Actor singer ken curtis biography

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I manage all aspects of the editorial process, from conducting thorough research to crafting vivid narratives, all while ensuring the accuracy and quality of our work. Ken Curtis born Curtis Wain Gates ; [ 1 ] July 2, — April 28, [ 2 ] was an American actor and singer best known for his role as Festus Haggen on the western television series Gunsmoke.

Actor singer ken curtis biography

In , 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 to 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 Army from to He attended Colorado College to study medicine, but left after a short time to pursue his musical career.

Curtis was a singer before moving into acting, and combined both careers once he entered films. Curtis may have served simply as insurance against Sinatra's likely defection, and it was Dorsey who suggested that Gates change his name to Ken Curtis. Curtis then joined Shep Fields and His New Music, an all-reeds band that dispensed with a brass section.

Curtis met his first wife, Lorraine Page, who was also under contract at Universal Studios, and they were married in For much of , Curtis was a featured singer and host of the long-running country music radio program WWVA Jamboree. Ken Curtis joined the Sons of the Pioneers as a lead singer from to and again from to Columbia Pictures signed Curtis to a contract in He starred in a series of musical Westerns [ 7 ] 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. He was a singer in the movie's fictional band The Regimental Singers that actually consisted of the Sons of the Pioneers ; Curtis is not listed as a member of the principal cast. He was featured in all three of the only films produced by Cornelius Vanderbilt Whitney 's C.

In , he appeared as cowhand Phil Jakes on the Gunsmoke season four episode, "Jayhawkers". This series ran from to with 76 half-hour episodes in total. This television show helped generate interest in sport parachuting. Curtis remains best known for his role as Festus Haggen, the scruffy, cantankerous, and illiterate deputy in Gunsmoke. He initially appeared as Festus in the hour long "Us Haggens" episode in season eight which was broadcast December 8, He played Festus for eleven years, from through the end of the series in Swartz and Robert C.

There were three marriages. His first was to Lorraine Page circa Ken tied the knot with director John Ford's daughter Barbara who had been married to - and divorced from - troubled actor Robert Walker. Barbara and Ken's marriage lasted a dozen years, from - He and Torrie Ahern Connelly married in Las Vegas in , and they were together through his passing in When he came to Las Animas, he usually ended up drunk and in jail.

This gave Curtis plenty of opportunity to observe him. Came from a musical family -- his father played the fiddle, his mother the pump organ, brother Chester the banjo, and another brother Carl sang. In he went to a college in Colorado Springs, CO, to study medicine. While there his love for singing grew and he involved himself in various college musical events.

I'm really proud of Gunsmoke We put on a good show every week, one that families could all watch together without offending anyone. Contribute to this page Suggest an edit or add missing content.