Ken Curtis Biography

Fast Facts

• He was an infantry member during World War II and served from 1942 to 1945
• Attended Colorado College in 1935 with the intention of becoming a doctor, but went to Hollywood after his success as a songwriter
• Started out as a swing band singer in the 1930s, joining the Tommy Dorsey band when Frank Sinatra left it to begin his solo career
• Best known for his role as Festus Haggen in the TV series "Gunsmoke․"
• During the sci-fi movie boom in the 1950s, he founded his own production company and produced the black and white monster films "The Killer Shrews" and "The Giant Gila Monster․"
• Columbia Pictures signed him as a singing cowboy after the success of "Tumbling Tumbleweeds․"
• He was a member of Sons of the Pioneers, a western singing group that included Roy Rogers
• Appeared in numerous classic western films, including "The Searchers" and "The Quiet Man" with John Wayne
• He played the character Festus Haggen in "Gunsmoke" for 11 years after replacing Dennis Weaver in 1964