Bruce Dern Played A Surprising Number Of Characters On Gunsmoke

The great Bruce Dern will always be a legend of the Western genre simply for being the man who killed John Wayne. Dern's cattle rustler Asa Watts shot Wayne's rancher Will Andersen in an infamous scene from 1972's "The Cowboys," prompting Wayne to issue a warning to his co-star ahead of filming. But even before this unforgettable moment, Dern had earned his Western stripes in a series of oaters across the big and small screen. That includes several appearances on "Gunsmoke," which saw the actor portray a number of different characters. All of them were villains or otherwise nefarious, with Dern portraying everything from murderous fathers to gunslingers and even the son of a wild, kidnapping matriarch.

The 1950s and '60s were a golden era for small-screen Westerns, and "Gunsmoke" remains one of the most beloved and influential of the lot. While Clint Eastwood was busy becoming a star on CBS' "Rawhide" (though it took some trickery to turn the young actor into a cowboy), the network had already ensnared young Western fans with "Gunsmoke." An adaptation of the radio show of the same name, the series went on to become the longest-running TV Western of all time and was even the longest-running live-action TV series in general until it was bested by "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit" in 2019.

It wasn't until "Gunsmoke" was more than halfway through its 20-season run, however, that Dern would show up to make life difficult for James Arness' U.S. Marshal Matt Dillon. Making his debut in season 11, Dern ultimately reappeared on the show three separate times to play three additional characters across the 11th, 12th, and 14th seasons.

Bruce Dern appeared in an impressive array of top TV shows throughout the 1960s, beginning with a role on "Route 66" in 1960 — a show that also provided one of two sources of inspiration for the character of John J. Rambo. Dern continued to work solidly throughout the '60s, appearing in everything from "The Outer Limits" to "The Alfred Hitchcock Hour," and he was particularly prolific in Western series. "Bonanza," "The Virginian," "Wagon Train," "Big Valley," "The Loner;" all these classic shows hosted Dern multiple times.

In 1965, the actor added to his Western bonafides when he guest-starred in "Rawhide" as trail hand Ed Rankin. That same year, he also showed up in two episodes of "Gunsmoke," both of which came during the show's 11th season. The series featured several up-and-coming stars during its run, including a pre-"Happy Days" Ron Howard (who appeared in an Emmy-winning episode) and Harrison Ford (who, like Dern, played different characters during each of his "Gunsmoke" appearances).

Season 11, episode 4, titled "Ten Little Indians" saw Dern appear on the series for the first time. The actor played gunslinger Doyle Phleger who's out to claim the bounty placed on Matt Dillon's head. Later that year, Dern returned to "Gunsmoke" for the season 11 episode "South Wind," in which he had a bigger role as Judd Print, a father who kills another man during a camping trip in order to steal his belongings. These two episodes set a precedent for Dern's "Gunsmoke" tenure, as he went on to play villainous characters twice more. They also provided a glimpse of the wild and unpredictable menace Dern would bring to his big screen baddies, especially that no good cattle rustler that eventually felled the Duke.

After playing two villains in "Gunsmoke" during its 11th season, Bruce Dern returned to the series to do the same thing again. In season 12, episode 3, "The Jailer," Dern appeared alongside Bette Davis (who thought her "Gunsmoke" cameo was beneath her) as Lou Stone, the son of Davis' kidnapper Etta Stone, who herself holds a bitter grudge against Marshal Matt Dillon for the execution of her husband several years prior. She retaliates by throwing him and Miss Kitty (Amanda Blake) into her homemade jail. It's really Stone that steals the spotlight in this episode, though Dern gives a typically solid performance as Lou.

The actor then returned yet again to "Gunsmoke" in 1969, playing Guerin in season 14, episode 21, "The Long Night." You won't be surprised to hear that this character was, yes, a villain — one of several, in fact. In the episode, three bounty hunters led by Guerin hold Dr. Galen Adams (Milburn Stone), Kitty, Sam Noonan (Glenn Strange), and Louie Pheeters (James Nusser) hostage in the Long Branch Saloon in an attempt to secure the release of a prisoner. Dern really shines in this episode, which might be the best of the four in terms of showcasing his talents. Interestingly enough, "The Long Night" also features Russell Johnson, who played The Professor on "Gilligan's Island" and portrays one of Guerin's crew in the episode.

After that, Dern didn't return to "Gunsmoke." By the time the show ended in 1975, the actor had established himself as a big screen star, having appeared in 1969's "They Shoot Horses, Don't They?" and 1974's "The Great Gatsby" along with, of course 1972's "The Cowboys," in which he channeled all that villainous energy he'd demonstrated on "Gunsmoke" to become the infamous rogue that shot John Wayne.