Sadly, no. James Arness, who played the towering and taciturn Marshal Matt Dillon for all 20 seasons of "Gunsmoke," died in 2011. His longtime sidekick Ken Curtis, who was actually seven years his senior, died in 1991.

Indeed, the only surviving regular cast member of "Gunsmoke" is Buck Taylor, who played yet another Dillon sidekick, Newly O'Brien.

Taylor, now 76, joined the series for its last seven seasons. He's still working today, most recently appearing, appropriately enough, in the 2011 film "Cowboys & Aliens."

Though all three portrayed many other roles in their long careers on screen, their "Gunsmoke" part will always be the one that defines them. Not that that's a bad thing, considering the incredible success of "Gunsmoke" and its importance to television history.

It was a TV mainstay during the medium's early years ("Gunsmoke" actually started as a radio show, but with different actors), airing on CBS from 1955 to 1975 for a total of 635 episodes. It remains TV's longest-running prime-time drama -- "Law & Order" tied its season count, but did it with nearly 200 fewer episodes.

There were signs even at the outset that "Gunsmoke" would be a big deal. Its first episode was introduced by a guy you may have heard of named John Wayne, who was a friend and mentor to Arness, and reportedly recommended him for the role of Marshal Dillon (Arness was just 22 when the show premiered).

"When I first heard about the show 'Gunsmoke,' I knew there was only one man to play in it: James Arness," Wayne gushed in his intro. "He's a young fellow, and maybe new to some of you, but I've worked with him and I predict he'll be a big star."

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