Dennis Weaver

In his two-hour interview, Dennis Weaver (1924-2006) reminisces about growing up in Missouri during the Great Depression and remembers working as a migrant worker in his summers. He talks about his move to New York and his early acting experience, on the stage and on television. He describes his move to Hollywood under contract with Universal, and his move from feature films into television in the mid-1950s. Next, he speaks at length about his co-starring role on the long-running classic Gunsmoke, detailing the origins of his character "Chester's" limp and country bumpkin accent. He also talks about his subsequent work on series including Kentucky Jones and Gentle Ben, and discusses his leading role on NBC's McCloud. Finally, he speaks about his then-more recent work, from made-for-television movies including Duel to the series Stone and Buck Jones. Henry Colman conducted the interview on September 24, 2002 in Malibu, CA.