Ken Curtis Net Worth is
$5 Million
Ken Curtis Biography
Ken Curtis passed on on April 28, 1991 at 74 years previous from a coronary attack. Ken Curtis was created in Lamar, Colorado in July 1916 and passed on in April 1991. He was most widely known for starring as Festus Haggen on the CBS tv series Gunsmoke from 1959 to 1975. Curtis starred as Jim Buckley on it series Ripcord from 1961 to 1963. From 1983 to 1984 he starred simply because Hoyt Coryell on the series The Yellow Rose. Roberts, The Searchers, The Wings of Eagles, Springtime Reunion, The Missouri Traveler, The Last Hurrah, Escort West, The Young Property, The Equine Soldiers, The Killer Shrews, Freckles, The Alamo, Two Rode Together, The way the West Was Won, Cheyenne Autumn, Shed, Once Upon a Texas Teach, and even more. He also starred in a number of films including From the Depths, Rio Grande, Don Daredevil Rides Once again, The Calm Man, Fighting Coast Safeguard, The Long Gray Range, Mr.Ken Curtis net well worth: Ken Curtis was an American singer and actor who had a net well worth of $5 million.
Known for movies
Gunsmoke (1959-1975)
as Festus / Festus Haggen / Brisco / Frank Eaton / Jesse / Kyle Kelly / Phil Jacks / Scout
Ripcord (1961-1963)
as Jim Buckley / Ken Buckley
The Searchers (1956)
as Charlie McCorry
Robin Hood (1973)
as Nutsy - A Vulture
Quick Facts
| Full Name | Ken Curtis |
| Net Worth | $5 Million |
| Died | April 28, 1991, Fresno, California, United States |
| Height | 1.83 m |
| Profession | Actor, Singer, Film producer |
| Education | Colorado College |
| Nationality | American |
| Spouse | Torrie Ahern Connelly, Barbara Ford, Lorraine Page |
| Parents | Nellie Sneed Gates, Dan Gates |
| Siblings | 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 Star Moonlight, Throw a Saddle on a Star, Out of the Depths, The Cross and the Switchblade, God's Outlaw, Lost |
| TV Shows | The Yellow Rose, Gunsmoke, Ripcord |
Interesting Facts
| # | Fact |
|---|---|
| 1 | Best friend of James Arness. |
| 2 | 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. |
| 10 | Appeared with the Sons of the Pioneers at Carnegie Hall. |
| 11 | 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. |
| 17 | Son-in-law of director John Ford. |
| 18 | Before acting career, sang with Tommy Dorsey's band and the Sons of the Pioneers. |
| 19 | 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. |
Trademarks
| # | Trademark |
|---|---|
| 1 | His beard. |
| 2 | High-pitched voice. |
| 3 | The role of Festus Haggen on Gunsmoke (1955). |
| 4 | Hillbilly accent. |
Quotes
| # | Quote |
|---|---|
| 1 | I'm really proud of Gunsmoke (1955). We put on a good show every week, one that families could all watch together without offending anyone. |
Pictures
Won Awards
Won awards
| Year | Award | Ceremony | Nomination | Movie | Award shared with |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1967 | Bronze Wrangler | Western Heritage Awards | Fictional Television Drama | Gunsmoke (1955) | Calvin Clements Sr. (writer) Philip Leacock (producer) John Mantley (producer) Mark Rydell (director) Albert Salmi (actor) Amanda Blake (actor) Milburn Stone (actor) James Arness (actor) |
Filmography
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" | |
| Rhythm Round-Up | 1945 | performer: "Tumbling Tumbleweeds", "Empty Saddles" |
Producer
| Title | Year | Status | Character |
|---|---|---|---|
| My Dog, Buddy | 1960 | producer | |
| The Giant Gila Monster | 1959 | producer | |
| The Killer Shrews | 1959 | producer |
Thanks
| Title | Year | Status | Character |
|---|---|---|---|
| John Wayne's 'The Alamo' | 1992 | Video documentary short dedicated to the memory of |
Self
| Title | Year | Status | Character |
|---|---|---|---|
| When the West Was Fun: A Western Reunion | 1979 | TV Movie documentary | Himself |
| Ich möcht' so gern Dave Dudley hör'n | 1979 | TV Movie | Himself |
| The World of Sport Fishing | 1972 | Documentary | |
| This Is Your Life | 1972 | TV Series | Himself |
| The Mike Douglas Show | 1972 | TV Series | Himself - Actor |
| Spirit of the Alamo | 1960 | TV Movie documentary | |
| Screen Snapshots: My Pal, Ringeye | 1947 | Short | Himself |
Archive Footage
| Title | Year | Status | Character |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pop Culture Beast's Halloween Horror Picks | 2014 | TV Series documentary | Jerry Farrell |
| Battleground | 2006 | TV Series documentary | Captain Howard W. Gilmore |
| A Personal Journey with Martin Scorsese Through American Movies | 1995 | TV Movie documentary | Charlie McCorry, 'The Searchers' (uncredited) |
| Legends of the West | 1992 | Documentary | Actor in 'Cheyenne Autumn' (uncredited) |
| Fonda on Fonda | 1992 | TV Movie documentary | Yeoman 3rd Class Dolan (uncredited) |
| John Wayne's 'The Alamo' | 1992 | Video documentary short | Himself |
| Gunsmoke: Return to Dodge | 1987 | TV Movie | Festus Haggen (flashback sequence) |
| Hollywood: The Gift of Laughter | 1982 | TV Movie documentary | Actor - 'Mr. Roberts' (uncredited) |
| Henry Fonda: The Man and His Movies | 1982 | TV Movie documentary | Actor in 'Mr. Roberts' (uncredited) |
| AFI Life Achievement Award: A Tribute to Henry Fonda | 1978 | TV Special documentary | Actor 'Mr. Roberts' (uncredited) |
| The American West of John Ford | 1971 | TV Movie documentary | actor 'Rio Grande' (uncredited) |
| The Secret of Wendel Samson | 1966 | Short | Festus Haggen |