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The old Bent County jail in Las Animas in southeastern Colorado, where Ken Curtis lived as a boy. 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.
Nov 8, 2023 · Education and early life. Ken was raised alongside his twin brother Chester Kurtis and their older brother Carl Gates on a ranch in Lamar, but they moved to Las Animas, Colorado in 1926, so that their father Dan Sullivan Gates could run for Sheriff; their mother Nellie Sneed Gates was a housewife.
He once said he patterned "Festus" after a local character known as Cedar Jack, who lived about 40 miles out in the cedar hills and made a living cutting cedar fence posts for farmers and ranchers. When he came to Las Animas, he usually ended up drunk and in jail.
- July 2, 1916
- April 28, 1991
Oct 8, 2023 · Key Takeaways: Ken Curtis, known for his role as Festus Haggen on “Gunsmoke”, was a talented musician, accomplished horse rider, and dedicated family man. His legacy lives on through his timeless performances. From his love for the Wild West to his induction into the Cowboy Hall of Fame, Ken Curtis left a lasting mark on Hollywood.
May 1, 1991 · He was 74. Curtis died in his sleep Sunday at his home, said A.C. Lyle, a producer at Paramount Studios. His death was attributed to natural causes. Curtis played deputy Festus Haggin, sidekick...
Ken Curtis and I (Ted Baehr) first knew each other in the 1970s when I became President of the Episcopal Radio TV foundation and produced the television movie for CBS based on the C.S. Lewis book in The Chronicles of Narnia series: THE LION, THE WITCH AND THE WARDROBE.
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Actor: Gunsmoke. Considering the kind of scruffy, backwoods, uneducated, Deep-South hillbilly types he played, many people would be surprised to hear that Ken Curtis wasn't actually born in the south but in the small town of Las Animas, Colorado, the son of the town sheriff.
