Curtis Wain Gates Bio/Wiki, Net Worth, Married 2018
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. They would probably be even more surprised to learn that he began his show business career ...
Chester Curtis, Carl Curtis, Tumbling Tumbleweeds, Cool Water, Riders in the Sky
Movies
The Searchers, The Alamo, The Killer Shrews, Mister Roberts, The Horse Soldiers, The Giant Gila Monster, The Wings of Eagles, Robin Hood, Cheyenne Autumn, Conagher, The Young Land, Two Rode Together, Pony Express Rider, Don Daredevil Rides Again, Once Upon a Texas Train, Call of the Forest, Lone Sta...
Best remembered by the public for his role as Festus Haggen on Gunsmoke (1955).
3
Not only was Ken Curtis in "Dodge City" in the tv series, Gunsmoke, from 1962-1975, he also was in "Dodge City" in the movie Cheyenne Autumn (1964).
4
While appearing in John Ford westerns, Ken Curtis initially utilized his musical talents before turning to straight acting. In Rio Grande (1950), he was a guitar-playing lead-singing tenor with the 'Regimental Singers'. In The Quiet Man (1952), he played an accordion and sang tenor in the bar.
5
Curtis Wain Gate's maternal great grandfather Sebron (Seaborn) Graham Sneed (1828-1872) was the senior second lieutenant of Company A, Harrelson's Battalion, Arkansas Cavalry (Confederate) during the War Between the States. Sebron's brothers Samuel and William R. were privates in the same unit.
6
He met singer Jo Stafford while appearing with Johnny Mercer on a radio program. Mercer invited him to make a guest appearance and, in acknowledgment of Jo's latest recording, Ken sang "Tumbling Tumbleweeds". As a result of this appearance, Columbia Pictures signed him up for a series of musical westerns.
7
His stage name was changed to the easier-sounding "Ken Curtis" when he temporarily replaced Frank Sinatra in Tommy Dorsey's band in 1941.
8
Went in 1935 to a college in Colorado Springs to study medicine. While there his love for singing grew and he involved himself in various college musical events.
9
Came from a musical family -- his father played the fiddle, his mother the pump organ, brother Chester the banjo, and another brother Carl sang.
The Sons of the Pioneers, of which Curtis was once a member, were awarded a Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for Recording at 6843 Hollywood Boulevard in Hollywood, California.
12
Refused an offer to appear as Festus Haggen in the movie Gunsmoke: Return to Dodge (1987), which reunited James Arness, Amanda Blake, Buck Taylor and Fran Ryan from the original series. Money was the issue. Producer John Mantley, interviewed for TV Guide when the movie aired, said Curtis had demanded double what Blake got; other sources say Mantley was at fault in offering Curtis an insultingly low salary (not specified in either account).
13
On Gunsmoke (1955) as Festus Haggen, he always drew and fired a pistol with his right hand -- but whenever he had to use a rifle, he would bring it up to his left shoulder and pull the trigger with his left hand (sighting with his left eye and squinting with his right). Often, Festus would squint with the right eye partially closed as well. This was never explained unless the actor or character had lost vision in his right eye.
14
Although his character, Festus Haggen, was introduced to Gunsmoke (1955) in an episode called "Us Haggens," in which he arrived in Dodge City to avenge the death of his twin brother, the fact that Festus had a twin was never again mentioned on the show.
15
Early in his career, he sang with Shep Fields' Orchestra.
16
Inducted (as a cast member of Gunsmoke (1955)) into the Hall of Great Western Performers of the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum in 1981.
Introduced the western standard "Tumbling Tumbleweeds" to movie audiences.
20
Grew up in Las Animas, Colorado, where his father, Dan Gates, was sheriff. As was the custom at the time, they lived above the jail and his mother, Nellie (Sneed) Gates, cooked for the prisoners. 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. This gave Curtis plenty of opportunity to observe him.
Actor
Title
Year
Status
Character
Conagher
1991
TV Movie
Seaborn Tay, Cattle Rancher
In the Heat of the Night
1990
TV Series
Tom McCauley
Once Upon a Texas Train
1988
TV Movie
Kelly Sutton
Airwolf
1986
TV Series
Cecil Carnes Sr.
The All American Cowboy
1985
TV Movie
The Yellow Rose
1983-1984
TV Series
Hoyt Coryell
Lost
1983
Legend of the Wild
1981
California Gold Rush
1981
TV Movie
Kentuck
How the West Was Won
1979
TV Series
Sheriff Orville Gant
Vega$
1979
TV Series
Digger Dennison
Once Upon a Starry Night
1978
TV Movie
Uncle Ned
The Life and Times of Grizzly Adams
1978
TV Series
Black Beauty
1978
TV Mini-Series
Howard Jakes
Pony Express Rider
1976
Jed Richardson
Petrocelli
1976
TV Series
Harry Underwood
Gunsmoke
1959-1975
TV Series
Festus
Festus Haggen
Frank Eaton
...
Robin Hood
1973
Nutsy - A Vulture (voice)
Cheyenne Autumn
1964
Joe
Death Valley Days
1964
TV Series
Skinner Graydon
Ripcord
1961-1963
TV Series
Jim Buckley / Ken Buckley
How the West Was Won
1962
Cpl. Ben (uncredited)
Have Gun - Will Travel
1959-1962
TV Series
Monk / Lucky Laski / Tom Strickland / ...
The Aquanauts
1961
TV Series
Head Waiter / Horton
Two Rode Together
1961
Greeley Clegg
Sea Hunt
1961
TV Series
Dean
The Case of the Dangerous Robin
1961
TV Series
Rawhide
1961
TV Series
Vic Slade
Wagon Train
1960
TV Series
Kyle Cleatus / Pappy Lightfoot
Perry Mason
1960
TV Series
Tim Durant
The Alamo
1960
Capt. Almeron Dickinson
Freckles
1960
Wessner
My Dog, Buddy
1960
Dr. Lusk
The Killer Shrews
1959
Jerry Farrell
The Horse Soldiers
1959
Cpl. Wilkie
Woman on the Run
1959
TV Movie
The Young Land
1959
Lee Hearn
Escort West
1958
Trooper Burch
The Last Hurrah
1958
Monsignor Killian
The Missouri Traveler
1958
Fred Mueller
The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp
1957
TV Series
Major Hendericks
Spring Reunion
1957
Al
The Wings of Eagles
1957
John Dale Price
5 Steps to Danger
1956
FBI Agent Jim Anderson (uncredited)
The Searchers
1956
Charlie McCorry
Mister Roberts
1955
Yeoman 3rd Class Dolan
The Long Gray Line
1955
Specialty (uncredited)
The Quiet Man
1952
Dermot Fahy (uncredited)
Fighting Coast Guard
1951
Ken - Member Sons of the Pioneers
Don Daredevil Rides Again
1951
Lee Hadley / Don Daredevil
Rio Grande
1950
Donnelly - Regimental Singer (uncredited)
Everybody's Dancin'
1950
Ken - Member Sons of the Pioneers (as Sons of the Pioneers)
Call of the Forest
1949
Bob Brand
Stallion Canyon
1949
Curt Benson
Riders of the Pony Express
1949
Tom Blake - posing as Tom Bledsoe
Over the Santa Fe Trail
1947
Curt Mason
Lone Star Moonlight
1946
Curt Norton
Singing on the Trail
1946
Curt Stanton
Cowboy Blues
1946
Curt Durant
That Texas Jamboree
1946
Curt Chambers
Throw a Saddle on a Star
1946
Curt Walker
Out of the Depths
1945
Buck Clayton
Song of the Prairie
1945
Dan Tyler
Rhythm Round-Up
1945
Jimmy Benson
Shep Fields and His New Music with Ken Curtis
1941
Short
Ken Curtis - Band Singer
Santa Fe Trail
1940
Oficer singung at celebration (uncredited)
Soundtrack
Title
Year
Status
Character
Ich möcht' so gern Dave Dudley hör'n
1979
TV Movie performer: "Tumbling Tumbleweeds"
The Searchers
1956
performer: "Skip to My Lou" - uncredited
The Quiet Man
1952
performer: "The Wild Colonial Boy" - uncredited
Call of the Forest
1949
performer: "Git Along Little Dogies"
Riders of the Pony Express
1949
performer: "Red River Valley", "Skip to My Lou", "Git Along Little Dogies", "Jeanie with the Light Brown Hair" - uncredited
Over the Santa Fe Trail
1947
performer: "Hi-Yo Texas", "Over the Santa Fe Trail" / writer: "Hi-Yo Texas"
Lone Star Moonlight
1946
performer: "It's Great To Be Back", "Lone Star Moonlight", "Home on the Range" / writer: "It's Great To Be Back", "Lone Star Moonlight"
Singing on the Trail
1946
performer: "Singing on the Trail" / writer: "Singing on the Trail", "Soft Breeze"
Cowboy Blues
1946
performer: "The First Thing I Do Every Morning" / writer: "Little Cowgirl", "A Lot of Elbow Room"
That Texas Jamboree
1946
writer: "Never Tangle with Old John Law", "Prairie Serenade" - uncredited
Throw a Saddle on a Star
1946
"The Strawberry Blonde on the Strawberry Roan" / performer: "The Strawberry Blonde on the Strawberry Roan", "I'll Take You Home Again, Kathleen" uncredited
Song of the Prairie
1945
performer: "Sing To Me Cowboy", "Idaho-Ho", "Silver on the Sage"
$6 Million
