Ken Curtis

The Sheriff's Son Who Sang with Sinatra

Curtis Wain Gates wasn't born in a hospital but in a jail cell. His father was the sheriff of Lamar, Colorado, and the family lived on the upper floor of the town jail. That childhood surrounded by real outlaws gave him a sense of authenticity that Hollywood could never manufacture off the assembly line.

In 1938 he moved to Los Angeles to try to make a living from music. But success didn't come from acting. It was his baritone voice that opened the doors of the big orchestras of the era and allowed him to replace Frank Sinatra in Tommy Dorsey's band.

And the gamble paid off.

That stage of his career as a crooner ended when he joined the Sons of the Pioneers between 1949 and 1953. During those years he balanced musical tours with his first roles in B-movie westerns. But his life changed when he met John Ford (the director signed him after hearing him sing on a film set).

Curtis married Ford's daughter, Barbara, in 1952. That marriage opened the doors of what became known as the John Ford Stock Company, the director's trusted group of actors. He appeared in landmark films such as The Searchers in 1956 and The Horse Soldiers in 1959. In these movies he usually played supporting roles, often soldiers or cowboys with a touch of comedy.

The Birth of a Permanent Supporting Actor

Before reaching television, he had to fight for every contract in an industry that saw him only as a singer who acted. In 1962 he first appeared on the series Gunsmoke, playing a character named Festus Haggen in the episode titled Us Haggens.

That role wasn't meant to last. But the chemistry with the rest of the cast was so obvious that the producers decided to bring him on as a regular in 1964 to fill the gap left by Dennis Weaver. Curtis gave Festus a very distinctive nasal accent and a questionable personal hygiene that set him apart from the spotless heroes of the era.

The public didn't want another one.

He played Festus across 304 episodes until the series ended in 1975. He reportedly built the character's voice on a man he had met in the town of his childhood while helping his father at the jail. Curtis always returned to his roots when he needed to find the truth in a script.

In 1973 he lent his voice to the Disney animated film Robin Hood. He played Nutsy, one of the guardian vultures, using a delivery very similar to the one that had made him famous in westerns. It was one of his few works outside live action that made a real impact on young audiences.

The Retirement Years in California

After Gunsmoke ended in 1975, the actor drastically cut back on his screen appearances. He had no interest in fame for its own sake. In 1983 he took part in the shoot of The Lost Spikes, but his main activity focused on Western film festivals and charity events.

He was never the same again.

He spent his last decades living on a ranch near Fresno. There he raised cattle and enjoyed a quiet life far from the spotlight of Los Angeles. In 1991 he died in his sleep of a heart attack at age 74.

The city of Clovis, California, installed a full-length bronze statue in his honor. The piece cost 60,000 dollars at the time and was funded entirely by donations from local residents.