Janet Surtees Biography, Age, Pictures and Husband

Janet Surtees is a dress shop owner and one of the famous celebrity wives in the United States who is known for being the second wife of the late American actor James Arness. James Arness was best known for his role as Marshal Matt Dillon in the long-running TV series Gunsmoke. Janet and James had a beautiful love story that lasted for more than three decades until his death in 2011. In this article, we will explore the biography, family, and career of Janet Surtees, as well as her relationship with James Arness.

Early Life and Education

Janet Surtees was born on February 15th, 1947 in the United States of America. She holds an American nationality and belongs to the Caucasian ethnicity. Her father was a pilot, but the information about her mother is out of the media. She has a brother who also worked as a pilot in the past.

Career and Meeting James Arness

Janet Surtees worked at a dress shop owned by the wife of Glen Alden, the makeup artist of James Arness. She spent around six years working in the shop, where she met her future husband for the first time. She was unaware of James Arness’s successful Hollywood career at the time, as she was not a fan of western movies or TV shows.

Marriage and Love Life

She married James Arness on December 16th, 1978 in a private wedding ceremony. They had a blissful marital life, supporting each other through thick and thin until the actor’s passing in 2011. They made sporadic public appearances, preferring to keep their love life low-profile. One of their rare outings was their joint appearance during a signing of James’ book James Arness: An Autobiography in 2001 in Los Angeles.

Janet Surtees Husband: James Arness and Janet Surtees

James Arness was born on May 26th, 1923 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. He was a war hero, actor, and producer, who rose to fame for his role as Marshal Matt Dillon in the CBS western drama Gunsmoke, which ran for 20 seasons from 1955 to 1975. He also starred in other movies and TV shows, such as How the West Was Won, The Thing from Another World, Them!, The Alamo, and McClain’s Law. He was a close friend of John Wayne, who introduced him to the first episode of Gunsmoke in 1955.

James Arness was married twice in his life. His first wife was Virginia Chapman, whom he married in 1948. They had two biological children, Jenny Lee Arness and Rolf Arness, and adopted a son, Craig Arness. However, their marriage was troubled by Virginia’s alcoholism and mental illness. She died of a drug overdose in 1975, which was ruled as a suicide. James Arness married Janet Surtees three years later, in 1978. He adopted her son, Jim Surtees, from her previous relationship.

James Arness died of natural causes at the age of 88 at his Brentwood home in Los Angeles on June 3rd, 2011. His body was buried in the Abiding Hope Sanctuary in the Jasmine Terrace portion of the Great Mausoleum at the Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Glendale, California. He was survived by his wife Janet, his sons Rolf and Jim, and his grandchildren.

Janet Surtees Son

She had a son, Jim Surtees, from her previous relationship. Jim was adopted by James Arness after their marriage, and they co-parented him together. Jim Surtees followed his adoptive father’s footsteps and became an actor. He appeared in some movies and TV shows, such as The Thing, The Alamo, and Gunsmoke: Return to Dodge. He also worked as a stuntman and a production assistant in Hollywood.

When was Janet Surtees Born?

Janet Surtees was born on February 15th, 1947 in the United States of America. She is 75 years old as of 2023.

Janet Surtees Age

Janet Surtees is 75 years old as of 2023. She was born on February 15th, 1947.

Janet Surtees Net Worth

Janet Surtees’s net worth is estimated to be around $1 million, according to some sources. She earned her wealth from her career as a dress shop owner and from her inheritance from her late husband James Arness. James Arness had a net worth of $8 million at the time of his death, according to Celebrity Net Worth. He left most of his fortune to his wife Janet and his children.