Lusk
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4.5 The Killer Shrews
1959 · Jerry Farrell
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6.9 The Horse Soldiers
1959 · Cpl. Wilkie
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6.0
Woman on the Run
1959
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6.8 The Young Land
1959 · Lee Hearn
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6.2 Escort West
1959 · Trooper Burch
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7.2 The Last Hurrah
1958 · Monsignor Killian
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6.7 The Missouri Traveler
1958 · Fred Mueller
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6.2 Spring Reunion
1957 · Al
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6.3 The Wings of Eagles
1957 · John Dale Price
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6.0 The Growler Story
1957 · Captain Howard W. Gilmore
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6.6 5 Steps to Danger
1956 · FBI Agent Jim Anderson (uncredited)
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7.7 The Searchers
1956 · Charlie McCorry
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7.0 Mister Roberts
1955 · Dolan
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7.0 The Long Gray Line
1955 · Specialty (uncredited)
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7.3 The Quiet Man
1952 · Dermot Fahy (uncredited)
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6.7 Fighting Coast Guard
1951 · Ken - Member Sons of the Pioneers
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8.0 Don Daredevil Rides Again
1951 · Lee Hadley / Don Daredevil
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6.8 Rio Grande
1950 · Donnelly - Regimental Singer (uncredited)
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6.0 Call of the Forest
1949 · Bob Brand
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8.0 Stallion Canyon
1949 · Curt Benson
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7.5 Riders of the Pony Express
1949 · Tom Blake
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Over the Santa Fe Trail
1947 · Curt Mason
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10.0 Lone Star Moonlight
1946 · Curt Norton
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7.0 Singing on the Trail
1946 · Curt Stanton
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10.0 Cowboy Blues
1946 · Curt Durant
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8.0 That Texas Jamboree
1946 · Curt Chambers
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7.0 Throw a Saddle on a Star
1946 · Curt Walker
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7.0
Out of the Depths
1945 · Buck Clayton
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7.0 Song of the Prairie
1945 · Dan Tyler
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8.0 Rhythm Round-Up
1945 · Jimmy Benson
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4.2 The Giant Gila Monster
1959
Series and TV shows
11 titles
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7.6
Airwolf
1984 · Cecil Carnes Sr.
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6.9
Vega$
1978 · Cast
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7.0
Grizzly Adams
1977 · Uncle Ned
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7.0
How the West Was Won
1977 · Orville Gant
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7.2
Petrocelli
1974 · Cast
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7.3
Rawhide
1959 · Vic Slade
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6.7
Sea Hunt
1958 · Cast
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7.3
Have Gun, Will Travel
1957 · Tom Strickland
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7.7
Perry Mason
1957 · Tim Durant
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6.7
Wagon Train
1957 · Kyle Cleatus
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6.7
Gunsmoke
1955 · Festus · 368 ep.
People data: TMDb.
Cast
