While Peter Graves carved his name into television history as the unflappable Jim Phelps in Mission: Impossible, and his brother James Arness became synonymous with the stoic Marshal Matt Dillon in Gunsmoke, the bond they shared as siblings remained a lesser-known facet of their celebrated lives. This connection, however, was deeply significant to both men and their family, grounding their individual successes in a shared heritage.
It wasn’t a secret deliberately concealed from the public, but the brotherhood of Peter Graves, born Peter Aurness, and James Arness wasn’t a widely publicized fact, particularly during the height of their television fame. Considering the monumental popularity of Mission: Impossible and Gunsmoke, this understated family tie is somewhat surprising in retrospect.
“Only about half the public realizes we’re brothers,” Peter Graves remarked in a 1972 interview with The Times Herald, highlighting the public’s general unawareness. He further elaborated on their separate paths to Hollywood, “Jim came out here to Hollywood while I was still back in Minnesota. He’d already appeared in The Farmer’s Daughter with Loretta Young while I was still going to college. I came out here [to California] for the same reason Jim did — to become an actor. He was doing movies and his career was going along well when Gunsmoke came along.”
Pop culture expert Geoffrey Mark offers further insight into the muted publicity surrounding their sibling connection during the 1960s when both Mission: Impossible and Gunsmoke dominated CBS’s primetime lineup. “It wasn’t widely out there in the 1960s when it was going on, because even though both shows — Mission Impossible and Gunsmoke — were on CBS, for whatever reasons, the powers that were didn’t really want to make that big a deal out of it for publicity’s sake. Although well known, they were such very different shows.”
Mark points out the evolution of Gunsmoke which shifted its narrative structure. “Gunsmoke, once it expanded from half an hour to one-hour,” he explains, “could not continue to be just another Western. It had to have hour-long plots, and to have an hour of plot, you had to have an entry; a mystery to solve or a problem of some sort to solve. It’s what made Gunsmoke very different from many of the other Westerns that were on, including Bonanza.”
He also speculates on the lack of promotional emphasis on the brothers when Mission: Impossible premiered, suggesting it might be linked to Peter Graves stepping in as a replacement for the original lead, Steven Hill. “One would’ve thought that when Mission Impossible started, that there would have been a big publicity push — ‘Oh, look, now we have two brothers; two handsome rugged men who are part of the CBS stable,’ but they didn’t, most likely because Peter was not the original star of Mission Impossible, given that he was a replacement for the original star, Steven Hill. I don’t think they wanted to bring attention to the fact that there was a replacement.”
The Minnesota Roots of Peter Aurness and James Arness
The story of Peter Aurness, known professionally as Peter Graves, and James Arness begins in Minneapolis, Minnesota. James King Aurness, the elder brother, was born on May 26, 1923, to Rolf Cirkler Aurnes, a businessman, and Ruth Duesler, a journalist. Three years later, Peter Duesler Aurness, later to be known as Peter Graves, was born on March 18, 1926, completing the family.
James Arness’s early life saw him graduate high school in 1942, and take on various jobs, including working as a courier for a jewelry wholesaler, logging in Idaho, and unloading boxcars at railway yards in Minneapolis. He briefly attended Beloit College, joining the choir and the Beta Theta Pi fraternity before his life took a wartime turn.
In 1943, James was drafted into the U.S. Army, becoming part of the Allied forces that landed on Anzio Beachhead on January 22, 1944, a pivotal and fiercely contested battle during World War II. He sustained a severe leg injury during the Battle of Anzio, leading to an honorable discharge on January 29, 1945. His bravery and service were recognized with several military decorations, including the Bronze Star, Purple Heart, American Campaign Medal, European African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal, World War II Victory Medal, and the Combat Infantryman Badge.
Peter Graves, following his high school graduation in 1944, also served his country, enlisting in the United States Air Force during World War II. He served for a year, reaching the rank of corporal and receiving the American Campaign Medal and the World War II Victory Medal. After his military service, Peter utilized the G.I. Bill to enroll at the University of Minnesota and joined the Phi Kappa Psi fraternity, setting the stage for his burgeoning acting career.
The brothers, of German descent, made a significant decision in the aftermath of World War II to alter their last names. Peter Aurness adopted “Graves,” a name from their maternal family line, while James modified “Aurness” to “Arness.”
Geoffrey Mark explains the context of this name change, “After World War II, people were not beating their breasts saying, ‘Look at me, I’m German,’ which is why James changed the spelling and pronunciation of his name and Peter didn’t use it at all.” This decision reflected the post-war sensitivities and the brothers’ desire to forge their paths in Hollywood.
Hollywood Beckons Peter Graves and James Arness
James Arness’s entry into the entertainment industry began in radio, working as an announcer at a Minneapolis radio station. Driven by his ambition to act, he hitchhiked to Hollywood, securing his first film role in The Farmer’s Daughter (1947). This marked the start of a prolific film career with roles in movies like The Man from Texas (1948), Wagon Master (1950), Two Lost Worlds (1951), The Thing from Another World (1951), Horizons West (1952), and Hondo (1953). His casting as Marshal Matt Dillon in Gunsmoke in 1955 cemented his iconic status, a role he embodied for an astounding 635 episodes until 1975. Notably, his debut in Gunsmoke was introduced by the legendary John Wayne, a powerful endorsement for the then-emerging star.
Peter Graves, initially credited as Peter Dandridge, made his film debut in Rogue River (1951). He followed this with a diverse range of roles in films such as Fort Defiance (1951), Stalag 17 (1953), Beneath the 12-Mile Reef (1953), The Long Gray Line (1955), The Night of the Hunter (1955), and A Stranger in My Arms (1959). Before his iconic role in Mission: Impossible, Peter Graves established himself in television with regular roles in series like Fury (1955-1960), Whiplash (1959-1960), and Court Martial (1965-1966). In 1967, Peter Aurness stepped into the role of Jim Phelps in Mission: Impossible, taking over from Steven Hill and defining the character from 1967 to 1973 and later reprising it in the revival series from 1988 to 1990.
Contrasting the Acting Styles of the Aurness Brothers
Geoffrey Mark offers an insightful comparison of the brothers’ acting careers, suggesting that Peter Graves, or Peter Aurness, often faced greater acting challenges compared to James Arness. This difference stemmed from the inherent nature of their signature roles.
Reflecting on Mission: Impossible, Mark notes, “When you do any kind of research about Mission Impossible, ignoring the films, which these people had nothing to do with, the only negative publicity is that the actors on Mission came and went and the show’s quality would rise and fall depending who the regular characters were any given season. Nothing about Peter being bad or hard to work with.” He emphasizes the clean public images of both brothers, “I don’t think either of the men really had any negative publicity, like, ‘Oh, look, he was drunk. Oh, look, he’s cheating on his wife.’ It’s not what their personas were about. I also think Peter was a more open person and, quite frankly, the better actor.”
Mark elaborates on the acting demands of Peter Graves’s role in Mission: Impossible: “He had to be on Mission Impossible, because he wasn’t just playing the lead character in charge, because the premise of the show demanded that the lead character play other parts within the show. Peter had to do accents, he had to have makeup jobs, he played the good guys, he played the bad guys. Peter’s character got shot and almost killed. It required him to flex his acting muscles.” Peter Aurness, as Jim Phelps, had to embody different personas weekly, demanding versatility and range.
In contrast, Mark observes about James Arness and Gunsmoke, “Whereas with James Arness and Gunsmoke, it’s not that he was a bad actor, it’s just that he was doing it by rote. There was nothing new for Marshal Dillon, I don’t think. Once the hour-long show started and they had time for plot, I don’t think Marshal Dillon’s character grew or changed very much. Other characters’ did, but not him.” Marshal Dillon, while iconic, remained a relatively static character throughout Gunsmoke‘s long run, offering fewer opportunities for dramatic range compared to the multifaceted Jim Phelps portrayed by Peter Aurness. “Peter had to be James Phelps to open every show, close every show and set up the plot for every show, but the other 50 minutes he was playing somebody else. So it was an acting challenge on a weekly basis that James Arness did not have, because Marshal Dillon pretty much stayed the same the whole time.”
Following Gunsmoke, James Arness continued to work in Westerns, starring in How the West Was Won (1977-1979) and McClain’s Law (1981-1982). He also revisited his famous role as Marshal Dillon in six Gunsmoke television movies between 1987 and 1993, further solidifying his Western legacy.
Peter Graves, or Peter Aurness, broadened his acting portfolio after Mission: Impossible, appearing in films like the comedic hit Airplane! (1980) as Captain Clarence Oveur, which introduced him to a new generation of fans. He continued with television guest appearances and TV movies, with his final role in a 2007 episode of WorldGirl.
Despite their separate career trajectories, Peter Graves and James Arness maintained a close, albeit private, brotherly relationship. Peter acknowledged James’s success, noting in The Times Herald, “I never really envied Jim’s success in Gunsmoke. I thought he was in a great spot and I was just looking for one of my own.” He also revealed offers to play James’s brother on Gunsmoke, “I’ve been offered several Gunsmoke scripts in which I’d play Jim’s worthless brother. We’ve talked over the scripts, but didn’t feel any of them were quite right for us.” Peter also directed an episode of Gunsmoke, demonstrating his versatility within the industry.
Geoffrey Mark summarizes their bond, “Peter Graves and James Arness got along, they loved each other, but I think because of their background, men didn’t show affection. I don’t think there was hugging and kissing on the cheek going on between them, but I think they loved each other. They each were happy for the other one’s success.” He emphasizes the mutual respect and admiration between the brothers, “I never heard Peter say anything really negative about James other than some of what I brought up here, that they were very different people and Peter did not want to get locked into only one thing. He wanted a variety of things to do, and he was more open. I think those are the only things Peter said to me about James that was gossipy or in any way trying to put him down. Just the differences between them and that’s not a good thing or a bad thing.”
James Arness passed away from natural causes on June 2, 2011, at the age of 88, having been married twice and fathering three children. Peter Graves, or Peter Aurness, predeceased his brother, passing away from a heart attack on March 14, 2010, at the age of 83. He was married once and also had three children. Their parallel yet distinct careers and enduring brotherly love remain a compelling story in Hollywood history, reminding us of the personal bonds that exist behind the on-screen personas of iconic television stars like Peter Aurness and James Arness.
